Mining Items

Betty Lamp. This is an old hanging lamp fuelled by oil. Made from iron. Size 4″ x 3″ x 4″ inches. The hook and spike is 6″ inches. It has a hinged lid, an inner wick holder and an attached spike with integrated hook, the spike for knocking into timbers or the hook for suspending the lamp. It’s dated to …

A Wells Unbreakable Oil Lamp No18. This is a large Wells oil lamp. Made from cast iron. Size 7″ x 10″ x 5″ inches, the handle is 6″ inches high. The lamp still has its original yellow paint.      

A. C. Wells & Co Unbreakable Safety Engineers Hand Lamp. From their works at Withy Grove, Manchester, England. Made from iron and brass. Size 6″ x 3″ inches. Dated 1884.

A Wells Unbreakable Oil Lamp No5. Made from cast iron. Size 6″ x 4″ x 4″ inches. The reservoir lid is a screw type and toothed for perfect balance when suspended from a hook. The lamp still has its original thick wick.  

A Wells Unbreakable Oil Lamp. This Wells oil lamp has a screw top for the wick holder and a back iron handle. Made from cast iron and iron. Size 6″ x 3 1/2″ inches. It seems to have retained its original black paint and red lettering. Used in the early 1900’s. 

Lancaster’s Steam Coal Collieries Ltd Coal Consignment Note 1912. This consignment note is for the shipment of 220 tons of Russell’s New Black Vein “Large” Steam Coal shipped on board the S.S. Karnak from Barry Dock. Size 8″ x 10″ inches. Dated 16th of December 1912.

South Wales Collieries – Mobile Winder Information File. This official N.C.B file for the use of the mobile winder in the case of any accident of breakdown of the fixed-winders was compiled by the N.C.B for the purpose of cataloguing the details of each shaft in the collieries of South Wales that was open in the early to late 1980’s. …

The Nantyglo and Blaina Ironworks Company Limited. A receipt for the interest due on debenture coupons. Dated December 1883. The interest of £50 less £1. 0s. 10d was due to Mr George Emmett of Wood Bank, ? illegible place name. That sum is now the equivalent of £5,500 in today’s money. 

Richard Thomas & Co Limited. Messrs Richard Thomas & Co Limited, sales invoice in account with the committee, Beynons Colliery Pithead Baths, Blaina. Dated 14th April 1939. The invoice is for electricity usage of 9314 units for the March 1939 quarter, at the cost of £19. 8s. 1d. It’s the equivalent of £1,200 in today’s money.

Miners Domestic Firewood Blocks. There was an unwritten agreement in the collieries of South Wales that each working miner was entitled to one block of wood per day for domestic use, for fire-wood. The blocks (as seen above in the featured image) were 9″ x 6″ inches on average and were cut by the working miners, from timber props which …