Mining tokens from Chihuahua

Santa Clara

Francisco T. Hernández

Grove 1898
Obverse: FRANCISCO T. HERNANDEZ / 50 / SANTA CLARA
Reverse: ES BUENA POR UNA / 2 / RACION DE MAIZ
25mm. bronze

Tienda de Raya

Obverse: TIENDA DE RAYA / CHIHUAHUA / MEX. / SANTA CLARA
Reverse: BUENO POR / 10 / EN / MERCANCIAS
24mm. brass

Obverse: TIENDA DE RAYA / CHIHUAHUA / MEX. / SANTA CLARA
Reverse: BUENO POR / 20 / EN / MERCANCIAS
28mm. brass

Jesús María (Ocampo)

Compañía Minera de Santa Juliana

Grove 1746
Obverse: SANTA JULIANA MINING CO. / JESUS MARIA / 1893
Reverse: an ore car
16 mm. nickel

Grove 174
Obverse: SANTA JULIANA MINING CO. / JESUS MARIA / 1893
Reverse: a coil of rope
 mm. nickel

Grove 1747
Obverse: SANTA JULIANA MINING CO. / JESUS MARIA / 1893
Reverse: a pick, shovel and sledge hammer
19 mm. nickel

Grove 1748
Obverse: SANTA JULIANA MINING CO. / JESUS MARIA / 1893
Reverse: a miner with a pick
22 mm. nickel

Grove 1749
Obverse: SANTA JULIANA MINING CO. / JESUS MARIA / 1893
Reverse: a pack mule
25 mm. nickel

In 1894 a Mexico City newspaper reported that before the law prohibiting payments in scrip (fichas, cacharpas, vales al portador y otros objetos) came into effect, the practice was rife but now people were paid in legal tender. However, in Ocampo it appeared that the law was less efective, given the great circulation of aluminium tokens (monedas ó contraseñas de aluminio) issued by the Compañía Minera de Santa Juliana, redeemable only in the tienda de raya for highly-priced goods. Any worker who needed banknotes to pay his taxes etc. had to sell the tokens at a 25% discount to other businesses as the tienda did not exchange them at any price^{Voz de México, Mexico, 4 August 1894}.

William M. Stell

Grove 1935
Obverse: JESUS MARIA / STELL
Reverse: BUENO POR / 1 / COPA
19mm. brass.

Guillermo (William) M Stell, a doctor and surgeon^{Periódico Oficial, Chihuahua, 21 January 1909} became interested, along with Luis Siqueiros, in the Matelura mine in Jesús María in 1891^{Jesus Maria, Chihuahua.
Dr. W. M. Stell. Of Jesus Maria, is in the city, attracted by the convention. He is interested in the Matelura. This property is being worked actively and the product is being milled at the John Watterson plant.
The product of the Matelura amounts monthly to about $4,000, but steps are being taken to increase the output of the property materially. Don Luis Siqueiros is associated with Mr. Stell in this promising property.
The Santa Juliana mine and mill are in an active state and are shipping bullion monthly to Chihuahua. (The Two Republics, vol 33, No. 148, 19 December 1891)}. By June 1892 Stell and Siqueiros were working the mine and contemplating establishing their own plant^{Daily Anglo-American, 20 June 1892}, for which they drew water from the nearby river. By 1910 Stell owned the Lupe de Oro gold and silver mine^{Diario Oficial, 26 April 1910}.

Uruachic

Rascon Hermanos

Gaytan^{Carlos, Gaytan, Paper Currency of Mexico} provides a history of the Rascon brothers of Uruachic, Chihuahua. In his article he writes that the Rascon family, José Maria and Leogardo, arrived in the area in 1750. "Leogardo was first to strike a Bonanza when he discovered a gold mine he named “La Bola”. Probing about for more, the brothers made another important strike, “El Omelichi,” just two miles west of “La Bola."

The brothers died in 1818 and 1820 and the mines were flooded after heavy rainfall and ceased production. The remaining family turned to farming and it was not till 1858 when two other Rascon brothers, Epigmenio and Ignacio Rascon, only sons of Leogardo, pumped out the water from “La Bola” mine and restarted operations. The company bought other mines in the area such as Las Animas, San José, Santa Rosa, El Alacran, San Lazaro and many more, and built a very modern hacienda de beneficio with batteries brought from England to crush the ore. In time Rascon brothers were running one of the most successful operations in the state. An indication of their wealth was that their house had the first porcelain toilets and baths, sent all the way from London.

Grove 1751
Obverse: around Mexican eagle MINERAL DE URUACHIC / MEXICO
Reverse: N. y E. RASCON HERMANOS / 12½ / CENTAVOS / 1873
25mm. brass

Grove 1752
Obverse: around Mexican eagle MINERAL DE URUACHIC / MEXICO
Reverse: N. y E. RASCON HERMANOS / 25 / CENTAVOS / 1873
28mm. brass

Grove 1753
Obverse: around Mexican eagle MINERAL DE URUACHIC / MEXICO
Reverse: N. y E. RASCON HERMANOS / 50 / CENTAVOS / 1873
31mm. brass

Grove 1754
Obverse: around Mexican eagle MINERAL DE URUACHIC / MEXICO
Reverse: N. y E. RASCON HERMANOS / 100 / CENTAVOS / 1873
mm. brass

In 1873 bronze tokens of 12½, 25, 50 and 100 centavos, produced at the Alamos Mint, were issued by Minera de Uruachic. In addition, paper notes were put into distribution produced locally or printed by The American Bank Note Company in New York. Both were redeemable at the company store, which was run by their relatives, Ezequiel and Daniel Rascon.

The tokens were marked on the back by the letters N and E RASCON HERMANOS. One of the more interesting aspects to the tokens is what has been called a five leaf counter stamp or countermark stamping out the “N” on the 12½ centavos and other values. The tokens have been sold with that description in several auctions.

However, the late Ken Tabachnick, a prolific coin collector and dealer, told me the story that a falling out between the brothers resulted in the stamping out of the letter “N”.

12½ centavos with "N" stamped out

25 centavos with "N" stamped out

Was this a dealer story to sell the coin? In inspecting my 50 and 100 centavos coin I find the “E” stamped out.

25 centavos with "E" stampted out

Was this the other brother retaliating and punching out his brother? On the other hand, the stamped out letter may have been used to denote that a token had been spent, or was perhaps out of date.

Gaytan goes on to say: “In its hey-day, Uruachic had a population of nearly 15,000; today there are less than 400 living there. The Municipality of Uruachic is bounded on the north by Ocampo, on the south by Chinipas and Guazapares and on the west by the State of Sonora”.

(from Elmer Powell, The Rascon Brothers and the Compañía Minera)

Barranca de Cobre

Mendoza & Nesbitt

Grove 1725
Obverse: MENDOZA & NESBITT / BARRANCA / DEL COBRE / CHIH, MEX.
Reverse: VALE POR / 25 / CARNE
33 mm. brass

Urique

Mendoza & Nesbitt

Grove 1726
Obverse: MENDOZA & NESBITT / URIQUE / CHIH, MEX.
Reverse: VALE POR / 25 / CARNE
33 mm. brass

Batopilas

Grove 1156
Obverse: BATOPILAS / ESTADO / DE / CHIHUAHUA / 1887
Reverse: VALE POR / UN / REAL
23 mm. brown vulcanite

For a history of the mining town of Batopilas and possible issuers of this token, see this companion piece on paper currency.

Palmarejo

Oscar Ocharan

Grove
Obverse: OCHARAN Y CA / PALMAREJO
Reverse: MEDIO PASAJE / DE / FERO CARRIL
23 mm. brass

Grove 1799
Obverse: OCHARAN Y CA / PALMAREJO counterstamped with a bull's head
Reverse: MEDIO PASAJE / DE / FERO CARRIL
23 mm. brass

Grove 1800
Obverse: OCHARAN Y CA / PALMAREJO counterstamped with the letter J
Reverse: MEDIO PASAJE / DE / FERO CARRIL
23 mm. brass

Mineral deposits were discovered at the site of the Palmarejo mine in 1818 by Valentine Ruiz, who immediately took on a partner Tomas Pelayo, and registered the mine as Nuestra Señor Cármen. Tomas Pelayo passed away in 1823 and that same year Rafael Ayon bought into the firm for $8,000, but in 1827 sold part of his holdings to Vicente Palacios of Chihuahua and Antonio Lamadrid of Alamos, Sonora. Finding themselves low in funds, the partners obtained a loan in 1837 from Miguel Urrea of Alamos. By 1841 Palacios and Lamadrid had died. Ayón, unable to continue working the mine, sold his interest to Miguel Urrea, who also was successful in purchasing the other partners' interests from heirs to their estates.

By 1853, after an investment of $1,000,000 pesos the Palmarejo (by then a walled compound to ward off the Apache raids) the Justina and the San Miguel mines (the latter two miles from Chinipas near El Zapote) were operating, together with some 35 small crushing milIs. After Miguel Urrea' death in 1875 the mines continued to flourish under the ownership of the widow, Justina Almada de Urrea and her brother and brother-in-law. A bonanza existed from 1878-1880. During that time it is claimed that the mines yielded ore to the wealth of one million pesos.

A British mining engineer, Edward Applegarth, after examining the mining funds (claims, workings, reserves, reduction plants and all facilities and properties) at El Zapote and Palmarejo, returned to England to report. As a result, the Palmarejo Mining Co, Ltd. was formed in London and the Urrea properties were purchased by them in 1886 for $800,000 pesos. Plans were immediately initiated by the new owners for a narrow gauge railroad from Palmarejo to El Zapote for the purpose of transporting ore and supplies.

On 25 June 1898 a new firm, Palmarejo & Mexican Gold Fields Ltd. was incorporated in London as a reorganization of the Palmarejo Mining Co. Ltd. The reorganization also included the purchase of the property of Goldfields of Mexico Ltd at a cost of $548,800 pesos. The newly organized company concentrated on building a stone aqueduct 14 miles long from the Chinipas River to Palmarejo and cornpleting the railroad from El Zapote to Palmarejo. A year or two later the Mexican Mineral Railway Co. Ltd. did complete the railroad. Rather than assume the unfamiliar task of operating a railroad themselves, the Palmarejo & Mexican Gold Fields Co. leased it to Oscar Ocharan, a resident of Alamos. The Company had big plans for the mine and poured over $5,000,600 into development before the first dividend was issued to stockholders.

Unfortunately the improvements and even the little toy railroad soon outlived their usefuJness. In 1910 plans were made to tear down the mill at El Zapote and erect a new 300-stamp mill and build an aerial tramway from Palmarejo to the mill to replace the railroad. By the end of 1911 a hydro­electric plant was completed and the new mill and aerial tramway were en route to the mill to be assembled but the revolution caused everything to be suspended. Oscar Ocharan was exiled in 1912 to the United States. During the period of the revolution, the railroad, the mine and much of the company's property was lost, not because of any military action but because of abandonment and deterioration. As a result, the company entered a claim with the Anglo-Mexican Special Claims Commission for $2,600,000 and in August 1931 a decision was made to award the company for Ioss and damages the sum of $412,000 gold pesos to be paid in eleven annual installments. In 1933 The company finally went into production again. The mine is still being worked.

During the time when the railroad was in operation, little brass tokens were issued, bearing on the reverse side, the words MEDIO PASAJE DE FERRO CARRIL. There are several interpretations of this wording and possible use but the most likely is that the MEDIO PASAJE refers not to half-fare, but rather to half passage. A full trip would be to the mine and back. A medio pasaje would be one way between the two terminals. Tokens such as these are usually used for human passengers and yet it is difficult to see the need for such tokens on an isolated mining railroad. There remains the possibility that they may have been used to pay the transport of a load of ore or freight one way between mine and mill.

This token is also found with the steer head counter­stamp of the Quintera Mining Company. A hoard of Palmarejo tokens may have been procured by the Quintera Company, counter stamped and put to use on Quintera ranches.

(based on Elwin C. Leslie, The Palmarejo Railroad Token)

Cusihuiracic

Tienda de Raya

Grove 1946
Obverse: TIENDA DE RAYA / M. C^o / COSIHUIRIACHIC
Reverse: 1880 / ¼ / DE REAL EN EFECTOS
23mm. bronze

Grove 1947
Obverse: TIENDA DE RAYA / M. C^o / COSIHUIRIACHIC
Reverse: 1880 / ½ / DE REAL EN EFECTOS
30mm. bronze

Grove 1948
Obverse: TIENDA DE RAYA / M. C^o / COSIHUIRIACHIC
Reverse: 1880 / 1 / REAL EN EFECTOS
35mm. bronze

Obverse: TIENDA DE RAYA / M. C^o / COSIHUIRIACHIC
Reverse: 1880 / 4 / REALES EN EFECTOS

These were issued by the Santa Rosa Cosihuiriachic Mining Co.

Naica

José de Stefano

Naica is a mining community about 22 miles south of Delicias in south-east Chihuahua. In 1910 it had two thousand inhabitants, mostly employees of the Compañías Explotadora de Naica, Compañia Minera de Lepanto, Compañia Minera de Naica and the Mighty Mountain Mining Company.

The Italian Jose de Stephano listed himself as a miner and merchant in the 1910 Album del Centenario. As a miner, he was president of the Compañía Minera de Lepanto (and Chihuahua representative for the Compañía Minera Fundidora y Afinadora de Monterey)^{The Mexican Herald, 22 January 1908} and as a merchant, owner of the wholesale and retail store "Tienda Lepanto", which employed six staff^{Anuario Estadístico del Estado de Chihuahua, 1909}, no doubt the same as the "Tienda La bella Napoli".

This 10c token is for another of his stores, "La Gran Ciudad de Roma".

Obverse: VALE SOLO EN - LA GRAN / CIUDAD / DE ROMA.
Reverse: JOSE DE STEFANO / 10¢ / NAICA
24mm. bronze

Stefano also seems to have issued paper notes. In 1909 the Secretaría de Hacienda fined de Stefano five hundred pesos for using various ‘papeles ó tarjetas’ with a fixed value in his store^{El Diario, 29 July 1909}. Another newspaper described his system as ‘unos formularios, tarjetas ó libretas’^{El Diario del Hogar, 28 July 1909}.

Miguel Ocadiz

Obverse: MIGUEL OCADIZ / 25 / SIERRA DE NAICA
Reverse: CONTRASENA / 25 / LITROS / AGUA

Obverse: MIGUEL OCADIZ / 50 / SIERRA DE NAICA
Reverse: CONTRASENA / 50 / LITROS / AGUA

Compañía Minera

Almoloya

Compañía Minera Ignacio Rodríguez Ramos

Grove 1729
Obverse: CIA. MINERA IGNACIO RODRIGUEZ RAMOS S.A. / ALMOLOYA / CHIH, MEX
Reverse: COMPROBANTE DE / 1 / DIA / DE TRABAJO
30 mm.

Concheño

In 1903 it was reported that the Cocheño mine was paying its workers in fichas of 1, 2 and 4 reales to be used in the tienda de raya^{MONEDA ILEGAL. – Se ha tenido noticia de que la Compañía beneficiadora de metales, dueña de la hacienda de Cocheño, en el Distrito de Rayón, Chihuahua, con objeto de obligar á sus trabajadores á que no hagan consumo mas que en la tienda de la hacienda, ha acuñado y puesto en circulación unas fihas de aluminio á las que se ha asignado el valor de uno, dos y cuatro reales, haciendo las rayas con esas fichas. Es de suponer que ese delito, penado por la ley y que encierra además un criminal abuso contra los infelices trabajadores, será castigado con todo el rigor que merece. (El Tiempo, Año XX, Núm. 5872, 8 May 1903)}.