Quick Recon of a New Site Nets Me a Rare First!

[Erik in NJ]

On a whim I decided to drive by a new site I have been researching. Was a bit seasonable today, so I grabbed my SE Pro and decided to see if there were any choice signals without doing any digging. I flagged a couple better hits with sticks then finally couldn't resist seeing if they were anything good, so I put on my gear. The first one I finally decided not to dig. The second was a definite dig. As I cut the plug and searched for the target it was a bit deeper than I expected and finally out popped what looked like a watch fob. I knew it was something older and thought this was a good sign even though the soil there was odd. Very few targets with the rest of my meandering, but I did dig a wheat cent which is somewhere in my car and a clad quarter.

When I got home the fob turned out to have the words "J. ROBBINS BOSTON" over the top and "NEW-YORK CITY TRANSFER 1884" on the main part of the tag. After some research it turns out that it's my first baggage check and it seems to be a rare one! Most of them were used for claiming baggage and mention a particular railroad. There was a "New York Transfer Company" check made which is rare and they are not even sure what it was used for exactly, but I have found none matching this one. The 1884 is the check number, not a year, but it's probably pretty close to the date when this tag was made.

If you would like to see a good site that documents "baggage checks" take a look at:

Tag Town

If anyone has any additional info on this check please let me know! Thanks!

 

[rustydigger]

Wow that is cool to find a one of a kind. Was it a old homestead or a public building type place? It would be amazing to tie it to a building or location where the luggage would have landed.

 

[Wldbil]

Very cool find... I am sure that someone will be able to help with ID on here.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Wow that is cool to find a one of a kind. Was it a old homestead or a public building type place? It would be amazing to tie it to a building or location where the luggage would have landed.

Hi, It's an old homestead on a large piece of property. The current structure dates back to 1896, but American Rev War troops supposedly camped in the viscinity as well. I doubt this property has ever been detected, but the soil was odd--almost like the type of sandy clay that you would find filled in a sports field so I'm concerned that it was perhaps filled at one point. This find seems to indicate that it may not have been filled though targets were oddly few and far between.

I've sent a pic of the check to the owner of that site with the hopes of possibly getting some more info on it.

 

[TreasurDiggrNY]

Nice oldie Erik, good luck at the new site.

 

[Gunrunner61]

really cool finds........................................HH

 

[jewelerguy]

that's cool

 

[fishstick]

BEAUTIFUL tag ERIK!!! Thats better than most coins anyday and fun to research. Good luck with the new site, looks to be holdin sum goodies.. CONGRATS.. HH

 

[highnam]

That is one awesome tag. Congrats

 

[Erik in NJ]

BEAUTIFUL tag ERIK!!! Thats better than most coins anyday and fun to research. Good luck with the new site, looks to be holdin sum goodies.. CONGRATS.. HH

Thanks fishstick for your kind words! I agree with you, these kinds of finds that have a direct link to a piece of local history are much more interesting than finding a coin with a date and mintmark. This check seems to be one of the more unusual ones according to the "Tag Town" site I posted. I've emailed the site owner a pic of the check and will post here when I get some more info on it. I'm sure this site holds a wealth of goodies, I just hope they are not too deep.

Best, Erik

 

[granthansen]

Erik, that's awesome!! Glad you got out yesterday and it turned out to be rewarding. Not sure how you even attempted not to dig, lol.

 

[CoilyGirl]

Very interesting find,keep digging!

 

[thrillathahunt]

That's my kind of stuff right there! Love it.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Erik, that's awesome!! Glad you got out yesterday and it turned out to be rewarding. Not sure how you even attempted not to dig, lol.

You already know me too well Grant! Well, I wasn't really dressed for it wearing designer jeans and a dress shirt and the plan was to return there today, but my wife's (typically) conflicting plans are making that look like it may not happen. I'll tell you about the site when we speak. Thanks for the post brother!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Thank you also to Wldbil, TreasurDiggrNY, Gunrunner61, jewelerguy, highnam, CoilyGirl, and thrillathahunt for your encouragement and kind words! I appreciate it!

 

[kuger]

Very cool Eric!I hunted a specific area for one special tag,for quite sometime to no avail only to have a buddy dig one in a very odd location!!!

 

[DaleGM]

your homework paid off, any kind of baggage tag is still on my bucket list,sweet find Erik

 

[oldsalty19]

 

[Erik in NJ]

Very cool Eric!I hunted a specific area for one special tag,for quite sometime to no avail only to have a buddy dig one in a very odd location!!!

Thanks kuger! What kind of tag were you looking for? Was it a baggage tag?

 

[Erik in NJ]

your homework paid off, any kind of baggage tag is still on my bucket list,sweet find Erik

Thanks Dale...I'd never found one before, so for me it was a nice surprise to dig it yesterday.