The travels of a rare Banbridge luggage label

A box of old train tickets from the 60’s and 70’s at a car boot sale was the inspiration for James’ business idea to sell old tickets and labels, called ‘Tickets Please’ which launched in October of last year.

“It seemed such a shame that these little pieces of history were just lying about,” said James.

“As I grew up I always had a passion for Northern Irish history and also trams and trains. My grandfather worked for Belfast City trams and so he had shown me his memorabilia from this time.

“I began to think ‘what can I do with these tickets to preserve them?’ and came up with the idea of framing them. This way they are behind glass where they can be looked at, but also kept safe.

“I’m just conscious of how much things have changed. Today people use iPhones and things to book tickets, but back in the day a conductor came round and stamped your tickets.

“The tickets were printed on card and it all seemed a more personal approach than nowdays.

“The guy who sold me the tickets then put me in touch with an old station master he was friendly with, as he had around 15,000 tickets in storage.

“These tickets weren’t used, they were all untouched, because with the introduction of decimalisation they had been taken out of circulation as they were in old currency.

“I separated them out into different areas which are printed on different coloured card to represent the various routes. They make nice keep sakes and bring back nice memories.

“The tickets are from locations throughout Northern Ireland so it’s a trip down memory lane to locations that mean something to people, such as a trip to the North Coast, or a first date, or a work route.

“It can be difficult to know what to buy dads and grandads as presents over and above socks and ties, but this kind of present brings back memories of times they have had.

“I have also branched into interior designs now and have produced a range of cushions designed based on different tickets and destinations. I have also introduced a range of wash bags too.

As regards the Banbridge luggage tickets, James said: “Any old Banbridge railway stuff is hard to come by and I only get a few pieces now and again. Banbridge tickets are very rare - very hard to come by. There are some in museums and you’ll come across odd ones but for the most part they are hard to get.

“This one is a luggage label from the 40’s or 50’s and it’s nice to think about the kind of luggage it would have been attached to and where it might have travelled.

“The luggage labels I have are all still in tact although a little bit rough round the edges, but that gives a nice authentic aged look.”

To find out more information about Tickets Please or to get in touch with James go to www.facebook.com/ticketsplease2013, email [email protected] or call 0788 195 4707.