A good way to kill a hobby is give it a name like “Numismatic” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numismatic . I know…you want to quit reading now, don’t you? This “N” word really means “coin collecting.” It’s a hobby I’ve had since age 11. Okay, so looking at a nickel with Jefferson’s head on the front and the Monticello on the back may not be all that exciting. But there’s a lot of art in coins, especially the older ones.One of my favorites is the Indian Head or better known as the “Buffalo Nickel” http://www.buffalonickels.us/history.html . It was made from 1913 to 1938 (the Jefferson took its place from 1938 to present). The buffalo nickel is one of the most popular coins among collectors. Not only is the art beautiful; it’s full of history. When I hold a 1914 nickel I wonder about who used it and what they bought. It was minted the year WW I started and times were tough.
The nickel got its name from the metal of which it was made. It’s a somewhat soft metal so the impression of the Indian and buffalo were of high detail because the mint presses created a good image on most strikes. At the same time, the nickel images tend to wear down faster than other coins (today’s nickels are actually made more of copper than nickel so this isn’t an issue anymore).
Anyway, my father told me that when he was a young boy living in Cheyenne, Wyoming during the late ‘30s, it wasn’t uncommon for a hobo to occasionally jump off a train, walk to my father's house and ask for work and food. If there was no work, these hobos would offer "hobo nickels" in exchange for food although my father and his family never actually received one.
What's a hobo nickel? Some hobos made good use of their time using a knife, nail or other tool to scrape, etch or push the metal on a buffalo nickel to morph the Indian image into someone or something else – often a bearded man wearing a derby. If there was no work, these carved nickels would be offered for a meal. Of course there aren’t many of these nickels around anymore, but when you find an authentic one it’s a prize. They're valued between $500 and $2,000.
Today, some people are making it a hobby as modern carvers http://www.hobonickels.org/showcase.htm. I’m not interested in these particular coins because they lack the history and crude craftsmanship of people who struggled to make ends meet. In my opinion, hobos were respectable and honorable. That’s why people during the depression through WW II offered help when they came around.
I took an old, worn-out buffalo nickel and tried my skill at changing the Indian into another character. I made some progress, but gave up after 3 long hours. The experiment enhanced my appreciation for the creativity some people had when times were so difficult. The two coins in the middle are mine; the larger images were pulled off the Internet to give you clearer picture of what they look like up close.
