THE COMPANY STORE BULLETIN

Last 30 October 2025, I bought a copy of the hardcover book "Scrip - Trade Tokens Issued by United States Coal Mining Companies and Company Stores" (hardcover, 22.8x28.9 cm; vi, 370 pages) compiled by Stuart Elliot Brown, Jr. (1916 – 2004). It was published in 1978 by Virginia Book Company (Berryville, VA). The scrip tokens were used from the 1870's to the early 1950's.

On the bibliography section of the book (page 350), appears a reference to "The Company Store" bulletin issued for the first time in November 1966. It was a mimeographed and stapled bulletin published by Fred Lange, aka "Cole S. Cuttle" containing about 6 pages per issue.

According to a Fred Lange's letter, "The Company Store" Bulletin was closed for inventory and repairs. It was noted that the mailing list of 500 was more than Fred could underwrite without a regular membership fee.

Fred Lange was responsible for selecting the logo for the cover of the book "Edkins' Catalogue of Coal Company Store Scrip" (1977) which is the official NSCA logo. On the "Scrip Talk" of February 1978, Fred Lange (aka Cole S. Cuttle) wrote: "look for past issues of "Scrip Talk" to have some value in years to come. I wish I had kept back issues of "The Company Store" - they are collector's items now".

Fred Lange alias Cole S. Cuttle was created from "Coal Scuttle", an indication of his main interest in coal mine tokens. Fred Lange was a member of the Token and Medal Society (1968, TAMS #1518) and the American Vecturist Association (1971, AVA # 1042) when he was living in Moorestown, New Jersey.

In "The Fare Box" (an American Vecturist Association) of January 1981, page 3, it was commented that Fred, in his last years, moved down to Hollins, Virginia. He had bought a home in Florida and was planning to move there in March 1981, but his heart, always weak in the last years, finally gave out.

I couldn't find any electronic copies of "The Company Store" Bulletin in The Newman Numismatic Portal (nnp.wustl.edu), so I think it is a very rare publication.

Kevin Andersen wrote in the "Scrip Talk" of June 2015 (page 2): "my wife, Ginni, and I spent many weeks and untold hours scanning the only known complete archive of Scrip Talks (from the Walter Caldwell Library) from 1965 through 1994 (176 issues) in their original color, including the complete run of Cole S. Cuttle's "The Company Store" (1966 - 1968). Scanned in PDF format onto one DVD, I have these available for $25 postpaid. You can view these on your computer or print from it. Also included is a searchable index to assist with finding articles in this collection".

This is the information I could gather about "The Company Store" Bulletin issues:

Fred Lange born in New York, 12 April 1913 and was the son of Oscar Lange (1882-1961) and Lillian Brown (1884-1981). Fred married 20 October 1941 to June Dair Lange (1916-2013).

Henry Frederick Lange or David Lange (alias Cole S. Cuttle) died 01 January 1981 in the Roanoke Hospital due to coronary artery disease at 02:00 AM. His last occupation was as an engineer in the structural plastics industry. On NSCA's publication "Scrip Talk" of March 1981, appeared a tribute to Fred Lange prepared by R. R. Tippy.

On 08 May 1981, the National Scrip Collectors Association's Executive Committee established "The Fred Lange Outstanding Member Award" for the member who has made significant and outstanding contributions to the growth and development of NSCA over the past ten years ("Scrip Talk", June 1981 and February 1998).

"I met Fred in the 1960s. I was living in Norfolk and was avid collector of Virginia tokens, and as I recall he was living in Bristol, VA at the time. Someone told me about a man named Cole S. Cuttle who had a lot of Virginia tokens, so I wrote him. He replied, saying that he didn't buy or sell tokens, but a man named Fred Lange who lived in town did sell them. I wrote Fred, and was able to buy quite a few tokens from him. For several months I was corresponding with both Fred, at his street address, and Cole, who had a Post Office box. At one point Fred (or Cole) wrote and advised me to be careful about dealing with the other person, because he was known to have cheated people.

"One day I had letters from Fred and Cole on my desk and noticed that the handwriting was the same. I realized that I'd been fooled, but the outcome was a close friendship of many years with Fred. By this time he had moved to New Jersey, and I visited him there at least once. Soon his job took him to Roanoke, and I used to spend the night at his house whenever I was traveling to shows south of Roanoke.

"He called one day and asked me to sell his coin collection, because he had just retired and purchased a house in Florida. I planned to drive down after Christmas, but in early December he suddenly died. His wife, Judy, called and asked me to come right away because she needed the money to pay for the house. I went there the next day, picked up the collection, and sold it in time for her to pay for the house.

"Fred was a real character. I still think of him often."