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We gratefully acknowledge the late numismatist Walt Jellum who provided images and background information for this section.

Green-Harbour - Ayer & Longyear's Arctic Coal Co. Green-Harbour Tract No. 2, a coal bearing district east of Grønfjord claimed by Arctic Coal Co., in 1905, sold to S.N.S.K. in 1916. It no longer exists as one property or claim. However, this was another area of many conflicting claims. Aktieselskab Spitsbergen, a Tønsberg whaling company in January 1908, offered Ayer & Longyear their claim that controlled waterfront tracts in Grønfjord. Andreas Schrøder's attorney wrote Ayer & Longyear in 1910, demanding their recognition of Schrøder's claim. It was reportedly made in 1900 and encompassed an area 11 km. south along Grønfjord and 8 km. east toward Colesbukta. Johan August Anker, Norwegian engineer and businessman, claimed west shore of Grønfjord on June 22, 1909 and on June 23, 1909 he made claims at Kongsfjord.

Kulkompaniet Isfjord Spitsbergen, was formed by F. Hiorth. Grøndal is the name of a recognized coal bearing claim on the east side of Grønfjord, since 1916 the property of S.N.S.K. Prior claims in 1900 by Kulkompaniet Isfjord Spitsbergen, including only part of the property, was extended by A. Schrøder in 1904; by Ayer & Longyear, Arctic Coal Co., in 1905. In 1908 further claims by E. Ytteborg, forming Det Norske Kulkompani Ltd. Green-Harbour the same year and was taken over by Chr. Anker in 1909.

Barentsburg [БАРЕНЦБУРТ]

Knut Emil Glad, a Finnish tanner and workman, wintered with his wife in a hut he built in 1912, the first on the site of the Barentsburg mining camp. He was in the service of a Norwegian company of Stavanger, and on May 9, 1913 his wife gave birth to the first child, Charles Emil Polar Glad, known to have been born on Svalbard. Barentsburg is a mining settlement on the east side of Grønfjord and name of a recognized claim, coal bearing district.

A/S De Russiske Kulfelter Green-Harbour Dr. Voigt, represented German, Russian and French bankers with about 12 million marks capital, purchased some Norwegian claims in Grønfjord. In 1914 he rented these claims to Arthur Savel Lewin, son of M. Lewin, an Oslo journalist of Russian origin.

Green-Harbour Kulgrubekompani (A. S. Lewin & Co.) In 1914 A. S. Lewin, a mining engineer, and his younger brother began their coal mining venture that included making numerous claims in areas east, west and north of Grønfjord. In 1914 he claimed an area west of Grønfjord. It included Kapp Linné at the western extremity of the property. It was sold in 1933 to the Norwegian government, who that summer built a light and radio station on Kapp Linné. On Kapp Mineral, in the same area, a house was built by Arthur S. Lewin for the exploration of small deposits of galena and sphalerite. Nordfjord is the largest northern branch of Isfjord, further branched into Ekmanfjord and Dicksonfjord, with recognized claims, also belonging to Arthur S. Lewin of Oslo, claimed in 1914.

According to Ayer & Longyear, regarding these disputed Grønfjord claims of Arthur S. Lewin & Co., their claims were taken very seriously, even though they had neither dock, ropeway, machinery, nor a mine at that time. However, by the summer of 1918, Lewin was able to extricate about 2,000 tons of coal. He claimed and worked coal mines on both sides of Grønfjord from 1914 to 1920.

Henrik Varming's mother remembers producing 5 kroner Svalbardpenger by hand for this company and thinks there were also smaller denominations. Executing these notes for her husband, L. N. Varming, the signature on the scrip was not his, but hers, because he was too busy for office work so, among other things, it was her job to produce "money bills". The inscription is very similar to those on Bjørnøen A.S., type 1, notes where Mr. Varming had previously worked.

A/S Svalbard Kulgruber - Grønfjordbotn is the name of a recognized coal bearing claim situated at the head of Grønfjord, and the property of A/S Svalbard Kulgruber, Oslo, claimed in 1916.

N. V. Nederlandsche Spitsbergen Compagnie (Nespico), a Dutch company with offices in Rotterdam was founded January 20, 1921. Hendrik Herman Dresselhuys, Dutch engineer and business man, bought the mine and surface plant of A. S. Lewin & Co. in 1920. He was the founder of Nespico that expanded the mining camp called Barentsburg. It operated a mine from 1920 to 1926 with a great deal of capital invested. At first they used German miners, but later they were replaced by Norwegians. In 1924 there were coal shipments of 65,000 tons, but it failed to survive the hard years of depression around the late 20's. It was offered for sale to the Norwegian state in 1932 for about 7 million kroner, was turned down, and eventually sold to Trust Arktikugol for 2.8 million kroner.