Hobo Nickels, Carved Art Tributes.

 Thought I would share my small collection of hobo coins/nickels with you guys. These were hand carved by Jayshobonickels, and these miniature sculptures feature a variety of fictional characters I loved growing up and as an adult. If you don't know what hobo nickels/coins are, they are a sculptural art form which involve the modification of small denomination coins.  

Little by little metal is shaved away to create a miniature bas relief sculpture. Because of it's size, thickness, and softness of the metal, the nickel was a favored choice for this art form. As you can see though, other coins can be used with great results such as quarters and golden dollars. Even some artists will use titanium or other metals to carve on.  

Due to the low cost and portability, this medium was quite popular among hobos, hence the name hobo nickel. The modification of coins dates all the way back to the 18th century. Historically, these coins were made and then used by hobos/itinerant workers, who often traveled by hopping on and off of freight trains.  

It's been said they would use these coins to trade for a meal or shelter for an evening. As well as sometimes for passage in a vehicle. These days however, hobo coins and nickels are just a type of art form for collectors such as myself who enjoy the artwork. Mine are just a collection of popular characters from things I love, though many hobo coins feature a skull or more original artwork.  

The tools used to create these coins were quite primitive and consisted of such things as awls, nails, pocket knives, small hammers, screwdrivers, and even scrap pieces of metal which were then manipulated into makeshift tools. A metal punch was also then hammered into the coin to create a divot for an eye, an expanded nostril, as well as texture for hair.  

Costs for these coins will depend on which artist you are ordering from and the quality of work. Most of my current collection of hobo coins ranged anywhere from $20-50. I have seen some coins go for as low as $10, and others that sell for as high as $6-700. There's many artists from all over the world, and quite a few of them do some amazing work.  

The characters shown in this post feature Vegeta and Goku from Dragonball Z, Godzilla and MechaGodzilla, The Vault Boy from Fallout, Deadpool, The logo for the Monster Hunter International series, Meatwad and Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. 

Thanks for checking out my post. If you've got any questions or comments leave them below!