Grand Duchy of Avram

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The Grand Duchy of Avram is a small, unrecognised micronation in Tasmania, Australia. It was started in the early 1980s by John Charlton Rudge, who calls himself the Grand Duke. The public face of Avram is the Royal Bank of Avram, which issued its own banknotes and coins and once operated from George Town and later Strahan. People had to exchange Australian money for Avram money to use it, and the bank is said to still operate today from various sites. Because the bank did not have a license, the Australian government confiscated its currency and took Rudge to court. After six federal cases costing about 22 million Australian dollars, the courts ruled he did not commit illegal activity and ordered the confiscated property returned, though some items disappeared and later reappeared. Rudge was allowed to resume banking. He has issued several coins and notes since the 1980s, with the latest known issues dated 2008, and the coins were enamelled on goldine-plated metal, valued up to 250 Ducals (100 Ducals = 1 Avram, and 1 Avram = 1/30 ounce of gold). Rudge also served in Tasmanian politics, elected to the House of Assembly for Lyons as a Liberal and later acting as a councillor and deputy mayor of Sorell under his legal name. He claims many noble and religious titles and travels on an Australian passport listing them. The Duchy has never claimed territory like some other micronations. In 2008, Rudge lived in Sorell and described the duchy as philosophical, not territorial.