Ever find anything interesting in coal?

[Jimoutside]

I don't have pictures of it now, but when we bought our house, there was a big pile of coal out back. Some of the lumps were as big as softballs or bigger. My kids got into it and spread it all over the property playing with it. I noticed some had mineral streaks in it, including one with iron rust. I crushed that one at the time and found a bit of irony material, but nothing too interesting. Anybody found anything noteworthy?

 

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[Mattb]

I have found plants..mostly ferns and bark in centralia pa on raw coal hill tops on top of the burning mines that made them abandon everything...really cool place

 

[Jimoutside]

Matt, I see you have York, PA listed as a location. I know a Matt L from York. Small world....

 

[Mattb]

Very small

 

[IAMZIM]

I have found fossils and rarely pyrite discs in coal. Sadly, I left them in northern Montana when I moved back to Butte at 16 years old. Went back one time to get them, couldn't find them. My family doesn't own the land I found them on any more, so I guess I'm SOL lol!

 

[RustyRelics]

When I visit Ashland PA every year, I always climb on the coal banks and piles looking for stuff. My most recent find is a crystal piece of Quartz. I have to dig up the photo.

 

[Jimoutside]

I have found fossils and rarely pyrite discs in coal.

Pyrite discs? Are they round? What did they look like?

 

[ToddsPoint]

There's a mine in So.IL that has the pyrite discs. After the coal is removed, they pry the pyrite discs off the ceiling. Those things were common around here when I was a kid, I had several. I haven't seen any lately. Gary

 

[Jimoutside]

How big are they? Any pictures?

 

[Rosey Morgan]

I have a FB 'unofficial friend' who has a career coal miner son in the Coal Fields of Pennsylvania, who regularly plucks gold from some of the coal seams they are mining for the company. In fact, she reported that several of his co-workers have accomplished the same thing.

She went on to elaborate, when she offered to put me in touch with her son in particular, that the Owner/Company has two rules regarding such finds:
Yes, the coal miners can keep what they find providing they:
1) report to the company, at the end of each shift and show the company rep their harvested gold
2) failure to do so and getting reported or discovered results in immediate termination.

This conversation with her took place in the last 20 months. (It's now July '19)

I don't have pictures of it now, but when we bought our house, there was a big pile of coal out back. Some of the lumps were as big as softballs or bigger. My kids got into it and spread it all over the property playing with it. I noticed some had mineral streaks in it, including one with iron rust. I crushed that one at the time and found a bit of irony material, but nothing too interesting. Anybody found anything noteworthy?

 

[IAMZIM]

Pyrite discs? Are they round? What did they look like?

Yes, round pancaked shaped discs. I have no pics sorry!