Coupon book for 25 Dollars 1915, United States of America
| no number in katalog | - |
| Years of issue: | 1915 |
| Edition: | -- |
| Signatures: | no signature |
| Serie: | Coupons |
| Specimen of: | 1915 |
| Material: | Dirt-resistant cotton paper with Anti Soil Treatment |
| Size (mm): | 140 х 68 |
| Printer: | Allison Coupon Company, Indianapolis, IN |
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Description
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Avers:
Coupons for Svalbard, for the store of the company "Island Creek Stores Co.", owned by "Arctic Coal Company".
Issued in coupon books.
It consists of: 10 of 1 Dollar coupons, 20 of 50 Cents coupons, 10 of 25 Cents coupons, 15 of 10 Cents coupons, 15 of 5 Cents coupons and 25 of 1 Cent coupons - in total 25 Dollars.
These coupons were unissued and only found in the USA. None have been found on Svalbard.
How all began:
John Munro Longyear, an American, visited Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen as a tourist, with his family, in the summer of 1901. He observed coal exploration in Bellsund and spent some time ashore in Adventfjord, where he saw outcrops of coal. His interest piqued, he made a second trip and obtained coal samples from Norwegian Henrik Nass, that proved to be of high quality. Longyear and an associate, Frederick Ayer of Boston, purchased the tracts from Trondhjem-Spitsbergen Kulkompagni on January 1, 1905 for 50,000 Kroner in fully paid shares and 10,000 Kroner cash. Development started in 1905 and the first company building was constructed in 1906 by Wm. D. Munroe, who found and acquired additional promising tracts at Sassenfjord and Kapp Boheman.
Arctic Coal Company was incorporated in Boston on February 6, 1906.
The following areas were claimed by the company:
Tract 1: Advent Bay tract - area from Colesbukta (bukta=bay) to Adventfjord. Mine No.1 was opened in the winter of 1906/07 in this tract in Longyeardal (dal = valley).
Tract 2: Green-Harbour tract - area from Grønfjord to Colesbukta
Tract 3: Sassen Bay tract - area from De Geerdal to Sassendal
Tract 4: Cape Boheman tract - area on Bohemanneset.
Serious construction began in the summer of 1906, sailing June 4th with supplies and 50 workers from Trondhje Arctic Coal Co.. In July 6, 1907 the first load of coal went over the new docks, becoming the terminus of an aerial ropeway, stock pile and loading plant.
By 1911 there were about 10 buildings at Longyearbyen. On October 1, 1911 the last boat left Adventfjord, leaving a winter force of 90 plus a foreman. Up to 300 people lived in Longyearbyen during the activities of the Arctic Coal Co., mostly Norwegians.
About 1960 a booklet of coupons from 1911 was found during a clean-up in the basement of the former Arctic Coal Co. office building. These scrip, #7489F, are labeled Island Creek Stores Company and are believed to have been used at their supply store.
The Arctic Coal Co. proved commercial coal production on Svalbard was feasible and profitable. However, the lack of sovereignty created problems of claim jumping and land disputes. For example, on Rusanovodden (odden=point), Coles Bay Point, in 1913 they found a new Russian building of heavy plank, Russian flag on pole, two men planning to stay the winter and 300 ft. from the house an Arctic Coal Co. claim post, put there in 1905, broken and burned.
Also, a number of individuals and companies were contesting their claims on the east shore of Grønfjord. In addition, trappers and prospectors would become caught by ice on Svalbard, experience an accident or run out of supplies, then sought shelter, help and supplies from the company. These became a constant problem and burden to the company because they were seldom repaid and were unable to obtain legal settlements. In addition, world tensions were leading to war and there were uncertainties in the economy. Because of these factors Ayer&Longyear decided to sell their Spitsbergen business.
The company shut down in the autumn of 1915. During the American period 160,000 metric tons of coal were produced and shipped to Norway. The Russian-Siberian Company was very interested in purchasing the Arctic Coal Company along with other Russian, German, Norwegian, and Swedish companies. F. Hiorth, C. Anker, and others were encouraging Norwegian interests to purchase the American company. It resulted in the government sending Adolf Hoel and Svalheim, geologists and mining experts to Isfjord to investigate. Their favorable report of September 1915 led to the Norwegian government exerting pressure on the Central Bank, whose president, Kjelland Torkildsen, signed an offer in March of 1916, that resulted in the purchase of the Arctic Coal Company. (www.numismondo.net).
Revers:
White background.
The inner side of the rear of the coupon book.
Comments:
About 1960 a booklet of coupons from 1911 was found during a clean-up in the basement of the former Arctic Coal Co. office building. These scrip, #7489F, are labeled Island Creek Stores Company and are believed to have been used at their supply store.
Printed by Allison Coupon Company in Indianapolis, In..
A little bit about this company:
James A. Allison is best known as one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he got his start in business in the now little-known company, Allison Coupon Company.
According to the 1897 Hyman’s Handbook to Indianapolis, the Allison Coupon Company was founded in 1888 by James’ father, Noah S. Allison; however, the company was apparently already operating prior to that since James quit school at age 12 in 1884 to join the business. The company had begun by printing coupon books for coal mine company stores, one of the first companies in the country to manufacture such products. They then expanded into other similar markets: printing railroad eating house vouchers, street railway tickets, restaurant coupons, and so on.
Upon his father’s death in 1890, James and his siblings became directors in the company, with James being named Vice President. By 1897, the Hyman Handbook stated the company as doing business across the country, and in Canada, Cuba, Central America, and other foreign countries. The factory in that year was located at 69 West Georgia Street.
In the 1899 city directory, the company address had changed to 121 West Georgia Street due to the city-wide readdressing that took place around 1898. The company really did move by 1904 to a large new plant at 536 East Market Street.
Allison Coupon remained at the east Market Street location for many more years (until after the 1940 city directory). While the Allison family sold out in 1962, the company is still in the check/voucher/bill printing business, now known as Allison Payment Systems, and is located in an industrial park on the far west side of the city near I-465 and Sam Jones Expressway.
The original plant on Georgia Street was demolished in the 60s or 70s, and the site is now the west end of the Indiana/World Skating Academy. The newer plant building at 536 E. Market Street still stands; surprisingly, it is largely unmodified.
James A. Allison, however, had left the coupon company by the late 1890s to run his own company, the James Allison Manufacturing Co, making Allison’s Perfection Fountain Pens. The pens were an invention James had developed while working at Allison Coupon Company, and would be just the first invention and major business venture he would be involved with over the first decades of the XX Century. (Nathan Bilger).
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