Aberdeen Corporation Tramways

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In September 1898 Aberdeen Corporation Tramways Committee agreed to introduced celluloid tokens at the same discount as sheets of tickets[1], 13 penny tokens sold for 1/-. In December 1898 the tokens had not been issued, suggesting that the issue was in 1899. In August 1902 the committee was reviewing the routes with some options including removing the discount from the tokens and stopping composition tickets[2]. The decision was made in 1905 that from 1st November the discount would be stopped and the tokens would only be available from the tramway office[3].
In May 1915 the Corporation started issuing free tokens to the military for use by soldiers, sailors and nurses on duty. These were replaced in August 1917 by half fares with the minimum fare of 1/2d.
In 1920, due to increasing costs, Aberdeen Corporation introduced the 3/4d fare for a single stage. To avoid the use of farthings, this fare was only available through tokens bought at 12 for 9d.
There are four die varieties of the Aberdeen Corporation Tramways tokens obverse.
ABDTramTypes.jpg

Type 1 - Left leopard ear to EE, right leopard head close to P, right leopard tail points to A
Type 2 - Left leopard ear to end of first E, right leopard head further from P, right leopard tail points to A, smaller legend, shorter leopard faces, especially right one
Type 3 - Left leopard ear to second E, right leopard tail points to T. This obverse was used for the first Aberdeen Transport tokens
Type 4 - Left leopard ear to EN, design more crude, banner close to legend, second leopard neck not leaning back


These can be used to date the issues. See Aberdeen Corporation Tramways Dating

Type 1

Aberdeen Corporation Tramways - Type 1
ATW.0005aii.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.0005aii
Value ½d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 22.2 x 2.2
Manufacture Dark Blue Celluloid
Notes
ATW.001.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.001
Value 1d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 21.6 x 2.0
Manufacture Light Turquoise/Turquoise Celluloid
Notes ATW.001 varieties
ATW.0015c.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.0015c
Value 1½d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 21.9 x 2.3
Manufacture Pink Celluloid
Notes
File:ATW.Z01a.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.Z01a
Value 0
Add Desc. NTC
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Dark Blue Celluloid
Notes Used by National Telephone Co. Employees
File:ATW.Z01b.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.Z01b
Value 0
Add Desc. NTC
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Cream Celluloid
Notes
ATW.Z01c.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.Z01c
Value 0
Add Desc. NTC
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Cream Coated Orange Celluloid
Notes
ATW.P01.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.P01
Value 0
Add Desc. GPO
Size (mm) 22.4 x 1.9
Manufacture Brown Celluloid
Notes General Post Office
ATW.Z02a.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.Z02a
Value 0
Add Desc. P
Size (mm) 21.9 x 2.2
Manufacture Yellow Celluloid
Notes Police
ATW.Z02b.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.Z02b
Value 0
Add Desc. P
Size (mm) 22.5 x 2.3
Manufacture Lemon Celluloid
Notes Police

Type 2

Aberdeen Corporation Tramways - Type 2
ATW.0005a.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.0005a
Value ½d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Blue/Dk Blue Plastic
Notes ATW.0005a varieties
ATW.00075c.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.00075c
Value ¾d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 22.2 x 2.3
Manufacture Dk Green Celluloid
Notes
ATW.001.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.001
Value 1d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Turquoise/Grey-blue/Blue Plastic
Notes ATW.001 varieties
ATW.B01.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.B01
Value 0
Add Desc. "B"
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture White Celluloid
Notes Blind Persons
ATW.Z03ai.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.Z03ai
Value ½d
Add Desc. On Military Duty
Size (mm) 21.7 x 2.2
Manufacture Transparent Celluloid
Notes Issued 1915 to 1917

Possibly yellowed with age/handling

ATW.Z03b.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.Z03b
Value 1d
Add Desc. On Military Duty.
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Pink Celluloid
Notes Issued 1915 to 1917

Type 3

Aberdeen Corporation Tramways - Type 3
ATW.00075a.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.00075a
Value ¾d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Dark Green Celluloid
Notes
ATW.00075b.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.00075b
Value ¾d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Light Blue Celluloid
Notes
ATW.0015a.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.0015a
Value 1½d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 22 x 2.2
Manufacture Light Pink/Pink Celluloid
Notes ATW.0015a varieties
ATW.0015b.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.0015b
Value 1½d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 22.5 x 2 to 2.2
Manufacture Purple Celluloid
Notes
ATW.002.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.002
Value 2d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 22.9 x 2.3
Manufacture White Celluloid
Notes
ATW.B0051.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.B0051
Value ½d
Add Desc. "B"
Size (mm) 22 x 2.1
Manufacture Red Brown celluloid
Notes Blind Persons
ATW.B0052.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.B0052
Value ½d
Add Desc. "B"
Size (mm) 22.6 x 2.6
Manufacture Dark Brown Celluloid
Notes Blind Persons
ATW.P02.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.P02
Value 0
Add Desc. GPO
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Lt Red/Dk Red/Red Brown Plastic
Notes General Post Office

ATW.P02 varieties

Type 4

Aberdeen Corporation Tramways - Type 4
ATW.001a.jpg
Source (Smith 30/AV)
Filename ATW.001a
Value 1d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 21.5 x 2.1
Manufacture Light Blue Celluloid
Notes
File:ATW.0015d.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.0015d
Value 1½d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 22
Manufacture Light Pink Celluloid
Notes Seen on ebay
ATW.Z02.jpg
Source (Smith)
Filename ATW.Z02
Value 0
Add Desc. "P"
Size (mm) 22.2 x 2.2
Manufacture Yellow Celluloid
Notes Police

Type to be identified

Aberdeen Corporation Tramways - Type to be identified
File:ATW.0005c.jpg
Source (Smith 30AP)
Filename ATW.0005c
Value ½d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Blue centre between dark blue slices Plastic
Notes
File:ATW.00075e.jpg
Source (Smith 30AT)
Filename ATW.00075e
Value ¾d
Add Desc.
Size (mm) 23
Manufacture Dark Blue Plastic
Notes

Employee Passes

Aberdeen Corporation Tramways Employee Pass
ATW.P001.jpg
Source (Smith 30/PA)
Filename ATW.P001
Value
Add Desc. Employee's Pass
Size (mm) 42
Manufacture Aluminum
Notes Image from the RB Breingan collection auction 17/03/21,

courtesy of Simmons Gallery.

  1. Te Aberdeen Journal and Journal, 5 Sep 1898, page 8
  2. Aberdeen Press and Journal, 13 Aug 1902, page 5
  3. Aberdeen Press and Journal, 24 Oct 1905, page 4