1860s Chicago And Milwaukee Railroad Railway Train Brass Luggage Baggage Tag For Sale

1860s Chicago And Milwaukee Railroad Railway Train Brass Luggage Baggage Tag. This extremely rare baggage check tag is from the Chicago And Milwaukee Railroad, which began in 1853 and operated until June 1863, when it merged to form the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway. It then operated as the Chicago And Milwaukee Railway until February 1874 when it became the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Based on this information, the luggage tag would be circa 1853-1874. Many of these antique brass tags were unfortunately melted down for scrap metal drives during WWII, making surviving tags highly sought after by collectors today. The front of this antique baggage check tag is stamped Chicago to Milwaukee. The baggage claim number on it is 4405. The front also bears the manufacturer's mark, "E. Hoole. Mt Vernon N.Y." The reverse is blank. The tag is made of brass and measures approximately 2” long by 1.5” wide.
This rare baggage tag was made by the The Hoole Machine & Engraving Works, which was a premier 19th-century American manufacturer of bookbinding tools and baggage checks. Edmund Hoole patented a metal baggage check in October 1858, which heavily influenced the brass baggage tag design. He began manufacturing brass railway baggage tags in the 1860’s. Edmund Hoole was closely tied to Mount Vernon, New York, during the 1850s and 1860s. While his business mark often read "E. Hoole N.Y." or listed a New York City or Brooklyn workshop address, historical patent and civic records from the era document Edmund Hoole as a resident and manufacturer in Mount Vernon. The company officially closed in 1911, outlasting virtually all of its domestic competitors. Today, the few surviving artifacts and baggage checks made by the company are highly sought-after by collectors and preserved in specialized collections.
Please see the photos of this historical 1860s Chicago And Milwaukee Railroad Railway Brass Train Luggage Tag as they are part of the description and to assess the condition. You can click on any photo to enlarge it for more details. Feel free to ask questions.
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