RARE Railroad Frisco Lines Train Porter Hat Cap Badge Steel Die Blackinton 2 Pc

Description

This is a rare, heavy steal Blackinton & Co. stamping die that was used to make the Porter hat badges for the St. Louis - San Francisco Railway "Frisco Line".
It is rare to find an original die but rarer yet to find both die pieces. Both pieces combined weigh 10+ pounds.
The large piece is stamped with the number "14179" and is also stamped "THOS. HEATH ATTLEBORO MASS.".
Thomas Heath was a patent assignor for Blackinton Co. as referenced in the following books:
United States Congressional Serial Set 1817 - page 564.
Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office - page 103.
The following line is listed in both books, "Heath, Thomas, and C.H. Such, Providence, R.I., assignors to R. Blackinton & Co., North Attleboro, Mass. Handle for spoons, forks, or similar articles." This for patent no. 36932, Dated May 31, 1904.
This does not mean that this die is from 1904. It just makes a correlation between Thomas Heath and Blackinton & Co., now known as V.H. Blackinton & Co. This renown badge company was founded in 1852.
This is however a die for a vintage and obsolete hat badge. It came from a family owned collection of a Blackinton & Co. descendant.
This is a NO RESERVE auction and this item WILL SELL so don't wait until the last minute to bid or you may miss out on this rare and terrific piece of Railroad and Badge history.