Places on Pieces

Beach finds with the names of local spots, beachcombing destinations, and places around the world.

Ruth Smethers.

Mary Louise Lauffer.

Ky Davis.

Ann Scalley.

“My coolest finds ever were found on the same beach on different days in different areas,” says Ann Scalley. These “Brookline Coasting and Toboggan Club” metal tags were made by The John Robbins Manufacturing Co., in Boston, Massachusetts. “I think they probably date back to the 1890s. Coasting was what Boston children called sledding in the 1800s. Their ‘coast’ was the slope they chose to sled on.” Ann found a post card from around 1900 depicting tobogganing in Franklin Park in Boston, Massachusetts, showing some of the club members in action.

This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 44 September/October 2024