Monday, January 3, 2011

Steeplechase Park Combination Badge

Among my grandfather's correspondence was a souvenir of a visit to George C Tilyou's Steeplechase Park. I will post images soon.

Item is octagonal, roughly 3.5" across, with uneven sides of 1" to 1.75" each. The item looks cut out by hand. A red knotted string is attached through the "H" in STEEPLECHASE. Numbers 1-31 are surely punch card spots representing days of the month for ticket punching purposes.

Obverse-- caricature (2"h x 1.25"w, beg. 1" from top) (red, pink, navy blue) of man with toothy grin in tall white stiff dress collar with red strip tie and red/blue jacket is central figure; "50c" (0.5"h x 0.75"w) (navy blue) on the left and right of caricature; "GEO. C. TILYOU'S" (0.25"h x 1.5"w) (navy blue) (line 1) and "COMBINATION BADGE" (0.125"h x 2.125"w) (navy blue, bold) (line 2) above the caricature; and "STEEPLECHASE" (0.125"h x 1.5"w) (navy blue, bold) (line 1), "THE" (0.125"h x 0.375w) (navy blue, bold) (line 2), with the first three letters of the first word on line 3 cut off, showing "   NY PLACE" (0.125"h x approx 1.5"w) (navy blue, bold).

   GEO C. TILYOU'S
COMBINATION BADGE

     50c  (caricature)  50c

STEEPLECHASE
      THE
       NY PLACE

Reverse--  A large navy blue "96" is in center (0.5"h x 0.75"w) (navy blue on white);, numbers 1-25 in white on a navy blue strip around the edge of the card, oriented with the bottom of each number toward the outside edge of the card, with fine white lines between each number; numbers 26-28 in white on a blue semicircle situated below the "96", with the numbers oriented outward as above; numbers 29-31 above the "96" in similar manner to 26-28; "STEEPLECHASE PARK" in red on white, above 29-31; "COMBINATION BADGE" in red on white, below 26-28; "No. 293017" in red, printed across the "96", with "No." printed with the rest of the card and "293017" obviously stamped on like a ticket serial number.

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