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Mattole Free State Issues Coin
 | By Richard Giedroyc, World Coin News
March 31, 2008 |
Anyone reading the new coin issues in the March issue of World Coin News may have noticed a listing and illustration for a 2007-dated 10-petols "coin" of the Mattole Free State.
Being as curious as anyone else I decided to research Mattole to see if it was an abandoned oil platform, some atoll that is only above water at low tide, a neighboring state to Bermania, or just what.
The good news is that barring a catastrophic earthquake or a forest fire of epic proportions Mattole will still exist for some time to come. The region of the so-called Mattole Free State encompasses the Mattole and Bear rivers in the vicinity of Cape Mendocino, all within Humboldt County.
The bad news is that Humboldt County is in California. This means the "petol" is a fantasy denomination issued in the name of a fantasy state that cannot legally issue its own coins. These are not tokens either, but medals. In dealer jargon, they are silver rounds that will follow the value of the spot price of silver unless someone decides to make a market in them otherwise.
Historically Mattole were Bear River Indians who spoke an Athapaskan language that hasn't been a spoken language since the 1930s. Aboriginal villages in the region included Chilsheck, Chilenche, Estakana, Sehtla, Selsche'ech, Tcalko', and Tlanko. The Mattole federal reservation is called the Rohnerville Rancheria. It is located south of Eureka, and in the 2000 census had a population of 29 people.
The Mattole Free State 10 petols, according to the World Coin News article, were struck at the Northwest Territorial Mint. The mint was not contacted in regard to this article, but it is likely the medals were produced in cooperation with an organization calling itself the Mattole Wildlands Defenders.
According to the Web site mattolewold.blogspot.com, "Mattole Wildlands Defenders carry the torch of over seven years of non-violent direct action in defense of the old growth forests in the headwaters of the NF Mattole River. The Maxxam Corporation has bankrupted Pacific Lumber and the future of this land is uncertain. Around 2,000 acres of the old growth forest remains here."
Further in the blog it says, "Though there are no new logging plans in this area the Pacific Lumber Company is engaged in a watershed analysis which they hope will result in a weakening of watercourse protection rules thereby gaining access to currently off limits areas of old growth and other mature forests. Maxxam, the holding company that owns PL, may lose control of PL through the bankruptcy and upcoming reorganization of the company."
It is obvious from other information in the blog that MWD is no friend of the logging company. Late in the blog it reads, "There has been much direct action, lawsuits and at least two failed attempts to purchase the 18,000 acres of Mattole lands from PL."
By the way, the medals depict a redwood tree and salmon on the obverse, with sources of food, sheep at left, and man kneeling left picking vegetables at right on the reverse. Watch for this 10-petols in some future edition of Unusual World Coins.
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| On April 1, 2008 Mattole Forest Defender said  On April 2, 2008 Correction said On April 2, 2008 Another Mattole Defender said On December 29, 2008 A larger correction said |
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