"The Helmsman": Modern (ca. 2016) hobo carving on 1900 Barber dime, by artist David HJ He

"The Helmsman": Modern (ca. 2016) hobo carving on 1900 Barber dime, by artist David HJ He



Larger obverse picture #1
Larger obverse picture #2
Larger reverse picture

Host coin: 1900 USA Barber dime.
Obverse: 19th century sea captain gazing left, with windswept hair, at ship's helm, artist's signature "David He" below, original outer legends and date of host coin left intact.
Reverse: original Barber wreath design, unaltered, some old marks.

Purchased from the artist, username "david-art" (eBay), 7/18/2016. Artist is Member RM1463 of the Original Hobo Nickel Society. This piece his edition #16116.

I love this salty old sea dog character with his craggy countenance, fiercely determined expression, and impressive eyebrows, as he sails into the teeth of a gale. I'm not sure why he has a sheriff's star on his coat, but that's just a neat little extra detail. He reminds me of Captain Ahab in Moby Dick.

I was an underbidder on David He's "Fisherman", done on a 1908 Barber quarter, which sold for $202.55 on 7/17/2016. But that disappointment was soothed when I won this piece on a Barber dime for less than 1/3 the price. I think the carving on this one is almost as nice as the "Fisherman" piece. This is certainly a talented modern artist.

This piece was formerly part of my Engraved/Counterstamped/Oddball Type Set, and the first modern "hobo" carving I successfully bid on. The market for modern carvings, somewhat surprisingly to me, a lot hotter than for the old 19th century carvings. But the modern artists are often extremely proficient and creative, and have more sophisticated tools at hand. (Though many of them do work the old-fashioned way.)