The Percy Box

Former policeman and publican Pat Percy turned his business head to pearling in the early 1900s, amassing a small fleet of one schooner and four luggers. Although the major goal was to collect pearlshell, the occasional natural pearls found in the shell were a lucrative side-business. However, it was difficult securing the pearls from the mostly Asian crews with a penchant for trading ‘snide’ pearls. In 1910 pearler Pat Percy patented his ‘Percy Box’, which he designed with a one-way opening to secure pearls until opened on shore by the fleet’s pearling master. Every company had their own Percy Box, guarded by a trusted shell-opener.