![]() ![]() The early works of Bert and Bo are very similar in style and are often difficult to tell apart. Alpert, Bert Weigan was Bo Hughes’ friend and mentor, who taught Bo how to make hobo nickels in the late 1910s. ArtistsĪccording to original hobo nickel researcher Stephen P. It is believed to have been carved circa 1950.Īnother 1913 hobo nickel carved by Hughes was transformed into a Jewish man with a beard and wearing a yarmulke. Other hobo nickels from Heritage’s January sale include a Hughes cameo carving that realized $20,400.Ī carved 1913 Indian Head 5-cent coin with the portrait fashioned into a rabbi wearing a hat, credited to an artist nicknamed “Apple Cheek,” realized $3,480.Īnother Hughes carving with the coin portrait transported into an older bald man with extensive facial hair realized $12,000. That coin sold in January 2013 in Florida during the OHNS club auction held in conjunction with the Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando. The previous hobo nickel record was $24,200 set for the two-sided DICER hobo nickel by Hughes. ![]() Hughes often signed his work by carving incuse the letters GH, GWH or in one instance, BO.Įven without the signature, hobo nickel enthusiasts are able to discern the style of work by both Wiegand and Hughes. Wiegand is known to have signed pieces by manipulating the inscribed letters or carved the letters into the artwork. The reverse, which was not modified, bears the Bison design and the D Mint mark of the Denver Mint. Wiegand removed the letters, L, I and Y, leaving BERT. On the hobo nickel that generated the record price in January, the portrait of the Native American chief is feminized with long sweeping hair and a bun gathered at the back.īecause the hair obliterates the coin’s date, Wiegand carved incuse the numerals 39 next to where LIBERTY was inscribed, likely an indicator of the year the carving was executed. Hobo nickels carved by Wiegand and Hughes are highly sought after by knowledgeable collectors. The carved coins were often sold by the artists or exchanged directly for food and/or lodging along the way. Hobos like Wiegand and fellow hobo artist George Washington “Bo” Hughes traveled the country by rail during the first half of the 20th century, catching rides in box cars. A hobo nickel is an example of folk art where a knife, nail, or other sharp implement is used to transform one or both sides, usually of an Indian Head 5-cent coin, into designs other than originally struck on the coin. ![]()
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