US Hobo Nickel 1920 to Date

It sounds like you have a wonderful piece of Americana, chefkath. It is probably a hobo nickel from days of the great depression and thereafter. During that time, several 'Kings of the Road' hobos would spend hours carving standard buffalo nickels into miniture pieces of folk art. They would then trade their masterpieces for a hot meal or warm bed.

The samples in our picture are typical, but certainly not constraining. The artwork is limited, as always, only by the imagination and skill of the artist.

Original hobo nickels (that is, coins genuinely carved by genuine hobos) carry excellent numismatic (coin collector) value today. Retail prices from a few 10s of US dollars to several 100s of dollars are common. The value depends on the quality of the work and the specific artist involved.

There are several modern carvers, but they do not qualify for lofty 'original hobo' status. The coin on the left, with the female figure, would probably sell for about $500. On the right, with a more common baseball cap theme, would probably sell for about $200.

The real problem is discerning genuine original hobo nickels from the myriad of modern carvings. Several modern artists create carving that look old. Seek out a professional coin dealer or a knowledgeable collector for an in-person inspection of your hobo nickel.

David Abernathy was kind enough to send us pictures of his extensive collection of original hobo nickels. David has about 50 coins in his collection. Below you can see a few nice examples. Aren't they terrific? They are all originals and would probably sell at auction for $100 to $300.

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