Anton “The Count” Steinbach

aka Thomas Jackson

One of the most colourful characters to mine for opal at Lightning Ridge was Thomas Jackson, known as “The Count”.

Jackson was born Anton Steinbach on 17 November 1888 in Liechtenstein. His father was Anton Hapsburg Steinbach, the illegitimate son of Franz Joseph I (Wikipedia link), Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and ruler of the Hapsburg monarchy. His mother’s identity remains unknown.

Jackson’s father, Anton Hapsburg Steinbach, was disinherited from the family line for consorting with a commoner. After his parents death Jackson became itinerant, traveling through Europe working odd jobs as a cabin boy and sailor. Jackson came to Australia in 1905.

The first mining attempts by Jackson were at the White Cliffs opal fields, where he was taught to mine by Mr. H. Becker. He had some success on an abandoned claim believed to be a “duffer”, finding and selling parcel worth £150.

In 1906 Jackson moved across to Lightning Ridge on Becker’s suggestion, making him one of the earliest opal miners on the Ridge fields. He worked alongside early pioneers including Charlie Nettleton, Charlie Gibson and the Canfells. He mined on Canfell’s field, producing what his autobiography reports to be £7,022 — an oddly specific but huge amount for 1906-1907, equivalent to over a million dollars in modern money. Later miners on the same claim supposedly also earned a fortune from it, it can be assumed it was an especially rich patch of ground.

Jackson also self-reports that in 1907 he found a significant Lightning Ridge stone which was sold to Sydney jeweller Percy Marks, who then sold it on to the Rothschild family who gifted it to Queen Alexandra of Denmark. This story cannot be confirmed, however Queen Alexandra has been documented as not being fond of opals, to the point of having opals removed from pieces of jewellery she was gifted or inherited!

Thomas Jackson applied for Australian citizenship multiple times, but was continuously rejected. He eventually achieved citizenship in 1953, after writing a passionate plea to Queen Elizabeth II stating his position and desire to be naturalised. The letter was returned without acknowledgment, but his naturalisation papers were issued promptly.

He lived out the remainder of his life in northern New South Wales. In 1955 he was working as a gardener in Moree when he saw a newspaper article about his grandfather — Franz Joseph I — in a newspaper, breaking his silence about his heritage.

Thomas Jackson, aka Anton Steinbach, grandson of Franz Joseph I the Emperor of Austria remains one of the most unusual characters to have worked the opal fields at Lightning Ridge. And while his story is interesting for its bizarre historical connections, he was also an opal miner who contributed strongly to the early establishment of Lightning Ridge as a commercial opal field. He directly and indirectly mined, sold and distributed opal world-wide at a time when the industry was reliant on the likes of Percy Marks, Tully Wollaston and other “influencers” of their time to spread the word and build the industry’s reputation.

• Thomas Jackson, aka Anton Steinbach @ Find a Grave.

Article: Research by Russell Gawthorpe and Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: Lightning Ridge: The Land of Black Opals, Ion L. Idriess, 1940, chapter XXV; Certificate of Naturalisation as an Australian Citizen, doc. no. 8533, 3 August 1953; ‘I am an Emperor’s Grandson’, Sunday Telegraph, 4 September 1955; Death certificate, doc. no. 1960/23583; A Journey With Colour: A History of Lightning Ridge Opal 1873-2003, Len Cram, 2003, pp. 30-44.