25 Cent Coal Scrip with CC stamp from Consolidation Coal Co Monogah, WV

jmm2562

Hello!

I have several coal scrips in my collection. I'm unable to find a match for one of them on the internet or auction houses. Could this be a rare scrip or something?...

Thanks for any help,
Jim

tokenpro

"Or Something" is the better of the two choices you put forth. It's not rare but it is a bit better than the many hoard pieces commonly encountered. It is cataloged as Edkins WV 1943-F25 and listed as R-7, part of a 1c to $1.00 denomination set issued by that company. All R-7's are not created equal - it would probably be in the $10-$25 range if auctioned. Coal scrip can be funky and frustrating as seemingly random single mid-rarity pieces will pop easily into the three figure range while the next four similar pieces will sell for $5-$10. I've sold thousands of scrip pieces over the years and still haven't fully figured out the results.

jmm2562

@tokenpro thanks for the info and Edkins reference. You never disappoint!

One more quick question... what does the CC stand for? Consolidation Coal? I see other company releases with different stamps, so I'm guessing some relationship with the denomination or unique stamp for the series.

tokenpro

In this case yes, it does stand for Consolidation Coal but in most cases the cut-out will be a shape unique to that company at that location. Some companies had multiple mines at various towns and used a different shape cut-out at each location for separate accounting. Where there were multiple mines of different ownership in the same town or area the cut-outs helped the mines and the local merchants keep things straight at a glance. Some stores were exclusive to a mine and would only accept scrip from that mine (the proverbial company store) while other merchants in town that accepted scrip would decline the tokens from mines on shaky financial footing where they might not be redeemed..

The crisp cut-outs also helped to prevent counterfeiting of the scrip. The cut-outs also came into play when a mine was sold or a different issue of scrip came into use with the older style only being redeemable for a very short period and then becoming worthless after that period.

cladking

@tokenpro said:
In this case yes, it does stand for Consolidation Coal but in most cases the cut-out will be a shape unique to that company at that location. Some companies had multiple mines at various towns and used a different shape cut-out at each location for separate accounting. Where there were multiple mines of different ownership in the same town or area the cut-outs helped the mines and the local merchants keep things straight at a glance. Some stores were exclusive to a mine and would only accept scrip from that mine (the proverbial company store) while other merchants in town that accepted scrip would decline the tokens from mines on shaky financial footing where they might not be redeemed..

The crisp cut-outs also helped to prevent counterfeiting of the scrip. The cut-outs also came into play when a mine was sold or a different issue of scrip came into use with the older style only being redeemable for a very short period and then becoming worthless after that period.

Thanks for the posts. I'm a wannabe coal token collector who never had a chance to get started because prices started at $3 each so amassing even the commonest would be too costly. I always started with quantity and then sought quality. You can start most token collections for almost no cost and then look for the rarities. I had a dozen telephone tokens before I knew what they were and traded my way to a real collection.

Coal tokens are among the most interesting out there and comprise thousands of different issues.

What many don't realize is that most tokens were made in batches of a thousand and then used for years. If the issuer ran low he ordered another batch. Very very few tokens of any type survive at all except for those retained by the issuer and these become the hoard tokens. In many cases, especially good fors, these tokens were discontinued and then destroyed. The only survivors show up drawers or emerge from the woodwork.

All tokens deserve a lot more attention than they get. Tax tokens are really US coins where even the scarcities can be had for as little as a nickel. It just requires work and effort. Patience is paramount but it shows up as work. Seen in this light it's hard to justify spending thousands and thousands of dollars just to get started on a collection.