2014 Buck 284 Bantam BLW "Jennmar". Purchased for my collection of coal mining-related knives. My Granddad was in the industry for more than 20 years, entering the coal mining industry in the mid-'70s, after moving back from NC after a disastrous transfer; after the fabric dyeing plant he worked at in Falls Mills for about 15 years before that closed; and he was transferred to Concord, NC. High crime and a tornado didn't help. He quit and moved back. He then worked underground until 1988, when he was laid off. Then, he worked on the business/sales side; first delivering mining bits for Carmet, then working for two different businessmen, who both owned mines, and also refurbished/sold used mining equipment. I was born in 1996; and since my grandparents raised me, he retired in 1998, just before I turned two. The truck he recently gave me was purchased as a retirement gift for himself; and the color was selected by me due to being "Barney" purple (Deep Amethyst Pearl as it's called in the spec sheets and brochures). The truck it replaced (a 1987 Ford F-250) is soon to be bought by me as well. Dad owned it for 5 years, selling it to buy a brand new 2004 F-250 Super Duty (which got totaled 3-4 years ago; replaced with a 2012 F-150); and a neighbor bought it. Looked not too bad when Dad sold it, but it's awful looking now. He's not using it, and I'm looking at buying it to make a farm truck. Going to add some toolboxes, a heavy brushguard, and a 15000 lb. winch. And new tires, and brakes, because well, DUH!
The same seller also had a number of coal mining stickers; from the 1980s to 2010s (which I presume was his career). I bought over a dozen, but selected fairly local companies to display; though 3/4 at least have offices within an hour of here. I can easily tell you where Bucyrus and Gould Batteries are located, and I've got a rough idea where Tamrock Coal was (they closed in 2003, and I think the plant remains vacant, with signage intact). I actually forgot a conveyor company that I looked up just now in the Yellow Pages, and I just went down the same road they are located Wednesday!
Too bad Bluefield Coal Show got canceled for this summer (normally, it would be about two weeks from now), due to the big national one in Las Vegas being canceled last year (well, you probably know why). Both are once-every-two-year shows, and they alternate. Might have been able to score some more hardhat stickers, as well as possibly some knives and small tools (I really like pocket screwdrivers, and er, until recently 75% of my pens and pencils came from trade shows--can't recall buying a pen or a pack of pencils until I was 19 or 20). As someone entering the workforce, I can easily go without having to necessarily work in the mining industry.