✅ SOLVED Trying to locate patent on this baggage tag

BuckleBoy

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Hello All,

This baggage tag is marked “Pat Dec 25 185(?)8(?). It appears to be 1858 but the third number in the date could be a 5 or a 6, last number an 8 or a 9. Not sure why so many items listed Christmas Day as a patent date… weird, if it’s actually true. At any rate, I’m trying to locate the patent for this item. They were baggage tags which were stamped with the travelers name (this one is blank but I have an identical one I dug with a stamped name).
 

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BuckleBoy

BuckleBoy

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View attachment 2003157 View attachment 2003158 Hello All,

This baggage tag is marked “Pat Dec 25 185(?)8(?). It appears to be 1858 but the third number in the date could be a 5 or a 6, last number an 8 or a 9. Not sure why so many items listed Christmas Day as a patent date… weird, if it’s actually true. At any rate, I’m trying to locate the patent for this item. They were baggage tags which were stamped with the travelers name (this one is blank but I have an identical one I dug with a stamped name).
PS here’s a stamped one with the name “Levy Johnson” (suspension loop broken off).

5AADFE4B-7F2A-4935-BAC9-473BB230B56A.jpeg
 

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Bramblefind

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The date could be Dec 29 1868 - here is a patent from that date, also link to other tags.




 

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Red-Coat

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View attachment 2003157 View attachment 2003158 Hello All,

...Not sure why so many items listed Christmas Day as a patent date… weird, if it’s actually true. At any rate, I’m trying to locate the patent for this item....

No, it’s not true. The US Patent Office Bulletin has traditionally been published once a week, on Tuesdays. The granted patent then carries that date as the reference, so only certain dates are possible, such as 29th December 1868 which was a Tuesday. The only other possible December dates in 1868 were 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd but not 25th (which was a Friday).

Often, the bulletin wasn’t published on Tuesdays which happened to fall on 25th December. For example, between 1850-1870, 25th December was a Tuesday in 1855, 1860 and 1866 but the bulletin only appeared on 25th December 1855. The ‘backlog’ would then appear in the next bulletin with a Tuesday date.

The date could be Dec 29 1868 - here is a patent from that date, also link to other tags.





Some of those links contain mis-reading of the patent date. Bramblefind is correct that its 29th December 1868 and refers to Arthur Stafford’s patent in the first link provided.
 

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BuckleBoy

BuckleBoy

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No, it’s not true. The US Patent Office Bulletin has traditionally been published once a week, on Tuesdays. The granted patent then carries that date as the reference, so only certain dates are possible, such as 29th December 1868 which was a Tuesday. The only other possible December dates in 1868 were 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd but not 25th (which was a Friday).

Often, the bulletin wasn’t published on Tuesdays which happened to fall on 25th December. For example, between 1850-1870, 25th December was a Tuesday in 1855, 1860 and 1866 but the bulletin only appeared on 25th December 1855. The ‘backlog’ would then appear in the next bulletin with a Tuesday date.



Some of those links contain mis-reading of the patent date. Bramblefind is correct that its 29th December 1868 and refers to Arthur Stafford’s patent in the first link provided.
Wow! Awesome information you two! That explains so much about how these patent dates were listed. Also it’s great to see the original patent (and some tags that were sold as Civil War erroneously too LOL!)
 

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