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
Subject:
American ginseng, American ginseng industry
Rights:
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Location:
Birch River (W. Va.), Nicholas County (W. Va.)
Format:
image/tiff
Source:
A&M 4224, West Virginia Folklife Program Collection
