Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company Token, One Stick Powder

Name/Title

Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company Token, One Stick Powder

Entry/Object ID

KK.0155

Description

octagonal explosive control tokens

Collection

Company Scrip + Tokens

Mintage

Manufacture Method

Struck

Notes

unknown mint or issuer

Coin Details

Obverse

Transcription

The / Cleveland Cliffs / Iron Co. / Ethel, W. Va.

Reverse

Transcription

Good For / One / Stick Powder.

Currency

Coal Company Token

Dimensions

Diameter

25 mm

Dimension Notes

octagonal

Composition

Material

Aluminum

Relationships

Related Places

Place

* Untyped Place

Ethel Hollow

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Archaeological Find

Notes

Found in Big Dark Hollow on Ethel Hollow. The left hand fork is Big Dark and the right hand fork is Little Dark. Found near a Columbia Gas company house that has now been demolished. Five total scrip pieces were found at this spot. A few were traded to Jay Chatman for a few postcard.

Exhibition

Life in the Coal Camps

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Company Scrip In most coal operations, miners were not paid in US dollars, but rather in company money, called scrip. Usually scrip was only redeemable at the company store, preventing miners from spending money outside the company town. Although illegal in the state of West Virginia, most coal companies continued to use scrip to pay their miners until the 1950s. collection of Kenneth King

Research Notes

Research Type

Curator

Person

Shaun Slifer

Date

Dec 25, 2020

Notes

Although according to Dodrill the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company operated from 1917 to 1930, the firm was incorporated in West Virginia on 9 May 1891. The general office was in Cleveland, Ohio. (from David E. Schenkman, Explosive Control Tokens, 1989)