Edwardian Express Motor Cap Company Brass Cap / Collar Badge

A die struck brass cap / collar badge with two original toned loops to the reverse. Circa 3.3cms tall. Slight loss of detail from polishing otherwise in very good condition and rare. Pre WW1. The first London cab driver worked for this company - see below:

The Story of London's "Number 1 Taxi driver"

James 'Jimmy' Michael Howe was a veteran of the cab trade. He entered his profession in 1884, driving horse-drawn vehicles around London. He had the distinction of being the regular driver for Leopold Rothschild, whose home in west London is now the Gunnersbury Park Museum.

In 1903, Howe became the first Londoner to pick up passengers in a petrol-powered cab — a French-built Prunel — under the auspices of the Express Motor Company. He was London's "Number 1 Taxi driver".
Fares were identical to those of the established horse-drawn cabs.

Although horseless vehicles had troubled London's streets for decades, they were still something of a rarity in the early 20th century. Electric cabs had been trialled a few years earlier, but proved impractical. Howe's cab was the first to be powered by petrol, and the only one in London for several months. Two years later, the number had risen to 19. Gasoline-powered taxicabs began operating in Paris in 1899, in London in 1903, and in New York in 1907. I have seen share certificates for the Express Motor Cab Co Ltd, London registered and dated 1907.

See the following URL for more about James Howe:

https://londonist.com/london/history/london-s-first-taxi-driver-james-michael-howe

Comm StWi (376)

Code: 65588