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Musèu dera Val d'Aran

Coins

Coins from the mines at Bossòst. Museo del Valle de Arán.

 

Coins from the mines at Bossòst. Museo del Valle de Arán.

 

These coins are of a private currency the company had minted to pay its workers. They could be used in the canteen at the Victòria mine itself, and were accepted by shops in Bossòst.

According to figures published in Estadística de salarios y jornadas de trabajo (Statistics of salaries and day rates) in 1928, the miners’ wages in those days were as follows, in pesetas per hour:

  • Skilled mineworker: 0.50 ptas/h (1914), 1.17 ptas/h (1920), 1.40 ptas/h (1925)
  • Unskilled mineworker: 0.30 ptas/h (1914), 0.83 ptas/h (1920), 1.12 ptas/h (1925)
  • Skilled worker in washing site: 0.45 ptas/h (1914), 0.83 ptas/h (1920), 0.94 ptas/h (1925)
  • Unskilled worker in washing site: 0.30ptas/h (1914), 0.62 ptas/h (1920), 0.73 ptas/h (1925)

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