How long do you think it will be before we see.......

MWallace

a counterfeit sample slab? Prices on some have been unbelievably high. It's bound to happen sooner or later.

BillJones

It certainly would be easier to do because most of the coins in sample slabs often have little or no numismatic value. All you have to fake is the slab and the label. The coin can be perfectly genuine and would not cost the crook much at all.

TwoSides2aCoin

Not sure. Thankfully, they're not part of my collecting habit. I would like to buy some hobo nickels if they're lying around the house and not being appreciated.

BillJones

Originally posted by: TwoSides2aCoin
Not sure. Thankfully, they're not part of my collecting habit. I would like to buy some hobo nickels if they're lying around the house and not being appreciated.

The trouble with hobo nickels is that they are now being massed produced, right at the coin shows. There were a bunch of people at the FUN show right on the floor with their microscopes and drills having at it the whole show. I don't know what they are putting out, but I'm glad I don't have an interest in the series.

I bought the book at one time, but could not get any interest in them. I sold off the book when I was a dealer.

ricko

No interest in sample slabs... however, if there is a market, there will be counterfeiters...



And BillJones.... yes, there are a lot of modern hobo's and they are flooding the market now...



I would still like to get an old original though... just to add to my collection. Cheers, RickO

Hobosapian

Bill, there are definitive signs of an old one versus a new one. For starters, MOST modern carvers sign their work. It's a pride of craftsmanship thing. They want to be recognized as the artist. I buy and sell A LOT of old carvings, and I own some of the best carvings around. Generally speaking, if you don't know for sure that the coin is old, stick to Nicknamed carvings. That's generally the recommendation I make to collectors just getting into this part of the hobby. They are easy to identify, with the nicknamed carvers being viewable in the "Quick ID" section at www.hobonickels.org, and give a beginning hobo nickel collector something to look for.



To say there are a lot of modern carvers out there is the understatement of the century, but I only know of one who is unscrupulous and doesn't call his carvings old or new, and his carvings are EVERYWHERE. Generally speaking, if you aren't sure, ask someone who knows about them. Or you could join the OHNS and have them certified for about $15 per coin through the OHNS.

ricko

Good information Hobosapian.... I have looked at online hobo nickels for years, and saw two

at shows (I felt they were modern)... If I ever do get an authentic old piece, I would definitely

submit it for evaluation. Cheers, RickO

johnny9434

they already could be out there, everything else is.