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Going with the Hitzer gravity fed coal stove...two reasons...great family owned company, I am all about buying from a family owned company and they have a phenomenal reputation for quality and customer service...the other reason is that stove can burn wood very well, the internal coal hopper can be lifted out and wood can be burned in it (due to the EPA laws that can't legally tell you that or market it that way), I have seen several of these set up for main heating in homes and the guys all pull the hopper out and burn wood in the fall/spring (shoulder season) with very good results.

I feel it is the best of both coal and wood. I like having options with fuel/heat.  The stove has minimal parts and I have not found any issues of warping or burn outs with it.  Plus there is no electric in it.

http://hitzer.com/pr.....per-Stove/

I think so...not sure if I told you...we have friends up here that a 36*64 poured wall earth berm home (2*4 framing on the inside with batt insulation, built 33 years ago) the house has a long central hallway and the coal stove is at one end of the house.  He burns about 1.25 ton of coal a year with this stove.  Right now a ton of coal delivered is about $270 loose and $310 bagged (per ton).  So if we use a bit of wood with the coal, we should be around 3/4 of a ton a coal for a season $225/year...we will be smaller than him, better insulated, and take better advantage of thermal mass.

oiled anthracite.

I think in the West and Midwest they do, it's all they really have there...I believe a lot of municipalities have outlawed it though...just like the outdoor wood boilers in many places.