The Tankersley Collection of West Indian Coins and Tokens

St Bartholomew, LA GRANDE SALINE, W. Beal, One Barrel salt token by Katz, c. 1935-48, aluminium, 19mm (cf. K. Eckardt, TAMS Journal, December 1987). About very fine with typical light surface corrosion £30-£40

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Tankersley Collection of West Indian Coins and Tokens.

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Collection

E. Roehrs Collection, DNW Auction 95, 14 February 2012, lot 1248

The swamp lands at La Grande Saline were first developed for salt during the Swedish occupation of the island, but because prices could not compete with salt mined from other neighbouring islands the trade collapsed in 1872. After the island was returned to France in 1878 the French government incentivised those on St Barts to restart the business, but after a cyclone in 1924 trade collapsed until William Beal took over the concession in the early 1930’s; the largely female workforce worked an intense salt-harvesting season of three months. The trade ceased in 1972.