Obverse: Master Metal Scrip 5 in Trade Ingle-Shierloh Co. Dayton O. Reverse: B.M.R.A. Service Store Kingsport TN 5 IN MDSC ONLY Not Transf BM My friend has given this to me to research (in advance of my buying it). I would like some more information on the piece & obviously I would like to know how these things are collected & valued. BMRA in Kingsport TN could be the “Building Materials Reuse Association”. That doesn’t sound much like a coal mine so its got me thinking cheap merchant token. I believe that the Ingle-Shierloh company made scrip for coal mines among other things. Can you guys teach me something about this piece?
It is a coal token, for a coal mine. The Dayton Ohio company was the manufacturer of the tokens and the register that they used a common reverse usually. I have some from WV that have the same manufacturer on them. Basically when you worked for a coal mine you owed your soul to the company store since all your pay went there and you couldn't use the tokens anywhere else. These fell out of usage with federal regulations beginning in the 1950s.
I'd say it is most likely a merchant token. I checked the coal scrip book (vol 2 all states other than WV) and there was no mine listed in Kingsport TN, and no TN mine with the initials BMRA.
