Well, I couldn't let this thread go by without commenting....
Here in the Anthracite coal area of Eastern PA, a ton can be had for $92. Of course, it is mined right here. I am sure the cost is higher after it is transported any distance. I currently use a Vermont Castings/Vigilant II stove in my rec room. No electricity required. It throws 50,000 BTUs, and a 5 gallon bucket of coal will last 24 hours, but there is a skill to working a coal fire Some considerations:
Coal fires burn differently in different weather/air pressures/air temps. More draft is required when it's cloudy or precipitation is falling. Less draft is needed in windy conditions. Some coal stoves have dampers built into them (mine has a plate across the top that can be opened or closed). You can also put a manual damper into the stove pipe (basically just a metal plate on a pin that you can turn to different positions...$7 retail). This can be placed anywhere in the pipe, and can be easily adjusted to control draft.
Raking the ashes is an art too. Rake too much, and your fire will lose its base and go out. Rake not enough, and the ashes will build up and your fire will go out. Each stove has its own personality. After a little while, you know how much to rake it.
When you first build a fire, you will need either wood or charcoal briquets to get things started. Coal needs a high temp before it will ignite. Also, all coal does not burn the same. There is good coal and average coal. Some veins have better coal than other veins. Good coal burns consistently and it lasts a long time in the fire. There is no way of knowing how good the coal is before you burn it, but all coal burns - it's just that some burns better. Coal certainly does store well, doesn't it? It's been in the ground a long time.
My ancestors certainly did "pick coal" back in the depression years. The trains would lose pieces of coal as they rumbled along the tracks, and the younger children would be sent out to retrieve it. The older kids were employed at the breakers as "slate pickers." Their job was to remove the slate from the coal on conveyor belts as it rushed by - a very tough job. Their hands wound be bleeding in no time, I've been told.
I chuckle at this historical point involving the Civil War draft: the government agents who enforced the draft steered clear of the coal region in Pennsylvania. They were afraid to even show their faces around here. You see, my ancestors weren't kind to guys who didn't have calluses on their hands...and there are a whole lot of places to dump bodies too. The first organized labor movement in the States was right here as well - a group known as the Molly Maguires. In the late 1800s, these abused miners fought back in some violent ways, as perhaps some of you know...but I'll stop rambling now...like I said before, I couldn't resist.
