Hobo nickels I carved

I recently carved these hobo nickels! I have a coffee can half full of hobo nickels that I have carved. I am sorting them right now.
I carved these using drill bits that I sharpened. They make great gravers.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Personally, I do not like hobo coins. I think it is a sacrilege to deface any coinage, IMO.

 

OK, Well very impressive . Love Hobo Nick's . WELCOME to the TALK !

 

I don't really think it's bad as long as the coins are worn and not worth much anyways . OK , here come the Bashings !

 

To each his own! Robert, would you rather that someone use Nik-A-Date on a coin in which the date was totally illegible? I've seen some that are so intricately designed that it would knock your "hooves" off.

Brent, I've seen a lot of them similarly designed as yours. Now, you need to work on your own design concepts.

 

WttB

Was there a steep learning curve?

 

I like Hobo coins as they're a part of American history. Same thing with counterstamped coins. I've got a great book called The Hobo Nickel by Joyce Ann Romines that tells of the history of Hobo Nickels.

 

I like them. How long does it take you to complete one?

 

Hobo nickels aren't my thing, but I do appreciate the "classic style" in which yours are carved. Just a suggestion, can you add some type of signature mark or something so they can be identified as your creation (you might pick up a following if you don't have one already) and not be confused with original Hobos particularly by unscrupulous sellers in the future

 

So, your saying you approve of this practice. Your opinion is your opinion and mine is mine. "Nik-A-Date" used on a coin is not comparable. One is attempting to determine the date/MM of a coin. Is this practice defacing a coin? I suppose it may be, but not in the same league as drills and etching the surface of the coin. In addition, it is against the law to deface US Coins, per Title 18, Chapter 17 of the US code.

 

Federal statute 18 USC 331 “whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States … shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”


The key is the word FRAUDULENTLY. The OP is not trying to pass his coins off as anything other than a nickel. If he said they were hobo quarters, then maybe you might have something, but otherwise…no big deal. Same thing with elongated cents. I hope @lordmarcovan doesn't get arrested for the elongated coins he made

Edit to add: Among the member clubs belonging to The American Numismatic Association are The Elongated Collectors and Original Hobo Nickel Society. They don't seem to have a problem with the statute

 

Hobo Nickels have been around a long time . I don't recall anyone getting arrested , do you . Enjoy .Coin Profiles: Hobo Nickels (coinweek.com)

 

You have talent.
Have you given any thought to trying a different design? Maybe something instead on the reverse even?

 

I stand corrected on my use of the statute.
I still do not like the practice of defacing coins.

 

It's not something that everyone likes! Fortunetly most people like it though. We are lucky that it's legal in the United States. In a lot of countries it's against the law. I never carve coins from countries where coin carving is not allowed.
In the United States and the UK there are a lot of examples of carved and counter stamped coins through out history

 

Thank you!! I have been a member for a long time I just need to post more!!!

 

I used to only use dated nickels but I actually like carving dateless coins better. The date does not get in the way. I also like the worn look of dateless buffalo nickels better.
I do have some older buffalo nickels that I plan on carving but they are more detailed designs. I have a trade dollar I have owned since I was 12 that I plan on carving a whaling design on one side and the other a kraken attacking a ship. I have a few Morgan dollars which are really good to engrave. My favorite coins to engrave are clad quarters from the late 60s and early 80s.

 

I don't like nic-a-date coins! Luckily I can remove the stained metal with a graver pretty easily.
I have been doing classic hobo nickel designs for 7 years and I need to move on to some more detailed coins. I just did a batch of 2,500 hobo nickels. I recently bought 12,000 dateless nickels and I am going to carve all if those eventually.
For detailed coins I really like the movie Aliens 2 so I am going to do some of those designs. I had an amazing cat that lived to be 21 and I have three designs if him to carve to give to my wife. I am also researching different ships and logos of ships/submarines in the United States Navy and I drew up some captains coins that I will donate to the Navy. These coins I will use Morgan dollars.

 

There was a HUGE learning curve. One if the first coins I did was of Marilyn Monroe. It took me 13 hours and it sold for sixty dollars! At first the tools would slide across the face of the coin and I had no control over anything. I have carved around 14,000 hobo nickels and I am slowly getting better.
Really detailed coins are totally different category and I am working on those next. There is a Dutch coin I like a lot that has a photo effect and I want to try these technique on buffalo nickels and US quarters.

 

They are an amazing part of US history! We are lucky the buffalo nickel was designed because it the perfect coin to carve! There are some really amazing coin carvers and I spend a lot of time researching them
I have the book by Romines- they actually wrote two books. One eBay they sell for around $80 dollars. The HOBO NICKEL SOCIETY sells a nice guidebook also. I am writing a book about hobo nickels that I want to publish in 2022. They are amazing coins!