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Am I the Only One Never Heard of a 'HOBO NICKEL' Before?
Reaganite Republican ^
| 06 October 2015
| Reaganite Republican
Posted on 11/06/2015 9:17:28 AM PST by Reaganite Republican
Certainly no lack of historical curiosity in my noggin, but this one's new on me.
Hard to imagine how I missed it, because it's a delightful folk art form to be sure- pure Americana.
Due to the relative cheapness, softness, portability, and (adequate) thickness for sculpturing,
the US 5-cent coin proved perfect for carving into highly-creative works that can be carried around in your pocket.
Alterations of coins had occurred in Europe, S. Africa, and the US in the 18th and 19th century -in cruder forms-
but introduction of the 'Buffalo' nickel in 1913 brought about a surge in popularity of the sculptures, as the large, raised Indian on the coin allowed plenty of material to work with.
I remember as a young coin collector that the too-high date on the lower left of the Indian wore off faster than any coin,
leading inevitably to dateless nickels- the buffalo nickel design was flawed from that standpoint. But the thick, raised Indian relief was what made it so ideal for hobo nickels.
The 'hobo nickel' term itself is generic, as they've come to include all denominations of coins, US and otherwise.
The art form enjoyed a significant renaissance in the 1980s in the wake of a book published on the topic by a numismatics expert... thus the modern variants:
TOPICS: Chit/Chat; History; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: coins; collectables; epigraphyandlanguage; history; numismatics
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2
posted on
11/06/2015 9:18:04 AM PST
by
Reaganite Republican
(FREEDOM - OPPORTUNITY - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY)
To: Reaganite Republican
I’ve heard of them. Interesting stuff.
3
posted on
11/06/2015 9:20:17 AM PST
by
cripplecreek
(Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.)
To: Reaganite Republican
It's kinda like this...
4
posted on
11/06/2015 9:22:06 AM PST
by
Paul46360
To: Reaganite Republican
First I’d heard of them, thanks for sharing.
5
posted on
11/06/2015 9:23:21 AM PST
by
Idaho_Cowboy
(Ride for the Brand. Joshua 24:15)
To: Reaganite Republican
You see 'em on dogtag chains sometimes....
6
posted on
11/06/2015 9:24:28 AM PST
by
archy
(Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Except bears, they'll kill you a little, and eat you.)
To: Reaganite Republican
I like that eagle coin. I’m guessing the silver coins were a lot easier to work with than today’s coins.
7
posted on
11/06/2015 9:26:33 AM PST
by
smokingfrog
( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
To: smokingfrog
Oh, I don’t know how you’d do anything with the coins now, I think they are layered and almost plated with cheap stuff inside.
They used to have a layer of copper in the coins in the center until that went up
8
posted on
11/06/2015 9:29:32 AM PST
by
Reaganite Republican
(FREEDOM - OPPORTUNITY - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY)
To: Reaganite Republican
There also used to be something called a “hobo pocketknife.” A real pocketknife, but the blade was connected and encased within a thick wire-like, outer frame. I carried one in school for about a year or two.
9
posted on
11/06/2015 9:30:22 AM PST
by
greene66
To: archy
I read somewhere today people use them as jewelry but never heard of that, either.
Some of the ones they sell on ebay go for big bucks too, depends how well know the artist, and there are young guys at it too now in 2015, it appears
10
posted on
11/06/2015 9:30:59 AM PST
by
Reaganite Republican
(FREEDOM - OPPORTUNITY - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY)
To: Reaganite Republican
I had heard the term but had no idea what it meant. Thanks for posting this article.
As a side note, I noticed that the issue of legality was not mentioned. I found another website that indicates that Hobo Nickels are considered by the Treasury Department to be mutilated coins and thus no longer legal tender. However their numismatic value more than makes up for that.
11
posted on
11/06/2015 9:35:35 AM PST
by
Menehune56
("Let them hate so long as they fear" (Oderint Dum Metuant), Lucius Accius (170 BC - 86 BC))
To: Menehune56
I put in my text ‘they were no longer legal tender’ just assuming that was the case but actually took that out ‘cuz I read a lot of them remained in circulation.
One thing is if the coin was nickel, silver, or gold it was probably of similar meltdown value anyway- but artistic value of the nickel would have to exceed face value of a nickel, even back then- gotta be worth a buck, right?
12
posted on
11/06/2015 9:40:10 AM PST
by
Reaganite Republican
(FREEDOM - OPPORTUNITY - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY)
To: Reaganite Republican
To: Reaganite Republican
Great Stuff .......here's some more photos.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3062208/posts
14
posted on
11/06/2015 9:52:46 AM PST
by
virgil283
(H.L. Mencken : the "whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed....)
To: Reaganite Republican
Yes, I have heard of these, but only because some FReeper posted a piece about them about a year or so ago.
I had a friend in college who wore a beautiful ring that her father had found. It was a Liberty dime that someone had reworked so that only the Liberty head was visible, while the rest of the dime apparently made up what became the part that actually encircles the finger.
15
posted on
11/06/2015 9:54:26 AM PST
by
Bigg Red
(Keep calm and Pray on.)
To: Reaganite Republican
I think today they are referred to as “Homeless nickels.”
16
posted on
11/06/2015 9:54:47 AM PST
by
Cowboy Bob
(With Trump & Cruz, America can't lose!)
To: Paul46360
17
posted on
11/06/2015 10:01:13 AM PST
by
WayneS
(Yeah, it's probably sarcasm...)
To: Paul46360
18
posted on
11/06/2015 10:13:21 AM PST
by
DCBryan1
(No realli, moose bytes can be quite nasti!!)
To: Bigg Red
Neat- the Mercury dime is for me a favorite, gorgeous coin
19
posted on
11/06/2015 10:15:38 AM PST
by
Reaganite Republican
(FREEDOM - OPPORTUNITY - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY)
To: DCBryan1
20
posted on
11/06/2015 10:15:59 AM PST
by
Reaganite Republican
(FREEDOM - OPPORTUNITY - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY)
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