Mining collectables...

[inbye]

I suppose it ties in with history & it's definately not mining in general so I'll post it here...

Always been interested in anything "mining" & over the years have accumulated a lot of books, a collection of lamps & a collection of pit checks.

I don't really class myself as a check collector, I just do it out of interest along with the fact that these things are sometimes the only reminders of a once great industry. Being a Yorkshireman, I limit the checks to Yorkshire pits, & with one or two exceptions, only go for the "embossed" type.



Here's an image of my checks, on a board that came from either Walton or Newmillerdam, not sure which. One or two are scarce, the best is a "polo" brass embossed from Lepton edge & another good one is from "Low Laithes" pit near Wakefield. The workings from Low Laithes were the ones were the face at Lofthouse sheared thro' the shaft sump, in the early 70's (73?)

As I said, mining history. I hope this is of interest...

[John]

Nice collection, Lofthouse was 1973, I was working for British Gypsum at that time, we got the report and I read it on nights. One of our fitters was in the rescue team when that accident happened, he'd been working for the NCB as a pump fitter on abandoned pit shafts.
He told us when they had decided the air was satisfactory, they were allowed through, he and his team came to an air door that was bulging with the weight of water behind it. They had to wait until the pumps had reduced the level before forcing their way through. They found the first bodies behind the doors.
In the report were several photos of both main and tailgates, hydraulic chocks swept off the face by the power of the water several hundred feet from the face line!


BTW, still have my old paycheck from Clifton Colliery, stamped 360, my lamp number. A mate of mine who is now in Canada managed to get his lamp checks too, he still has them.

[inbye]

I'd left the industry, by the time of the Lofthouse accident. I'd joined up & was on the streets of Londonderry NI. It was immediatly after the accident, before the fate of the trapped men was known.
We had been detailed to set up a VCP (vehicle check point) & I was the guy stood in the road checking the driver's details. I had drawn the short straw, mine was the most exposed & vulnerable position.........I didn't want to be there.

As I was looking at this blokes licence, he said something like "I wonder if they've got them out yet" I looked down at him "Eh?" "Those poor blokes, trapped underground" OK, I knew what he was on about, just had no idea how he was relating this to me, it was all a bit sureal.

The look on my face must have said all this to him.........he pointed to the hand I was holding his license with, on the back of my middle finger was a large coal scar, (I'd torn it open on a corroded mine car at Park mill). Turns out he was an ex miner and knew how to recognise another, but that conversation, at that time & in that location, was all a bit wierd...

[John]

Thats an odd story, but the scars are a giveaway.
A bit like after a Friday Afters shift in summer. Someone in the pub would always say "yer mascara's running lad" Never could get the dust out of the eyelash follicles!
I was lucky, didn't get any blue scars, I tended to clean cuts out pretty well to avoid them, have tons of scars on my hands though.
Funny thing, never saw one bloke with blue scars in NSW pits! Except lads from the old country who'd worked in UK pits before they migrated to Oz.

[ken]

It is the little things that bring back memories. It was a little art new miners had to learn was getting all the coal dust out from around the eyelashes. The new chums were always obvious until they learned the art. In our area- Durham- anyone who missed this little chore in the showers was told "you still have the pulleys in" Was this term used elsewhere?
Ken

[John]

Never did manage to get all the coal dust from out around my eyes, so summer nights down the pub with a sweat on, "mascara" would run. ;D
We always said you could tell anyone who worked "dahn pit" by their "mascara"
Funny, wasn't the same coal dust in NSW, don't know why, no matter how much one sweated, and we had times when it was pretty warm and humid, never seemed to get as dirty as we did in UK collieries.

[Sam from Kent]

The "mascara" doesn't that bring back memories. I lived in Dover and the pits were some 8 to 10 miles away so not many people saw the "mascara" When I was on the council a women councillor had observed that lots of rough tough men were in the town wearing mascara, but didn't say anything until she saw me wearing it. I then had to explain.

Incidentally, only a miner and a woman would know this, you cannot "remove" the mascara with your mouth shut!!!!

[dintheader]

Jul 11, 2008 8:50:33 GMT -5 inbye said:

I suppose it ties in with history & it's definately not mining in general so I'll post it here...

Always been interested in anything "mining" & over the years have accumulated a lot of books, a collection of lamps & a collection of pit checks.

I don't really class myself as a check collector, I just do it out of interest along with the fact that these things are sometimes the only reminders of a once great industry. Being a Yorkshireman, I limit the checks to Yorkshire pits, & with one or two exceptions, only go for the "embossed" type.



Here's an image of my checks, on a board that came from either Walton or Newmillerdam, not sure which. One or two are scarce, the best is a "polo" brass embossed from Lepton edge & another good one is from "Low Laithes" pit near Wakefield. The workings from Low Laithes were the ones were the face at Lofthouse sheared thro' the shaft sump, in the early 70's (73?)

As I said, mining history. I hope this is of interest...

[dintheader]

Hi
I too am a collector of pit checks having worked in the Yorkshire s for over 30 years, most of these at Barnburgh colliery
Have you much in the way of doubles, i have some nice rarities as swaps

[Wheldale]

I've got checks from around 250 collieries, some pre 47 checks. They are all in a money bag, I keep meaning to make a board to mount them on. I see checks can go for loads on EBay, same as lamps.

[cortonwood]

dintheader,
I worked at barnburgh,bet you cant guess which pit I worked at before?
still have all my pit checks,cortonwood,barnburgh,frickley,silverwood,maltby,all while working for the coal board.i also have my stillingfleet and killingly swipe cards from when I was contracting.
my oil lamp from silverwood sits on our windowsill.

[dintheader]

Feb 25, 2014 7:27:34 GMT -5 Wheldale said:

I've got checks from around 250 collieries, some pre 47 checks. They are all in a money bag, I keep meaning to make a board to mount them on. I see checks can go for loads on EBay, same as lamps.

[dintheader]

Wanna sell them??

[Wheldale]

Sorry, there not for sale. Hopefully some day i'll pass em on to my lad.

[dintheader]

Feb 25, 2014 5:17:26 GMT -5 dintheader said:

Jul 11, 2008 8:50:33 GMT -5 inbye said:

I suppose it ties in with history & it's definately not mining in general so I'll post it here...

Always been interested in anything "mining" & over the years have accumulated a lot of books, a collection of lamps & a collection of pit checks.

I don't really class myself as a check collector, I just do it out of interest along with the fact that these things are sometimes the only reminders of a once great industry. Being a Yorkshireman, I limit the checks to Yorkshire pits, & with one or two exceptions, only go for the "embossed" type.



Here's an image of my checks, on a board that came from either Walton or Newmillerdam, not sure which. One or two are scarce, the best is a "polo" brass embossed from Lepton edge & another good one is from "Low Laithes" pit near Wakefield. The workings from Low Laithes were the ones were the face at Lofthouse sheared thro' the shaft sump, in the early 70's (73?)

As I said, mining history. I hope this is of interest...

[dintheader]

Any doubles, ive got some rare swaps if interested