R.N.I. & B. Railroad baggage claim check Owney tag

Owney, American, c. 1888 - 1897 · 1888-1897

Owney probably received this token while riding on the Richmond, Nicholasville, Irving & Beattyville railroad in Kentucky. The token is a baggage check, which was given to passengers to locate their luggage that was stored in the baggage hold for the trip. The line, nicknamed the Riney B, operated from 1888 to 1902. The Riney B was named for the largest towns along its route through central Kentucky: Richmond, Irvine, Nicholasville, and Beattyville. The railroad’s carriage of mail and passengers was almost secondary to its use to bring lumber and coal across the state. The token was created by metal maker James Murdock of Cincinnati, Ohio. The back side of the token bears Murdock’s mark, noting that he was also at work as, or in, “seal presses, stamp cutting, engraver, and die sinker.”