Bagged Coal Prices Seen, Berks County, Pa.

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hank2
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Post by hank2 » Thu. Nov. 26, 2015 12:42 am

I've been to two hardware stores this past week, in my area. Both sell bagged coal. I took note of their posted coal prices and thought I'd post it here for anyone in this general area of Pa. I don't have any connection to either business.

Kuzan's ( True Value) hardware. Located on the North bound side of Rt. 61 between Shoemakersville and Hamburg, Pa. About 3 or 4 miles South of I-78.
I believe they just started carrying bagged coal a couple of years ago. They carry rice, pea, nut and stove.

Posted price for bagged Reading. 40 lb. bags. $6.99

The real deal was full tons for $259.

I never have purchased any coal there.

Weaver's ( Ace) hardware. Fleetwood-Lyons Rd. About half way between Fleetwood and Topton, Pa. Maybe 4 miles Southeast of Kutztown, Pa.
Posted price for Blaschack 40 lb. bags. $5.99

I know they have carry nut and pea. Not sure about rice. They have not carried stove in the past. I used to buy most of my coal there until I went back to bulk a few years ago. They used to offer a $.50 a bag discount if you bought a half ton or more at a time. I don't know if they still do.

I'll also add that around late Summer, this year, the Coopersburg, Pa. Bagging plant was advertising full ton skids of bagged Lehigh for pickup for $222 a ton on Craigslist! That was probably a Summer price.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, Hank2

 
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11ultra103
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Post by 11ultra103 » Sun. Nov. 24, 2019 8:15 pm

Just found your post. I'll be updating your post or making my own soon. I work in Hamburg. Looking for a place to buy coal so I'll be looking around. My work used to sell coal by the bag but we dont anymore which is a shame. We used to sell it in bulk and deliver it too but that was before I started there

 
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Post by hank2 » Wed. Nov. 27, 2019 1:33 am

11, Not sure if you are looking for bulk or bagged Anthracite, or either. If you are working in Hamburg, Kuzan's hardware is about 2 or 3 miles south on Hamburg, on the northbound side of rt. 61. They used to sell bagged Reading, as I mentioned in my old post that you resurrected. I never have bought any there. They have their Reading coal sign up this year, but there isn't any sitting out front like there used to be. Only circumstantial, but I have happened to be there on several occasions in past years when someone was really mouthing complaints about the quality. There is another hardware store west of Hamburg on old rt. 22, Mountainview supply, I believe is the name. I know they used to sell bagged Blaschak. That's probably 7 miles west of Hamburg and in the wrong direction for you heading to Wannamakers.

I only know of two bulk dealers left in Berks county ( yes, I know that Wannamakers is barely in Lehigh) . One is FM Browns feed mills and fuels. I believe it's only from one of their locations and I'm not sure which one that is. Never dealt with them, but their website lists Blaschak, Centralia, and Reading. The other one which I have dealt with for the past 2 years, Is Countryside coal. Their yard is in Bethel and the direct no. is (717) 933-9263. They're connected somehow with a main office in Myerstown at 717-933-9263. They deliver Blaschak bulk. I know that they deliver further away than Wannamakers would be from their yard. I'd guess that you are about 25-30 miles from them.

I've been using coal for more than 40 years. I lived in the Kempton area 2 miles south of you, from late 70's to late 90's. Albright's mill in Kempton used to deliver bulk as a sideline. I'm pretty sure that the coal sales are long gone. I've gone through many sellers that are out of the business. Besides Albrights, I used Emil Rarick ( Ravine) for years, who would go to the old Lehigh Greenwood breaker for me. Also Mud, in Port Clinton, who quit it. If you can haul on your own, there's the excellent Lehigh, just outside Tamaqua and probably less than 25 miles up rt. 309 from you, over the Blue Mountain. Also American Premium in South Tamaqua and also I have seen life at the former South Tamaqua coal pockets now and then. Don't know anything of quality at those two. North of Tamaqua is Gale mining and Maizaka. Lehigh has bagged and Gale also has bagged, or at least used to.

Many of the larger towns used to have coal yards, not long ago. In Hamburg, I would guess that you may be talking about Savage. I believe that they also used to be a IHC Scout and pickup dealer until IHC went out of that about '79 or '80. Good luck!

 
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11ultra103
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Post by 11ultra103 » Tue. Mar. 24, 2020 3:16 pm

hank2 wrote:
Wed. Nov. 27, 2019 1:33 am
11, Not sure if you are looking for bulk or bagged Anthracite, or either. If you are working in Hamburg, Kuzan's hardware is about 2 or 3 miles south on Hamburg, on the northbound side of rt. 61. They used to sell bagged Reading, as I mentioned in my old post that you resurrected. I never have bought any there. They have their Reading coal sign up this year, but there isn't any sitting out front like there used to be. Only circumstantial, but I have happened to be there on several occasions in past years when someone was really mouthing complaints about the quality. There is another hardware store west of Hamburg on old rt. 22, Mountainview supply, I believe is the name. I know they used to sell bagged Blaschak. That's probably 7 miles west of Hamburg and in the wrong direction for you heading to Wannamakers.

I only know of two bulk dealers left in Berks county ( yes, I know that Wannamakers is barely in Lehigh) . One is FM Browns feed mills and fuels. I believe it's only from one of their locations and I'm not sure which one that is. Never dealt with them, but their website lists Blaschak, Centralia, and Reading. The other one which I have dealt with for the past 2 years, Is Countryside coal. Their yard is in Bethel and the direct no. is (717) 933-9263. They're connected somehow with a main office in Myerstown at 717-933-9263. They deliver Blaschak bulk. I know that they deliver further away than Wannamakers would be from their yard. I'd guess that you are about 25-30 miles from them.

I've been using coal for more than 40 years. I lived in the Kempton area 2 miles south of you, from late 70's to late 90's. Albright's mill in Kempton used to deliver bulk as a sideline. I'm pretty sure that the coal sales are long gone. I've gone through many sellers that are out of the business. Besides Albrights, I used Emil Rarick ( Ravine) for years, who would go to the old Lehigh Greenwood breaker for me. Also Mud, in Port Clinton, who quit it. If you can haul on your own, there's the excellent Lehigh, just outside Tamaqua and probably less than 25 miles up rt. 309 from you, over the Blue Mountain. Also American Premium in South Tamaqua and also I have seen life at the former South Tamaqua coal pockets now and then. Don't know anything of quality at those two. North of Tamaqua is Gale mining and Maizaka. Lehigh has bagged and Gale also has bagged, or at least used to.

Many of the larger towns used to have coal yards, not long ago. In Hamburg, I would guess that you may be talking about Savage. I believe that they also used to be a IHC Scout and pickup dealer until IHC went out of that about '79 or '80. Good luck!

I've been buying Blaschak coal from Mountain view. 10+ bags are $6.50 each. Less than 10 is $6.75 a bag. I bought 25 bags last night and paid $6.32 a bag. A whole skid (60 bags) is $355, 1 ton (50 bags) is $300.

Keystone supply is selling Blaschak bags for $6.50.

I got 10 bags of Reading from Kuzans, think it was $6.75 a bag or so. Very dirty coal though. Burns ok, but burns with an orange flame for awhile and doesn't seem as hard as the Blaschak.

I got ahold of the guy who took over Mud's business, hes going to deliver to me in fall

 
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Post by hank2 » Wed. Mar. 25, 2020 6:14 pm

11, good that some of those places cut you a little discount. I haven't bought bagged coal there in a couple of years, but Weaver's Hardware near Lyons Station ( Deka battery) always discounted about a buck a bag on Blaschak if you bought a minimum of 1/2 ton ( 25 bags). In recent years that was $6.00 a bag, used to be $4.50-5.00. Bulk is the way to fly if you can. Pa. bagged prices are the same or more than 500 miles away. There's 2 or 3 people on Craig's list or FB that list pallets of bagged Lehigh or Hazleton coal around Allentown and Bucks county. Sometimes as low as $240 a ton.

Good to hear that someone replaced Mud's delivery. His bigger truck was a masterpiece of aluminum welding that he did himself. Post it up if you think he wouldn't mind.


 
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Post by lincolnmania » Thu. Mar. 26, 2020 2:44 pm

weavers hardware in douglassville has bagged blaschak coal too.....5.99 a bag i think.
i have countryside wood and coal deliver to my house.....bulk blaschak.....it was 208 a ton delivered.

 
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Post by hank2 » Fri. Mar. 27, 2020 1:02 am

I've also used Countryside bulk for the past 2 years. Good service. I think I paid $203/ton last Aug. $192 the previous year. The Blaschak blend was way better this past season than the previous year. Low ash, white ash.

 
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Post by 11ultra103 » Sat. Mar. 28, 2020 8:59 pm

hank2 wrote:
Wed. Mar. 25, 2020 6:14 pm
11, good that some of those places cut you a little discount. I haven't bought bagged coal there in a couple of years, but Weaver's Hardware near Lyons Station ( Deka battery) always discounted about a buck a bag on Blaschak if you bought a minimum of 1/2 ton ( 25 bags). In recent years that was $6.00 a bag, used to be $4.50-5.00. Bulk is the way to fly if you can. Pa. bagged prices are the same or more than 500 miles away. There's 2 or 3 people on Craig's list or FB that list pallets of bagged Lehigh or Hazleton coal around Allentown and Bucks county. Sometimes as low as $240 a ton.

Good to hear that someone replaced Mud's delivery. His bigger truck was a masterpiece of aluminum welding that he did himself. Post it up if you think he wouldn't mind.
I'll def be getting bulk delivered. Hope I get that government stimulus check, $1200 is 6 ton delivered lol! Are you talking about Mud's white truck? If so I just worked on that, did a truck and trailer inspection for him, had to fix a couple things! Cool truck! I think he sold the red truck to the guy who took over his business. My boss says he may sell the white one because its not working well for his current business, with the coal body it doesnt have enough payload to haul in the body. Wish he was still delivering coal

 
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Post by 11ultra103 » Sat. Mar. 28, 2020 9:00 pm

hank2 wrote:
Fri. Mar. 27, 2020 1:02 am
I've also used Countryside bulk for the past 2 years. Good service. I think I paid $203/ton last Aug. $192 the previous year. The Blaschak blend was way better this past season than the previous year. Low ash, white ash.
Where are they from? I live north of Kempton

 
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Post by hank2 » Sat. Mar. 28, 2020 11:21 pm

11ultra103 wrote:
Sat. Mar. 28, 2020 8:59 pm
I'll def be getting bulk delivered. Hope I get that government stimulus check, $1200 is 6 ton delivered lol! Are you talking about Mud's white truck? If so I just worked on that, did a truck and trailer inspection for him, had to fix a couple things! Cool truck! I think he sold the red truck to the guy who took over his business. My boss says he may sell the white one because its not working well for his current business, with the coal body it doesnt have enough payload to haul in the body. Wish he was still delivering coal
11, It's been something like 4 or 5 years since I had used Mud's delivery. I don't remember the truck colors. The one with the fabbed body was by far the larger of the two. I saw his smaller high lift coal truck on display at the Railroad historical and technical museum in Hamburg when they had their coal days weekend a couple of years a go. Great museum and train yards if you get a chance to go. I was lucky enough to win a ton of swag, mostly Reading Anthracite gear, by being closest on guessing the weight of can of coal.


 
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Post by hank2 » Sat. Mar. 28, 2020 11:24 pm

11ultra103 wrote:
Sat. Mar. 28, 2020 9:00 pm
Where are they from? I live north of Kempton
11, from my old post from last Nov in this thread

"Countryside coal. Their yard is in Bethel and the direct no. is (717) 933-9263. They're connected somehow with a main office in Myerstown at 717-933-9263. They deliver Blaschak bulk. I know that they deliver further away than Wannamakers would be from their yard. I'd guess that you are about 25-30 miles from them."

 
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Post by 11ultra103 » Sat. Mar. 28, 2020 11:34 pm

hank2 wrote:
Sat. Mar. 28, 2020 11:24 pm
11, from my old post from last Nov in this thread

"Countryside coal. Their yard is in Bethel and the direct no. is (717) 933-9263. They're connected somehow with a main office in Myerstown at 717-933-9263. They deliver Blaschak bulk. I know that they deliver further away than Wannamakers would be from their yard. I'd guess that you are about 25-30 miles from them."
I'll be sure to check out the coal days! And I will have to call countryside and get a price. It doesn't hurt to shop around! I'm buying bagged now so any bulk has to be cheaper!

 
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Post by hank2 » Tue. Mar. 31, 2020 2:37 pm

I think that the coal themed 2 day open house and displays were a once and done thing, but I could be wrong. I believe that was Summer 2018? The pity was that it poured for both days. There were not a lot of people there on the last day when my wife and I went there. Great indoor museum though, and a locomotive cab trainer that you can operate outside. They usually have some sort of special event at least once a year.

The correct name for the Hamburg museum is Reading Railroad Heritage Museum. Presented by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. Evidently the museum and yards are now closed due to the virus.

http://www.readingrailroad.org/]

 
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Post by 11ultra103 » Wed. Apr. 01, 2020 4:37 pm

hank2 wrote:
Tue. Mar. 31, 2020 2:37 pm
I think that the coal themed 2 day open house and displays were a once and done thing, but I could be wrong. I believe that was Summer 2018? The pity was that it poured for both days. There were not a lot of people there on the last day when my wife and I went there. Great indoor museum though, and a locomotive cab trainer that you can operate outside. They usually have some sort of special event at least once a year.

The correct name for the Hamburg museum is Reading Railroad Heritage Museum. Presented by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. Evidently the museum and yards are now closed due to the virus.

http://www.readingrailroad.org/]
Thanks for the info, I know right where the museum is, I drive by it all the time, I work in downtown Hamburg. Everytime I go by I think to myself I have to check that place out sometime! Hopefully this virus crap clears up by May, too many things to do in summer, I had planned to go to all the coal mine tours this year and the anthracite heritage museum in Scranton! Hope I get to go

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