Posted on 11/06/2015 9:17:28 AM PST by Reaganite Republican
I don’t know what a hobo nickel is, but that sure looks like President Reagan.
Would be nice to get him on the 20 dollar bill...
It really wasn't sculpturing, but a Korean War buddy of mine said that when they were sent home, it was via a 30-day troopship "cruise".
With plenty of time on their hands, the guys started making silver rings out of 50c pieces. They'd swipe a soup spoon from the galley, go topside and sit cross-legged on the deck. Using the heel of their combat boot as an anvil, they'd begin turning the coin, using the spoon as a hammer and tapping the rim until it peened over. When it was wide enough to pass as a ring, they'd get the ships machine shop to bore out the middle.
He said it reminded him of a Chinese workshop with dozens of guys patiently tapping away all day, day after day. After 20 days of hearing "tink, "tink", "tink" he stayed below decks until they reached port to keep his sanity. The practice got so popular, the ship ran low on soup spoons and forbade their use elsewhere.
Dunno what else they used for a hammer, but being Americans, you know they'd come up with something else.
What bothers me is how many scarce dates/mintmarks were lost that way.
This thread reminds me of one of Bob & Ray’s “The Do-It-Yourselfer” pieces where Fred Falvy teaches the listeners how to make a washer out of a quarter using a ball-peen hammer, a 10d nail, and a rat tail file.
Create a $25 bill.
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