Bestselling Stockton And Darlington Railway S&dr English Plaque Brass Oak C. 1915 Series [NmEj7vt5]

c. 1915 brass and oak plaque. Depicts the No. 1 Engine and the date 1825. The engine itself is marked “Locomotion,” and the car it is pulling is marked “S&DR.” To the right of the engine is a picture of “Bulmer's Stone…a relic of the Ice Age upon which a town crier called Willy Bulmer would stand and read out the contents of the newspapers.” 

On the back of the plaque is a label "Registered Design No. 541742 Arthur E Berry, Northgate, Darlington."

Overall 11 1/8 inches by 5 15/16 inches. Metal portion 9 inches by 4 1/2 inches. Overall excellent condition, some discoloration to metal.

No one knows exactly why these plaques were produced, though there is speculation they were made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington (England) Railway (S&DR), established in 1825. 

The original mold was made by a Stephen Bell in 1909, and the plaque was registered as a "medal design" in 1911. 

According to one source “Mr Berry was a pawnbroker whose shop is now beneath the ring-road roundabout near Marks and Spencer. It was close to the Half Moon Inn. He was there from the 1890s until he retired in 1933.”