Bank of Matoaka a Gateway to the Past

I have to admit how chagrined I am to be writing once again and the COVID-19 situation is still with us. All coin shows – large and small, have been cancelled for the foreseeable future; even the ANA Annual Convention in Pittsburgh was cancelled. This hasn’t been an easy time for collectors, but we must endeavor to persevere.

This month we’re back in West Virginia and I thought I would take you to a town I visited many years back, but one which still ranks high for pure abandonment – Matoaka, W.Va.

From Princeton, W.Va., almost at the very bottom of the state and a few miles north of Bluefield, Va., one heads north on State Route 10 towards Matoaka. This is really hardscrabble country, with run-down dwellings and abandoned schools. After 15 miles or so, the