Up for auction is an original Bates and Klinke die. These dies are from the original Bates and Klinke factory in Massachusetts and were used to create iconic souvenir, travel, memorabilia and historical fobs, charms, keychains, etc. They are truly one of a kind, and rare to have the genesis of production for historical artifacts of still-relevant and bygone American history. See my other listings.

What is a HUB or DIE?

In jewelry, coining, and medallions, a manufacturer needs a die. To make a die, they need a hub. The hub is the original design and has the positive image, the die is the impressed negative image. The hub creates the die, and is then stored in case the die cracks and a new one needs to be made. The hub is the more rare and valuable collectible, as they are the first generation of a design and it's manufacturing process. These were typically hand-carved, highly detailed works of sculpture. There are some cases of this process, told to me from old-time hub & die makers, where only a die was made. These may be machine-cut. Hubs and dies are a true form of art and sculpture, that has yet to be widely discovered.

I WILL ALWAYS combine shipping, please bid and wait for a combined invoice before paying.

If you are new here, I post new hubs WEEKLY, see my current listings and come back for more auctions.