−by  Owen Covert, Arturo DelFavero and Ralph Winter

This hobo artist has been dubbed “Heritage Hank” by Arturo DelFavero and Ralph Winter after six examples of his work appeared in a recent Heritage auction. We are not sure whether they were old hobo nickels made circa 1940 to 1980, or modern ones made after 1980. There is a nickel by the same artist on page 27 of the Hobo Nickel Guidebook by Stephen Alpert. Steve, also, does not know when these carvings took place.

The carving characteristics consist of very smooth fields by use of rubber wheel evident, subjects carved with hand gravers, no use of gravermax or gravermiester present. Point round and line gravers used to create shallow to medium relief carvings. Ears are oval shaped with scooped out centers. Hair is graved or stippled and or both Collars are line graved. Features (nose, eyes, and mouth) are graved and accentuated with age lines and wrinkles, and an assortment of devises used such as hats and cigarettes.

This hobo artist has been dubbed “Bowin” by Owen Covert and Ralph Winter. All known examples of this carver’s work came from the estate of Dewey K. Barnes, a longtime Cornith, Mississippi coin dealer. Dewey was born in 1923 and passed away in 1995. These coins were purchased from Dewey’s estate in 1998 and put up for sale on eBay in February and March of 2004, so we know all of these nickels were carved sometime prior to 1995.

The carver removed “LIBERTY” from all of the Bowin hobo nickels. The ear is a simple C punch and a dot in the center on most of the Bowin nickels. The hair and beards are straight and heavy punch marks. Most hair areas have tubular heavy lines to contour the shape.