My 1st Lamp Check

[Phil Aberaman]

Living, growing up and Detecting in the Rhondda Valley youd think id have cupboards full of lamp Checks. but this is my 1st  its a Winsor Colliery lamp check (Abertridwr) Pre NCB (1946)  found above the colliery it came from.

[nobby]

Thats a great find!!.... these can be quite valuable depending on the pit, a friend of mine collects them.... if I see him, I'll ask him about its worth

[Phil Aberaman]

Thanks Nobby.
It was twice as thick when i found it, it was really bady encrusted must have been lost for some time.

[Val Beechey]

First one I’ve sen Phil. Unusual find, nice.

[Phil Aberaman]

I was lucky enough to escape going down the mines but Ive seen a few over the years, in relatives houses, Miners use to take them home as a keepsake, when Pits closed or as i suspect this one was taken soon after the Winsor Colliery was taken over by the National coal board in 1946,

[Resurgam]

                   I have never seen one of those before but find myself wondering if they could each id one particular miner at the pithead. Or was the miner's id located at the hook were the tally would hang? Totally ignorant but willing to learn! 

Chris

[dragonsbreath(Paul)]

Yes the miners check number was individual to one person.....

[Resurgam]

I have just googled lamp checks and it made for most interesting reading. A bit like military dog tags I suppose. We still have my father in law's RAF dog tags and I was surprised to find that they are not made of metal.