Hobo Nickels

MWallace

There was a recent brief discussion on this forum on Hobo Nickels - original and modern. I thought I'd let the ones of you interested in the subject know that the Original Hobo Nickel Society has a website.

Original Hobo Nickel Society

Russ

There's a dealer that has a table at all the local shows in my area that has a "tophat" hobo he puts in his display case. Whomever carved it has to be a master craftsman because it is just a stunning and perfectly detailed piece of work. But, it's also a "display only" coin.

I think these are very high on the coolness meter, but the ones that are well done can bring some pretty strong money. Much of the others just look like junk.

Russ, NCNE

RGL

Here's one that is different than most ... Albert Einstein, perhaps?

ARCO

I have been very intrigued by Hobo nickels, and would like a nice original example. It is discouraging as there are probably many more contemporary examples (some of which are very nice) than older original hobos from the early days.

Tyler

walrafen

As the Secretary for the Original Hobo Nickel Society I would be pleased to help anyone with an interest in nickel carvings join OHNS. We have a Junior Membership available for the younger generation... youths under 19 years of age ...at only $7.50 per year. OHNS publishes three journals and an auction catalog each year. It is really exciting to see a young person learn about all the related topics that studying specialized numismatic areas results in.

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Also... you can see a selection of nickel carvings that have sold each month for the last couple of years at Recent Sales Records. I've attached a single example to this message for your enjoyment.

RGL

Welcome, walra! A specialist of your stripe would be a welcome addition to the boards. I hope you will stick around and participate in the forums! I have several Hobo nickels (including a two-sided) and love them! I would encourage anyone to add them to their collecting interests. But, can you help us here? Is there any real way to distinguish the old-time master carvers from the contemporary? And, that is not to suggest that the modern ones are not without value and merit ...

walrafen

Sorry that I haven't checked back on the CU forums in the last couple weeks. We just got our second grandchild/granddaughter on the 13th so have been preoccupied. As to your question about original carvings... this is likely the most common question that everybody, novice and longtime collectors alike, ponders. Perhaps my response to a recent query from a collector about why mostly nickels are carved and what original means would be of some small interest to all y'all.

> Coins have been carved... mostly satirical and often political, disrespect to the reigning monarch and
> all that ...for as long as there have been coins. It is just that the Indian bust on the "Buffalo Nickel"
> lent itself well to being carved into the likeness of a hobo and this caught the imagination of a few
> hobos as a revenue source. It has sorta snowballed from there with MANY talented carvers emulating
> the original nickel carvers until the lines are quite blurred between "original" and not original. Some of
> us don't care as much about the age of a nickel carving as we do about the skill shown by the carver...
> translated into some sort of "quality" designation/description for each carving.