By the turn of the century the United States coal industry employed over 300,000 people. Coal production peaked in the early twentieth century with over 600 million short tons distributed at the peak in 1918. With hundreds of different companies selling and distributing coal around the country, they needed a way to stand out from their competitors. Small coal companies used advertising to sell more of their product.
Coal companies included hammers in large orders to advertise their company in a fun and useful way. The hammers often had inscriptions ranging from the name and contact information of the company to funny sayings and jokes. This hammer head was given away by the Yates Coal and Lumber Company, in Lincoln, Nebraska, between 1900 and 1910. It reads:
“Star Lump makes summer year round.”