Expressmen's Union Denver Colorado

[deegeez]

I found this near Montezuma, Colorado last summer.  I've tried to find info about it and failed miserably until I went looking through old Colorado newspapers from the late 1800’s.  There are dozens of articles about the Expressmen from about 1896 to about 1906.  From what I've read, the Expressmen would haul anything in their wagons from ore to supplies to whatever.  They were unionized and made about $3.00  per day.  The articles were definitely interesting, but not very informative--I guess this was just a hum-drum job.

It says:
Expressmens
Union No.1
Denver Col.
850
Claim Check
Duplicate

With the exception of the tarnish, it is in very good shape.  I'd like to know if this is worth anything.  Or, should donate it to a museum?  Also, should I polish it to get rid of the tarnish?
Thanks,
Deegeez

 

[ironlord1963]

    Nice item for sure.  First is it worth someting, I would say yes, not a expert but my guess is starting in the $$.00, and up, Find the right person they would snag it, Find two and you have some Value for sure.   As for should you Donate, anytime that is thought about it is fabulous, and when done well that is a Sign of a "History Hero"  just ask Tales she will tell you how that feels  .  But most important should you Clean it up, No don't touch a thing, That will actually add value, espically in items like this.  Anyway thanks for posting I hope the other will add much more for you. 

[talesofthesevenseas]

That is very cool and the right museum, if they had an existing collection on the Expressmen, would treasure it. However, I think that donating it to a museum that does not have an Expressman theme, it would end up gathering dust in their vault and possibly being deaccessioned (sold off to support the museum). So if you did choose to donate it, I would seek out a museum with an interest in the Expressmen.

I agree, don't clean it, leave it just as it is, it's terrific!

[waywardangler]

I am disagreeing on the cleaning. This looks dug. Was it in the ground when you found it? It also looks corroded to the point where it is disfigured. The corrosion needs to come off or it will continue to corrode but it may already be past the point of no return.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Hmmm... if that is green corrosion, Wayward has a good point, you don't want it just eating away at it. If that is the case (maybe others can confirm if this would be a good approach for this piece) I would wipe it with white vinegar and immediately rinse and dry it, then oil it with either USP mineral oil or olive oil.

[deegeez]

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Yes, that is green gunk on it.  I cant really tell if the green gunk is getting worse or not, to tell the truth, after I found it I just threw it in a drawer and forgot about it. We live near Breckenridge Colorado and there are lots of old ghost town areas around here where we find all kinds of strange things so I didn't think much of this when I found it.   
I'd like to see something done with it.  If it were worth a bazillion dollars I would want to sell it otherwise, since I am a museum freak, I'd like to donate it.  I think I'll start checking out some Denver museums.
Thanks again everyone!