River Wear Commission Pass

[Kushi]

This pierced, brass pass for the Sunderland, England, ferries is counterstamped S.S.Co.L. Any ideas? Similar pieces are listed by the Smiths (1981) but with different counterstamps, GBRE 740 GA - GD. Diameter 39 millimeters.

[humpybong]

Sorry Kushi, can't help you with this one.

Could have been re-used during WWII even though it is not listed.

[Afrasi]

Perhaps Sunderland Shipping Company Limited ?

[Figleaf]

Didn't find a company by that name, but it was close enough to find the Sunderland Shipbuilding Company Limited. Excerpt:

Sunderland Shipbuilding Company, known locally as The "Limited" Yard, took over a South Docks site where wood ships were built in the eighteen-sixties by John Haswell. Iliff and Mounsey were launching little iron sailing ships and steamers there in the early 'seventies, after which the business was conducted as Mounsey and Foster. This latter firm built several large iron sailing ships from 1873, among them being the Duchess of Edinburgh, Eastern Monarch, Roderick Dhu, Senator and Kingdom of Sweden, each of which was famed among the medium clippers of the period.

After Mounsey retired, Robert Foster continued for only a very short time and then the business passed into the hands of the Sunderland Shipbuilding Company. Commencing about 1882, their record was a splendid one in the steamer class, and included ....."

Later words make it clear that the Sunderland Shipbuilding Company site was on the beach since the text refers to broadside launches into the open sea.

The relation with the Wear River Commission is not so clear. A bridge or ferry pass, perhaps?

Peter

[Figleaf]

I consulted the owner of the site linked to above and got the following reply:

The token image is familiar to me and is, as I am sure you saw, covered on site here. http://www.searlecanada.org/sunderland/sunderland008.html#sandpoint
River Wear Commissioners ran ferries across the river in Sunderland in north-east England - my page covers a number of such ferries. But what the extra inscription means is a puzzle..

So a ferry pass it is.

Peter

[brandm24]

This thread was linked by Peter in this very fine history of the Sunderland Ferries. http://www.searlecanada.org/sunderland/sunderland008.html

I came across this ferry token on eBay so thought I'd post it here. I'm not sure how to date this one but thinking c1900...just conjecture.
(Images courtesy of eBay ID celluloid)

Bruce

[Figleaf]

Obviously, someone with a profound lack of taste fell for the ugliest font available. Reminds me of early days of computing, when you could buy a whole CD full of useless fonts

Peter

[Henk]

I have a token identical to the one posted by kushi but without the counterstamp S.S.Co.L  It is brass, 39 mm and has a reeded edge. The token is holed and stamped with 24644.

Perhaps these tokens were given by companies to their employees and this is the reason for the counterstamp. The only company I could find that could fit the abbreviation is Short Brothers Limited this  shipbuilding company was formed in 1850 and based at Pallion, Sunderland since 1869. The company closed in 1964.

[brandm24]

Obviously, someone with a profound lack of taste fell for the ugliest font available. Reminds me of early days of computing, when you could buy a whole CD full of useless fonts

Peter

Well, ugly is in the eye of the beholder, but in this case the beholder agrees...It's ugly!

Bruce

[bhx7]

This thread was linked by Peter in this very fine history of the Sunderland Ferries. http://www.searlecanada.org/sunderland/sunderland008.html

I came across this ferry token on eBay so thought I'd post it here. I'm not sure how to date this one but thinking c1900...just conjecture.
(Images courtesy of eBay ID celluloid)

Bruce

There are actually quite a number of different variants of the Sunderland Ferry Token. Here are 3 I have so far. I know there are others out there.

Brian

[bhx7]

You may also be interested in the Sunderland Bridge one as well. Presumably they would have all been produced by the local borough Council, especially as they all share the same basic design.

I haven't managed to get one of the River Wear Commission Passes yet. One I am looking for.

[Figleaf]

The third one is clearly different, but the only difference I picked up between the first two is the helmet sign's "cushion" over which the "globe" is floating. Correct?

Peter

[africancoins]

Between the first piece and the second piece... See also the ribbon edge positions near to "SU" and near to "ND".

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

[Figleaf]

I see a slight shift of the position of the left ribbon in relation to SU, but no change on the right side and I measured all kinds of distances on my screen. However, in the process, I noticed that the shield is more pointy on number 1 and its upper right and left corners of the shield look a bit more pinched

Peter

[africancoins]

..and a ribbon edge goes out of sight under the start of the "D" on the first piece and under the middle of the "N" on the second piece.

Thanks Mr Paul Baker