Separable Baggage TicketIn 1882, John Mitchell Lyons was issued a Canadian patent for his "Improvements in Baggage Checks and Coupon Tickets" (No. 14911). He was a railway clerk in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, who devised this now familiar way to track and identify luggage. As the headquarters of the Intercolonial Railway of Canada, Moncton was an important railway hub. To better control the passengers' luggage, Lyons devised a baggage check which separated along a perforation into two halves. Both pieces were printed with the same route information and an identifying number. One half was attached to the bag, and the other was given to the passager to claim his luggage at his destination.«[Image: figure from Canadian patent.] |
