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🏛️ ANTIQUE WEST BADEN SPRINGS HOTEL — LUCKY NUMBER 7 BRASS KEY OR BAGGAGE TAG — INDIANA 🏛️
A REMARKABLE SURVIVOR FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST EXTRAORDINARY GRAND RESORT HOTELS!
Step back more than a century into the fascinating world of the legendary West Baden Springs Hotel in West Baden, Indiana, home to one of the most celebrated architectural achievements in American hotel history.
Offered here is an original antique brass hotel identification tag bearing the name “WEST BADEN SPRINGS HOTEL,” the beautifully styled number 7, and the location “WEST BADEN, IND.”
Its substantial brass construction, distinctive rounded-square shape, elongated attachment slot, deeply recessed black-filled lettering, and wonderfully aged surface give this small historical artifact an extraordinary presence.
Believed to have served as a hotel room-key tag, baggage tag, or related numbered identification check, this is a tangible connection to an era when magnificent resort hotels welcomed some of America’s most prominent and fascinating visitors.
Unlike ordinary postcards, brochures, or printed souvenirs, this is a genuine piece of historic hotel hardware — an object potentially handled and used during the daily operation of the celebrated AGE & HISTORICAL PERIOD
Estimated date: Late nineteenth to early twentieth century, potentially circa 1890–1920.
The tag’s brass construction, typography, decorative numeral, attachment slot, and overall manufacturing characteristics are consistent with styles of hotel identification hardware used around the turn of the twentieth century.
Its possible period of manufacture is particularly intriguing because West Baden Springs Hotel experienced one of the most dramatic transformations in American resort history.
The earlier hotel was destroyed by fire in 1901, and the magnificent replacement hotel opened in 1902.
This tag could potentially belong to either the original hotel’s later years or the early decades of its celebrated domed successor.
However, the precise manufacturing date has not been established, and there is currently insufficient documentary evidence to assign the tag conclusively to either building.
The circa 1890–1920 range is an informed historical estimate rather than a confirmed manufacturing date. The possibility of an earlier or later date cannot be A FASCINATING PIECE OF HISTORIC HOTEL HARDWARE
The front of this beautiful brass tag features:
• WEST BADEN prominently displayed in bold, decorative serif lettering
• SPRINGS HOTEL, immediately beneath the hotel name
• A large, elegantly styled number 7 occupying the center
• WEST BADEN, IND. along the lower edge
• A long, rounded attachment slot near the top
• Deeply recessed lettering retaining dark material within the impressions
• A naturally aged brass surface with attractive variations in color and patina
The tag’s overall design is consistent with antique numbered identification checks that could be attached to hotel room keys, baggage, or other property.
Although similar West Baden Springs Hotel brass tags have been described as room-key tags, the precise original function of this example has not been independently established.
It is therefore being offered as an antique hotel room-key or baggage identification tag, without claiming a particular documented LUCKY NUMBER 7 — A CHARM FROM ANOTHER ERA?
Perhaps the most captivating feature of this remarkable little artifact is its beautifully styled number 7 — a number that has symbolized good fortune for generations.
One cannot help but wonder whether this very association with luck contributed to the tag’s survival.
Could an early guest of the legendary West Baden Springs Hotel have kept this brass number 7 as a personal good-luck charm or cherished souvenir of an unforgettable stay?
Rather than being returned, discarded, or eventually lost, perhaps it was carefully tucked away among someone’s treasured possessions, preserved long after its original purpose had ended.
It is an intriguing possibility, particularly for an object that has survived from such a distant chapter of American resort history.
Although its original ownership and the circumstances of its preservation remain unknown, the idea that this little brass “Lucky 7” was saved for sentimental reasons adds a wonderful dimension to its story.
More than an antique hotel tag, it is a fascinating reminder of the personal stories that historical objects can carry — even when those stories have been lost to THE LEGENDARY WEST BADEN SPRINGS HOTEL
West Baden Springs, Indiana, became internationally famous during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for its mineral springs, lavish accommodations, and remarkable resort culture.
The original West Baden Springs Hotel was among the destinations that helped establish southern Indiana as an important American health and leisure resort region.
Following the devastating fire of 1901, hotel owner Lee W. Sinclair undertook an extraordinary rebuilding project.
The replacement hotel, completed in 1902, featured an astonishing free-spanning domed atrium that became one of the architectural wonders of its time.
The magnificent structure was widely celebrated as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”
At the height of its popularity, West Baden attracted wealthy vacationers, business leaders, politicians, entertainers, and travelers from across the country.
The hotel became associated with the elegance, ambition, and extravagance of America’s great resort era.
Today, the beautifully restored West Baden Springs Hotel stands as a National Historic Landmark and a remarkable surviving monument to that extraordinary period.
This modest brass tag offers a particularly compelling connection to that history because it represents the practical objects that may once have circulated through the hotel’s daily FAMOUS GUESTS & THE HOTEL’S COLORFUL HISTORY
The history of West Baden Springs Hotel is filled with fascinating personalities and stories.
Among the notable figures associated with the resort’s history is Margaret “Molly” Brown, remembered for surviving the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.
The wider French Lick–West Baden resort region also became associated with the colorful world of early twentieth-century American celebrities, politics, and organized crime, including stories involving Al Capone.
These historical associations illustrate the extraordinary social world surrounding southern Indiana’s famous resort hotels.
No claim is made that this particular tag was used by Molly Brown, Al Capone, or any other identifiable historical guest.
Its appeal lies in its genuine association with the named hotel and the fascinating historical period it may DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
• Height: 39.49 mm — approximately 1.55 inches
• Width: 35.29 mm — approximately 1.39 inches
• Thickness: 1.34 mm
• Weight: 13.53 grams
Constructed of substantial brass with a rounded-square profile and elongated attachment slot.
A U.S. Mercury dime and precision ruler are included in selected photographs for size and scale reference CONDITION — PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
This is an authentic, visibly aged antique brass hotel tag showing wear consistent with its apparent age and long history.
The brass exhibits naturally developed patina, uneven coloration, oxidation, surface scratches, small marks, scattered spotting, edge wear, and minor imperfections.
The front lettering and decorative number 7 remain strongly defined, with dark material retained in the recessed impressions. Small areas of the dark filling show wear or loss, exposing the underlying brass.
The attachment slot remains open and intact, with visible age-related wear and irregularities along portions of its interior edges.
The rounded corners and outer edges exhibit normal signs of handling and use.
The reverse is unmarked, with fine scratches, surface discoloration, and two small adjacent linear impressions visible toward the lower portion. No maker’s mark has been identified.
The tag has not been polished or restored, and its existing surface character has been preserved.
This is not a pristine or newly manufactured reproduction-style collectible. It is an aged historical object with the visible characteristics of long-term handling and survival.
Please examine all photographs carefully, including the detailed macro close-ups, as they form an important part of the condition description.
The tag will be carefully handled and securely packaged for IMPORTANT — GROUP PHOTOGRAPH #24
Photograph #24 is a group photograph featuring three separate pieces of historic French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel memorabilia from my personal collection, along with a U.S. dime and ruler for size and scale reference.
THIS LISTING IS FOR THE ANTIQUE WEST BADEN SPRINGS HOTEL LUCKY NUMBER 7 BRASS TAG ONLY.
The other two historical pieces, the dime, and the ruler are shown solely for comparison, historical context, and size reference. They are NOT included in this sale.
Each historical piece is being offered separately in its own individual AN UNUSUAL PIECE OF AMERICAN RESORT HISTORY
An appealing addition to collections devoted to:
• West Baden Springs Hotel and French Lick Springs Hotel history
• Antique hotel room keys, key tags, and baggage checks
• Historic American resort hotels and mineral springs
• Indiana history and regional memorabilia
• Antique brass identification tags and hotel hardware
• Victorian, Edwardian, and early twentieth-century travel memorabilia
• Historic hotel architecture and the great American resort era
• Original artifacts associated with famous American landmarks
• Lucky number 7 collectibles and historic good-luck charms
Whether displayed alongside other West Baden memorabilia, incorporated into a collection of antique hotel keys, or preserved as a standalone historical artifact, this brass number 7 tag offers an intriguing connection to one of America’s most extraordinary resort destinations.
A SMALL OBJECT WITH A REMARKABLY LARGE HISTORY — AND PERHAPS A LITTLE LUCK STILL LEFT IN SHIPPING
• Ships same or next business day
• FREE USPS Ground Advantage within the United States
• Fully insured with tracking
• Carefully and securely packaged
• Ships in a sturdy cardboard box — never a bubble INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
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• USPS Priority Mail International
• Flat rate: $48.95
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All serious offers considered.
All sales are final unless the item has been grossly misrepresented.
