1916 Coal and Coke Railway Company Payroll Check – Elkins, West Virginia – Davis Trust Company – Very Fine (VF 20–25)

Item Overview

• Issuing Entity: Coal and Coke Railway Company

• Location: Elkins, W. Va.

• Drawn On: Davis Trust Company, Elkins, West Virginia

• Account / Fund: PAY ROLL – TRANSPORTATION

• Check Date: OCT 10 1916

• Payroll Period: Month of SEP 30 1916

• Check Number: No. 10558 (pre-printed in bold red numeral ink)

• Payee: M. Cotrill, use John F. Brown

• Amount: $10.85 ("TEN & 85/100 DOLLARS" via mechanical check protector imprint)

• Signatures & Stamps:

  • Paymaster: Hand-signed by the railway paymaster in ink.

  • Reverse Endorsement: Period ink endorsement reading "M. Cotrill per John F. Brown".

  • Bank Stamp: Purple transit stamp from The Elkins National Bank, Elkins, W. Va. (Gustavus Warfield, Cashier), dated OCT 20 1916.

  • Cancellation: Pin-punch matrix cancellation reading PAID / 10 20 16 (October 20, 1916).

• Paper Stock: Distinctive canary yellow safety wove paper with pin-perforated rouletted left/stub edge.

Historical Significance: West Virginia Coal & Railroad Boom

• The Coal and Coke Railway (C&C): Founded in 1902 by former U.S. Senator Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen Benton Elkins (the namesakes of Davis and Elkins, West Virginia).

• Crucial Industrial Artery: The railway was built to transport bituminous coal and metallurgical coke from the rich coalfields of central West Virginia (connecting Elkins to Charleston).

• Pre-B&O Era Piece: In 1917–1920, shortly after this 1916 check was issued, the Coal and Coke Railway was fully absorbed and purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), making original pre-merger Coal & Coke Railway paper ephemera hard to come by.

• Davis Trust Company Tie: Henry Gassaway Davis also founded the Davis Trust Company in Elkins, where the railway maintained its primary corporate and payroll operating funds.

Condition & Visual Grade

• Assigned Technical Grade: Very Fine (VF 20 – VF 25)

• Preservation Highlights:

  • Clean, crisp yellow paper fabric with sharp letterpress typography and bright red check numbering.

  • Displays light, authentic office handling with a gentle vertical center bend and clean bank punch-cancellations.

  • Complete, sharp margins with no paper loss, tears, or heavy staining.