Miners homesite finds, tags, token, relics

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

From about 1890 to 1930 the suburban hill that I live on was the home of 2 very active mines, Beadling and Essen. I spent about 2 1/2 hours this weekend at a miners homesite lost in the park woods adjacent to my home. No cellar hole, no stacked stones, a pile of bricks from the chimney and overgrown myrtle ground cover and some surface pottery are the only signs that a home once stood here.

Found a handful of miners tags, 15 total. These are common around here, but 3 was my record in one hunt until this weekend.


No coins, but I dug a 5 cent beer token.


Here is a handful of relics, including my first skeleton key of the year.



This is the first whistle I have dug with a cork ball still inside. Cleaned it up and it works like new, extremely loud.



I think this is a lady’s sash buckle.



Not sure what the silver washed relic is.



And this would have been essential for the miner living here, a miners light.



And of course a spoon and harmonica reeds



Good luck out there!

 

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[xcopperstax]

Nice relics you get a pretty good look at their life through those! I imagine they went into the mine and place the tag on a board or something to show they were in there. That's my guess! Congrats!

 

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[Inspector]

What a killer hunt that was, some really cool relics, I have never found a whistle and that one is awesome as well as the buckle, congratulations on all the cool saves

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Nice relics you get a pretty good look at their life through those! I imagine they went into the mine and place the tag on a board or something to show they were in there. That's my guess! Congrats!

I’ve found some tags in the past that have a number and the mine name. I think these are the ones that went on a board at the entry to insure no one is left behind. I think these simple numbered tags were placed on the small coal cars/carts and the miner/laborer had to fill 5-7 per day from the mine. The tags were proof of their work.

 

[Relicific]

Skeleton keys are a fav of mine.
Excellent hunt

 

[cambria09]

Hello pdns. That is a very nice selection of finds...hope you are able to go back and find more...thanks for the view and keep us posted.

Good Luck out there. C9

 

[tnt-hunter]

I’ve found some tags in the past that have a number and the mine name. I think these are the ones that went on a board at the entry to insure no one is left behind. I think these simple numbered tags were placed on the small coal cars/carts and the miner/laborer had to fill 5-7 per day from the mine. The tags were proof of their work.

We have coal mines around here and I find a lot of the tags that we call chits. You are right they did use them to show they were in the mine and on the mine cars to show they worked on filling the car. They got paid by the ton for the coal they dug so they needed the chits to get credit for their work and get paid. Most of mine are from small operations that just have a number, but I do find some with the name of the mine as well as the number.

 

[Steve in PA]

I’ve found some tags in the past that have a number and the mine name. I think these are the ones that went on a board at the entry to insure no one is left behind. I think these simple numbered tags were placed on the small coal cars/carts and the miner/laborer had to fill 5-7 per day from the mine. The tags were proof of their work.

Speaking of marked miners tags, I found these at the ruins of an early 20th century mining town in Somerset county. There were rows of foundations, and plenty of miner tags, but I only got one IHP and my friend got a Barber dime.

 

[JerV3]

Nice stuff pa.

Like the buckle wistle and token. I got an old mining site that gave me over 500 miners tags. They come up often around here at old home sites.

Mining towns are good places to hunt.

Jer

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Nice stuff pa.

Like the buckle wistle and token. I got an old mining site that gave me over 500 miners tags. They come up often around here at old home sites.

Mining towns are good places to hunt.

Jer

500 tags at one site, that’s crazy. I average about 1 per week. Seems like all the land around here was either a mine or a farm or both at one time in the past.

 

[Yak1366]

Great finds, Congrats!!!

 

[Steve in PA]

Speaking of marked miners tags, I found these at the ruins of an early 20th century mining town in Somerset county. There were rows of foundations, and plenty of miner tags, but I only got one IHP and my friend got a Barber dime.
View attachment 1687468

I got 17 in one day at this place. I was only there for once and barely scratched the surface. My buddy that took me there has sold them on line.

 

[trdking]

Love the token and the Whistle Police Special beep beep Looks like this guy lost all of his squirreled possessions

 

[Bob-E-Pin]

The Slote and Klein piece is a seat harness buckle. The two empty holes had a matching buckle like the other side attached to leather or canvas straps. The ear hole covers of that era inserted and locked with wires attached for coms. Super cool finds!

 

[highnam]

Great token find!
if you took a pic of the back of the sash buckle it should verify if it’s a sash buckle. It looks like a two-piece “butterfly style sash buckle” and there could be another half of the buckle still out there.