1930s Glen Burn Coal Scatter Tag Trade Card
‘It’s In The Details’
| Title | Glen Burn Coal Scatter Tag Trade Card |
| Year | 1930s |
| Size | 1″ and 1 3/4″ diameter |
| Images | Black Ink |
| Type | Trade |
| Number in Set |
1 |
1930s Glen Burn Coal Scatter Tag Trade Card Overview
This is a trade card of sorts that was used to advertise a specific coal brand as well as distributors.
These cards were used to advertise for Glen Burn Coal. The Glen Burn Mine was in Shamokin, Pennsylvania on Route 61. Coal was mined from the location and then distributed by numerous companies.
Technically, these cards were actually scatter tags. Scatter tags were used by coal companies as small advertisements of sorts. They were mixed into piles of coal shipments that were on railcars or trucks. They were generally colored so that they could be recognized easily by customers.
These tags were either red or tan, and baseball-themed since they had baseball stitching printed on them. On one side was the Glen Burn name and, along with a small picture of fire, included the caption, ‘A Ball of Fire.’ Red is most common color by far.
Two different sizes of these exist. One measures about an inch in diameter while the other is about 1 3/4″. The backs had the name of a distributor. Some scatter tags were often aluminum but these are made of cardboard.
The exact date these were printed is unknown and it is possible/likely that the were printed over several years. They are generally advertised as 1920s or 1930s issues.
Other Glen Burn Baseball Usage
The design was a logo of sorts, too. In fact, you can find this picture (a red baseball with the Glen Burn name) on other products made by the company, too.
Of course, all sorts of collectibles without the baseball logo from the Glen Burn mine are available. But a few items did use the logo and are somewhat desired by baseball collectors.
Most commonly, they are seen on products such as ash trays. The Glen Burn baseball logo would typically be printed against the same red background and encased in the ash tray. It would also include the name of a business – most likely, a distributor of the coal.
In addition, you’ll see the Glen Burn baseball logo on other vintage items such as signage. While not nearly as common as the cards, these signs do pop up for sale from time to time.
1930s Glen Burn Coal Scatter Tag Trade Card Checklist
This is a standalone issue not part of a set.
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