Hard Times Token – Wm. G. Jones, Union Coal New York, New York ND

Reverse

All legend with business name and proprietor surrounding address

Script: Latin

Lettering:
UNION COAL OFFICE WM. G. JONES.
CORNER
OF
CHAMBER
&
WASHINGTON ST.
NEW YORK

Edge

Reeded

Comment

William Gardner Jones (1787 – 1870) ran the Union Coal Yard and Coal Office from 1829 to about 1840-1841 when it was last listed with his name in Longworth’s New York City Directory. His Hard Times tokens were likely issued 1836 or 1837. They are known in two metals. HT-285 is copper and rare. HT-285A is brass R-6 with 13-30 known. The name of his business changed to William G. Jones & Co, then folded, and he declared personal bankruptcy December 27, 1842.
The four coal types named on the token obverse were all hard anthracite coal from mines near each other in northeast Pennsylvania. They were the Lackawanna (misspelled LACKAWANA), Peach Mountain, Schuylkill, and Lehigh mines. After mining, the roughly 160-mile journey of the coal to New York city was difficult. It was first carried downhill on a gravity powered railroad, then by river, by canal on barges pulled by donkeys, and finally by boat down the Hudson River from Kingston, New York to New York city. Anthracite coal played an important part in fueling the Industrial Revolution.