Antique 1900 Brotherhood Railroad Trainmen Ribbon Lodge 587 Philadelphia BRT For Sale

An exceptional, highly graphic turn-of-the-century artifact of American industrial labor history. This original, reversible meeting and mourning badge was issued by the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (B. of R.T.), Liberty Bell Lodge No. 587 out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, dating to approximately 1895–1910.

This piece represents an incredibly desirable cross-collector artifact, highly sought after by Railroadiana enthusiasts, labor union historians, and regional Pennsylvania ephemera collectors alike.

• Celluloid Train Header: The crown jewel of this piece is the ornate, gold-plated metal header framing a beautiful, multi-colored pictorial lithograph protected under a celluloid window. The artwork sharply depicts an early steam locomotive, a bright red boxcar, and a caboose. The celluloid is bright and clear, completely free of the clouding, cracking, or shrinkage that usually plagues these early plastic pieces.

• Obverse Meeting Design: The front features a cream silk ribbon beautifully stamped in reflective gold leaf. It prominently displays the historic Philadelphia Liberty Bell above the intricate B. of R.T. brake-wheel emblem, which incorporates a brakeman\'s essential tools, a lantern, and coupling pins. The silk matrix remains tight and structurally stable with no dry-rot splitting or shattering, finished with a complete, intact metallic bullion fringe at the hem.

• Reverse Mourning Design: True to the hazardous nature of early railroad work, the reverse side serves as a formal funeral mourning ribbon. Flipped over for a fallen brother\'s service, it features a stark black silk field stamped with an incredibly bright, reflective silver-foil rendering of the exact same lodge graphics. The original white mounting string remains tied through the top loop.

• Collector Note: It is rare to find an early railroad union textile that escaped both the heavy weathering of active parade use and the degradation of time. Unwashed, unaltered, and structurally excellent, this localized Philadelphia lodge ribbon is a top-tier centerpiece addition.