These metal tags were used for labelling coal sacks. They were collected from A & H Betts Ltd, coal merchants in St Rule Street, Battersea. The company was established in 1887 and supplied coal, coke and fuel oil for both domestic and business use. Coal was supplied by the Normanton Coal Company, which was based in Yorkshire. Up until the 1940s, most homes in Britain used coal-burning stoves. Every week, the coal merchant would deliver coal directly to homes, offloading into coal bunkers and cellars.
