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["Tony Coffman is the owner of Coffmans Metals, LLC in Birch River, West Virginia, which specializing in the buying and selling of ginseng and other wild herbs and roots, scrap metal, recyclables, and furs. A licensed ginseng dealer, Coffman began digging ginseng when he was a teenager for extra pocket money. Coffman inherited the business in 1987 from his grandfather Guy Coffman.These photos and related interviews were conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festivals 2020 festival program on American ginseng. Learn more: https://festival.si.edu/blog/west-virginia-ginseng-trade"]%

613. Metal ginseng sculpture and signs at Coffman's Metals in Birch River

Identifier:
4224.CoffmansMetalsGinseng.Photo.017.9.15.19
Title:
Metal ginseng sculpture and signs at Coffman's Metals in Birch River
Date:
2019-09-15
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
American ginseng, American ginseng industry, Metal sculpture, American, Painted signs and signboards
Location:
Nicholas County (W. Va.), Birch River (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

614. 15 hatchets, 2 knives, 1 axe in Jim Costa's collection, c. late 17th century through 19th century, West Virginia & Virginia

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.001.6.6.16
Title:
15 hatchets, 2 knives, 1 axe in Jim Costa's collection, c. late 17th century through 19th century, West Virginia & Virginia
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Antique collecting for men, Woodworking tools, Knives, Collectors and collecting, Axes
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

615. "Sqaw axe" with original tree branch handle in Jim Costa's collection, c. 1740, found August County, Virginia

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.002.6.6.16
Title:
"Sqaw axe" with original tree branch handle in Jim Costa's collection, c. 1740, found August County, Virginia
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Woodworking tools, Antique collecting for men, Collectors and collecting, Axes
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

616. Double edged forged hatchet in Jim Costa's collection, 19th century, Greenbrier County, West Virginia

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.003.6.6.16
Title:
Double edged forged hatchet in Jim Costa's collection, 19th century, Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Woodworking tools, Collectors and collecting, Axes, Antique collecting for men
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

617. Belt hatchet head in Jim Costa's collection from the John Ellison farm, Hans Creek, West Virginia

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.004.6.6.16
Title:
Belt hatchet head in Jim Costa's collection from the John Ellison farm, Hans Creek, West Virginia
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Collectors and collecting, Woodworking tools, Antique collecting for men, Axes
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

618. Weapon axe head in Jim Costa's collection

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.005.6.6.16
Title:
Weapon axe head in Jim Costa's collection
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Woodworking tools, Axes, Antique collecting for men, Collectors and collecting
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

619. Pipe hatchet replica in Jim Costa's collection

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.006.6.6.16
Title:
Pipe hatchet replica in Jim Costa's collection
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Subject:
Axes, Antique collecting for men, Woodworking tools, Collectors and collecting
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

620. 18 cast iron smelting ladles in Jim Costa's collection c. 18th and 19th century

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.007.6.6.16
Title:
18 cast iron smelting ladles in Jim Costa's collection c. 18th and 19th century
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Collectors and collecting, Cast-iron, Smelting, Antique collecting for men
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

621. Smelting ladle in Jim Costa's collection, 18th century, Pocahontas Co., W.Va

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.008.6.6.16
Title:
Smelting ladle in Jim Costa's collection, 18th century, Pocahontas Co., W.Va
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Smelting, Antique collecting for men, Collectors and collecting, Cast-iron
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

622. Smelting ladle in Jim Costa's collection

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.009.6.6.16
Title:
Smelting ladle in Jim Costa's collection
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Smelting, Cast-iron, Collectors and collecting, Antique collecting for men
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

623. Footed bowl ladle in Jim Costa's collection, Rockbridge County, Virginia

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.010.6.6.16
Title:
Footed bowl ladle in Jim Costa's collection, Rockbridge County, Virginia
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Antique collecting for men, Ladles (Utensils), Collectors and collecting
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)
["Jim Costa, 67 (as of 2016), is a native of Summers County, and an accomplished traditional musician and storyteller. He is also an avid collector and expert of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, including Hammons family fiddles, spinning wheels, cast iron cookware, and blacksmith tools. Costa has been building this collection throughout his life, and he restores many of the old tools and instruments himself. In addition to his public presentations on music and material culture, Costa appeared in the 1987 John Sayles film Matewan.In the summer of 2016, University of North Carolina folklore graduate student Zoe van Buren spent two months with Costa, conducting oral histories and documenting his extensive collection. Read more about van Burens work here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/09/06/thats-a-grand-story-to-tell-documenting-jim-costas-collection/Zoe van Buren's website:https://zoevanburen.wordpress.com/"]%

624. Small riveted ladle in Jim Costa's collection, Greenbrier County, West Virginia

Identifier:
4224.CostaJim.Photo.011.6.6.16
Title:
Small riveted ladle in Jim Costa's collection, Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Date:
2016-06-06
Creator:
van Buren, Zoe
Contributor:
Costa, Jim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Ladles (Utensils), Antique collecting for men, Collectors and collecting
Location:
Summers County (W. Va.)