Cool Railroad Baggage Tag - Atlantic & Great Western Railways

[Steve in PA]

Hit a mid to late 19[SUP]th[/SUP] century house site over the weekend. I had been in there a couple times in the past, but it was always too overgrown to cover much ground. It’s a little more accessible right now. The best find is definitely the railroad baggage tag from the Atlantic & Great Western Railway. I was told this tag dates to around 1864. This railroad existed as the A&GWR from 1858 to 1880 and was once owned by General George McClellan of Civil War fame. For more on the history see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_and_Great_Western_Railroad
The oldest find is easily the “rat tail” pewter spoon bowl. Unfortunately, the only coin was a thoroughly toasted fatty IHP.


Also dug these misc small relics:


And some larger relics, most of which are destined for the scrap bucket.

 

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[diggingthe1]

That is one old RR tag! Those are sure nice to dig! Glad ou made it out while the ground cover is down! Those other relics are sure nice also! You sure find some great stuff!

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Very cool piece of history with that luggage tag and I bet it sounded really sweet. Nice crotal bell and suspender buckle as well. What is the item center row left in the keeper photo? Looks like a horseshoe design in there? Congrats!

 

[Steve in PA]

That is one old RR tag! Those are sure nice to dig! Glad ou made it out while the ground cover is down! Those other relics are sure nice also! You sure find some great stuff!

Thanks! Those old baggage tags are cool bits of history and very collectable. I have only dug one other one in 30+ years.

Very cool piece of history with that luggage tag and I bet it sounded really sweet. Nice crotal bell and suspender buckle as well. What is the item center row left in the keeper photo? Looks like a horseshoe design in there? Congrats!

Thanks Thad. The piece you're referring to is a fancy, stamped brass brooch or something. When I first dug it I though it may be some patriotic piece since it was sort of shaped like a shield. It had a wire bar across the back when I first dug it, but that got lost somehow. I'm still working on getting the encrustations off.

 

[vpnavy]

Nice find Baggage Tag Steve in PA. Here is a member that found a A&GW RR Padlock (Aug 23, 2013, 05:59 PM) to go along with it!

 

[Steve in PA]

Nice find Baggage Tag Steve in PA. Here is a member that found a A&GW RR Padlock (Aug 23, 2013, 05:59 PM) to go along with it!

Thanks for the link. I like the railroad related items.

 

[can_slaw]

This hunt looks like it was a ton of fun! The RR tag and bell are something i am actively searching for. All though are very cool pieces , congrats!

 

[Chizzy]

I thought Steeler/Pirate/Penguin country was snow covered? If so, you sure defied Mother Nature on that hunt!!
Love the RR tag. Being a former RRer, I'm always excited to find anything related to the days of the Iron Horse. Congratulations on a great hunt and finds!

 

[BLK HOLE]

Really like the Railroad Tag, my grandfather was a Railroader for the Great Northern, would love to find some artifacts associated with trains! Congratulations.

 

[Steve in PA]

This hunt looks like it was a ton of fun! The RR tag and bell are something i am actively searching for. All though are very cool pieces , congrats!

Thanks! The bell I would consider a sleigh bell rather than a crotal bell. The RR tag was a pleasant surprise, only the second one I have ever dug. I hope you find yours soon.

I thought Steeler/Pirate/Penguin country was snow covered? If so, you sure defied Mother Nature on that hunt!!
Love the RR tag. Being a former RRer, I'm always excited to find anything related to the days of the Iron Horse. Congratulations on a great hunt and finds!

Thanks Chizzy. We were too far west to get the heavy snow. This past weekend was perfect weather for detecting.

 

[thrillathahunt]

That railroad tag would make my day! Great find.

 

[Steve in PA]

Really like the Railroad Tag, my grandfather was a Railroader for the Great Northern, would love to find some artifacts associated with trains! Congratulations.

Thanks! Keep looking, there are plenty of railroad buttons, tags, locks, and keys out there waiting to be found!

That railroad tag would make my day! Great find.

It definitely made my day once I cleaned it off and realized what I had. My railroad baggage tag collection just doubled Here is the first one I found

.

 

[johnnyblaze]

Ahh Senior Stevano Delgato nice tag would love one for my collection..Love those personal old finds....

~Blaze~

 

[toasted]

Nice baggage tag. One of my favorite relic finds is a rr tag with the name of the town I live in on it

 

[DetectorMoe]

Sweet tag! Nice digs!

 

[Trezurehunter]

Congrats on a nice piece of Railroad memorabilia. That is a nice looking tag. I'd love to dig one of those some day. That is one relic thats on my bucket list.

 

[sprailroad]

Thanks for the link. I like the railroad related items.

It's nice to be liked.

 

[Steve in PA]

It's nice to be liked.

That all depends on who's doing the liking

 

[Steve in PA]

Ahh Senior Stevano Delgato nice tag would love one for my collection..Love those personal old finds....

~Blaze~

Muchos Gracias Senior Fuego! The baggage tags are very cool relics and fun to research.

Nice baggage tag. One of my favorite relic finds is a rr tag with the name of the town I live in on it

I'd love to find one with my hometown on it!

Sweet tag! Nice digs!

Thank you!

Congrats on a nice piece of Railroad memorabilia. That is a nice looking tag. I'd love to dig one of those some day. That is one relic thats on my bucket list.

Thanks, they are out there, but not that easy to find. I have gotten two in 30+ years, but I spend a lot of time on pre-RR sites.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nice finds, congratulations!