March 29, 2024 - The annual spring show of the National Scrip Collectors Association will be April 5-6 in the Appalachian Room of Country Inn & Suites on Harper Road in Beckley.

The show is open to the public, and there is no admission fee.

Scrip was the primary form of exchange for many miners here in West Virginia, as well as many other coal mining states. Most scrip was made of metal and resembled coins in denominations ranging from 1 cent through $20, though $1 and $5 tokens are usually the highest denominations encountered.

Scrip was issued to miners as an advance of their pay and could be used to purchase products at the company store. The company store offered just about anything a miner’s family would need.

Though the use of scrip ended in the 1950s, it is widely circulated today – that is, among collectors. While most collectors today focus on particular companies or counties for their collections, many also collect certain denominations, tokens with pictures on them or even certain states, just to name a few.

This show is an opportunity to not only learn about scrip, but also get started in scrip collecting or, for the advanced collector, perhaps even add a token or two to your collection. Collectors and dealers will be arriving throughout the day on Friday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Dealers will have tables set up with scrip and other tokens, as well as books, mining lamps, scatter tags and other mining memorabilia.

For more information, visit http://scripcollectors.org.