Pittsburgh Coal Company  Panhandle League Colored Division Championship Medal (1930)

This medal was presented to each member of the Pittsburgh Coal Company baseball team who won the championship of the Pittsburgh Colored Industrial League in 1930.



Industrial league baseball was an important component of black baseball. Industrial league baseball gave young ball players the opportunity to develop and showcase their baseball skills. It also gave ball players who didn’t want to travel all over the country and who didn’t want to leave their families the opportunity of a good paying job and the chance to play highly competitive baseball. Many industrial league teams were competitive with professional teams. Industrial league teams were also a frequent opponent for the Negro League teams and other professional teams when they played non-league games. The Pittsburgh Industrial League (Panhandle League) was one of the top black industrial leagues in the East from the 1920’s through the 1950’s.