| Author |
 Replies: 20 / Views: 18,951 |
Page 2 of 2
|
|
|
|
New Member
United States
4 Posts |
Thanks a lot for all the information CheetahCats. No I don't have any more information about this script. I found it in the bottom of a shoe box full of belt buckles that was given to me as a kid. Thanks again
|
|
New Member
United States
5 Posts |
I found a token that reads Fork Mount Coal Co. or it might be Fort. I can't find any info on this coal company, but I found the token metal detecting in TN. Does anyone have any info on this token?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
Quote:
I found a token that reads Fork Mount Coal Co. or it might be Fort. I can't find any info on this coal company, but I found the token metal detecting in TN. Does anyone have any info on this token? I should be able to provide you with some info when I get back to my desk later this evening. |
|
New Member
United States
5 Posts |
I finally found some info on the coal company. They are in nearby town. However the only tokens from them I have seen online are different than what I found, so I wonder how many designs are there. Btw- I found it metal detecting less than 2 inches underground which is interesting considering how old it is. Should I clean this token and if so with what? I am not that knowledgeable about tokens, but have been warned by other metal detectorists not to clean old coins or it ruins their value.
|
|
New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Here's photos- finally figured out how to make pics small enough file   |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
Do not clean!
I will get you the variety info when I get back to my desk in about an hour or two. :)
Edited by CheetahCats
02/06/2012 10:27 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
Your token is an Edkins TN-1045-C50, Anderson County. It is listed as having an Edkins Rarity Rating of R-6 (50-74 surviving in existence.)
Dodrill lists several company store ventures at Fork Mountain, all owned/operated by Fork Mountain Coal Company:
Fork Mountain Commissary, 1932-1950
Regal Store, 1931-1950
Fork Mountain Coal Co [Store], 1934-1950
Dodrill lists that Fork Mountain Coal Co employed 250 employees, at Fork Mountain, during the span of 1931-1950.
Your specimen is a Type-MM2 Master Metal Scrip. They were struck between the years 1934-1941. Therefore, your specimen was in circulation during the time that all three stores were in existence. It was probably exchanged/spent at all three stores at various times.
|
|
Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
"I owe my soul to the company store".
Mining paid poorly, and their employers also owned the stores.
Everything was overpriced, but the miners had no easy way to get to cheaper stores. They no sooner got their pay than they had to pay off their store balance and perhaps rent on a company owned shack.
They couldn't quit, because they owed the company.
|
|
New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Thanks for the info! I hope I can find some more of these. Is a R-6 rating that good? I did talk to a friend who said his dad worked for Fork Mountain Coal and he thinks he might have some of the scrip somewhere. Should I clean the corrosion off this token or is it more valuable with the original "patina"?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
Quote:
"I owe my soul to the company store".
Mining paid poorly, and their employers also owned the stores.
Everything was overpriced, but the miners had no easy way to get to cheaper stores. They no sooner got their pay than they had to pay off their store balance and perhaps rent on a company owned shack.
They couldn't quit, because they owed the company. In many cases, that is indeed the case. Most especially in Appalachia and coal camps. And much of what you describe occurred pre-1920s, before the Labor Movement kicked in. The West Virginia Coal Wars, including the Battle of Blair Mountain, are examples of where the tide began to turn. If you're interested in that sort of history, you can read a lot of first-hand accounts in old issues of the United Mine Workers Journal, up to around 1922. Edited by CheetahCats
02/08/2012 6:25 pm
|
|
New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Just a couple months ago there was a show on tv about "history of the states", forgot the exact name of show, but they talked about Tennessee coal mines and how miners were enslaved to the company and how hard it was to get out. Do the tokens say "not exchanged for wages" as a legal formality or are those tokens that were after the miners rebelled for better treatment?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
The tokens were stamped as a legal formality. States passed laws outlawing issuance of scrip for wages, in lieu of U.S. Currency and Coin. As per the question about rarity, you can find more information on the topic here, where various rarity scales are outlined, including the Edkins' coal scrip rarity scale: http://www.novanumismatics.com/arti...arities.html |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
Quote:
Is a R-6 rating that good? There are several rarity scales, you'd have to see what that book's scale is defined at. R-8 and R-9 are usually the lowest, with R-9 meaning unique in some scales, or 1-3 known in others. R-1 usually means common. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
Quote:
There are several rarity scales, you'd have to see what that book's scale is defined at.
R-8 and R-9 are usually the lowest, with R-9 meaning unique in some scales, or 1-3 known in others. R-1 usually means common. Indeed. My article's link, as previously posted, covers the following scales: URS/Bowers, Sheldon/EAC, Rulau, Fuld Civil War & Patriotic, Fuld Sutler, Breen's, Chibbaro's, Edkins', Overton's, the Van Allen & Mallis, the Pollock, Seaby/Rayner, and the Freeman/UK. http://www.novanumismatics.com/arti...rarities.phpThey are too extensive to post here. As previously stated in an earlier reply, the Edkins' scale is what applies to the coal scrip within this thread:  Edited by CheetahCats
02/12/2012 02:19 am
|
|
Valued Member
United States
59 Posts |
I am no expert on tokens or mining currency. I do study Tennessee history and know about the mines, which are mostly unknown to current residents. I have heard of tokens, currency, and script, and maybe some other nouns, but do not know about all of them. I was struck when I saw the pictures of the TN mining co tokens. While I kinda knew that they probably had them, I had never seen any before. So, I had to go to google, and found one image:  |
|
Page 2 of 2
|
Replies: 20 / Views: 18,951 |
Page 2 of 2
|
First Page
Posted 02/06/2012 12:10 am
