In mid and late 1800s, engraving one’s personalization onto a coin was a common practice. Coins were ground smooth on one or both sides, and the engraver’s pictorial creation was engraved onto the coin.
The first artists were migratory hoe boys (the meaning behind the acronym, ‘hobo’) who travelled the rails in the first half of the twentieth century, looking for farm work from planting time through late fall. Although adopted quickly by the transient whose unique coins might buy a hot meal, or maybe coax a rail line detective to look the other way as they hopped a freight.
There have been some famous engravers for the Hobo Nickel along the way. The Buffalo Nickel was the most commonly used coin as the monetary value, thickness and size along with the large design made altering it easier then others.
The first artists were migratory hoe boys (the meaning behind the acronym, ‘hobo’) who travelled the rails in the first half of the twentieth century, looking for farm work from planting time through late fall. Although adopted quickly by the transient whose unique coins might buy a hot meal, or maybe coax a rail line detective to look the other way as they hopped a freight.
There have been some famous engravers for the Hobo Nickel along the way. The Buffalo Nickel was the most commonly used coin as the monetary value, thickness and size along with the large design made altering it easier then others.