Key tag? Token? Need help to I.D. this item

[Digger92]

Is this a key tag/marker for the billiard room of the Grand Union Hotel in New York? Just curious as to if anyone has seen similar, or even has info on the item.

 

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[DCMatt]

Hmmm... What are the odds that you would find a NY hotel tag in Colorado? And what are the odds that there was a pool hall called "Grand Union" somewhere in Colorado? I'm guessing "hat check" from a local billiard room called "Grand Union".

DCMatt

 

[xr7ator]

Last year I found a New York City transit token in Denver and I'd guess it's from the 50's or earlier.

 

[DCMatt]

Last year I found a New York City transit token in Denver and I'd guess it's from the 50's or earlier.

Not saying it is impossible... But this tag does not say "hotel" or "New York" on it. So it could be from anywhere. Odds are that it is more local than NY.

DCMatt

 

[Digger92]

Thanks for the replies. I believed it to be local as well. Had a couple tell me the New York Hotel theory and was hoping to shine some light on that here. It was probably the billiard room of the mining camp that used to be on the property but it's always good to look for more info

 

[Digger92]

Not saying it is impossible... But this tag does not say "hotel" or "New York" on it. So it could be from anywhere. Odds are that it is more local than NY.

DCMatt

Ok after further cleaning I have confirmed it was from New York. I included pictures. Thank you all for the input

 

[nhbenz]

My thinking is that that reads "Hoole Mfg. Co. New York", who manufactured the tag, rather than who used it or where. Hoole made a lot of railway tags, but it looks different than most of those I've seen.
Can you confirm that that is what it reads? This may help if it that's correct; http://www.tagtown.net/hoole.html

 

[Digger92]

My thinking is that that reads "Hoole Mfg. Co. New York", who manufactured the tag, rather than who used it or where. Hoole made a lot of railway tags, but it looks different than most of those I've seen.
Can you confirm that that is what it reads? This may help if it that's correct; http://www.tagtown.net/hoole.html

Yes that's exactly it! Great info

 

[Bramblefind]

That's interesting that the estimate based on the Hoole Mfg. stamp is circa 1885-1893. I saw you were from southern Colorado and I did come across this hotel but I discounted it thinking the tag was more modern and this hotel only used the name "Grand Union" until the mid-1890s when it changed to "Columbian Hotel".

It doesn't mention it had a billiard hall but it did have a "lavish saloon" and "gambling rooms in the basement" so it might have....

Grand Union Hotel Building - Trinidad, Colorado - A Historic Building Survey

 

[Bramblefind]

Well I did find a reference in Google books which says that hotel did have a billiard hall too. It is only a snippet view. The other reference I found has a similar description of the hotel but says it had "a gaming room"--