“Atlas” { Panthera leo leo }

“Miss Kitty” { Puma concolor couguar }

The Most Powerful Survival Characteristic!

Here we have “Atlas”... a nickel carving by Dick Sheehan of a Barbary lion “Panthera leo leo” (also known as either a Nubian lion or an Atlas lion) which was the largest of the lion subspecies. He once ranged throughout the mountains of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and was first brought to Europe for the Roman Games of the Coliseum to be a participant in the bloody game of death. Roman notables, including Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar, often ordered the mass slaughter of Barbary lions - up to 400 at a time. Barbary lions came to embody courage and nobility through the ages - from heraldic symbols of the medieval knights to the lions of Trafalgar Square. These animals were hunted extensively during the 19th century... the last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in the 1920's.
You may recall Dick's previous nickel carving of “Miss Kitty”... who hails from the “Old Dominion State” of Virginia. Despite many so-called Puma expert's stated opinions that the Eastern Puma “Puma concolor couguar” is extinct in the wild... Miss Kitty reports that she and her kittens are prospering (as long as she can keep them hidden from their father and her other suitors.) She attributes this to the fact that she has adapted her hunting strategies to include a large variety of pampered house pets. When she was told of Atlas' sad fate she was reported to have said; “That just goes to show you that size isn't everything. I am living proof that intelligence is the most powerful survival characteristic in the struggle for existence!” ~ V-Dubya

Click on either carving for an enlarged view.

Jack's Mom and “Milky White”

  This is the only double-sided “Andris S” carving thus far.

I'm Russian from Latvia. One day I found hobo on Ebay and I thought that hobo is very interesting type of collection. I never saw something like this before. The carver is my old friend about thirty years. His name is Andris Smilga and he is SUPER LEVEL professional. I never saw somebody better for my life.
I collect Russian art over thirty year and my grade is Art and History of Art.  I know many collectors, restorers, Jewelers in Russia and Latvia. Andris is best of the best. Everybody is honored to have something from him. I have some jewelry which he did for me and my wife and that is high level of Russian Art.
When I was in Latvia this summer I took several nickels and gave it to him. He is old man but very enthusiastic and talented. He work for government and make orders and medals. He did about fifteen hobo for me. That is the story. Boris Luban...Saturday, 8/13/2005, 8:35PM

What Is Main Rules When People Make A Hobo?

I checked Hobo association site in Internet and I saw that level of some hobo is really very high. I saw that some people make something absolutely different from this coins. I thought that main idea to keep and change Indian head but some carvers make something absolutely different. For example "Train."
My question is... Why need to used this nickel if you carve a train instead the head. In this case it can be carved on any coin or peace of metal. Where is the main idea and conception? Possibly you can explain me better how it's work and what is main rules when people make a hobo.
Last one. That is absolutely not necessary to copy somebody. He can use Russian or Latvian thematick. Is that interesting?  Or it suppose to be just something about US? Thank you. Boris Luban...Sunday, 9/11/2005, 10:01PM

Carve What You Know Best! There isn't any ONE set of rules for the creation of carved “hobo” nickels. The pieces that bring the highest prices are invariably high effort pieces on high-grade/condition Buffalo Nickel host coins. Steve Adams has been known to spend 5-7 full days carving a single nickel and he is arguably the premier nickel carver in the US. He is a die engraver with long years of experience so when he puts time on a carving it isn’t wasted motion but is really productive effort. Generally Hobo “themes” sell the best… this includes anything related to railroads of course since hobos are strongly associated with the railroad system. Neither hobos nor railroads are exclusively a US subject obviously. Both have existed in Europe, Russia, South America, India, China, Australia and other places… all it takes is a railroad and someone who wants to get a ride without paying. Themes outside the area of hobos and railroads CAN be quite valuable depending on the level of expertise/art evident in the carving. I have a four piece set of carvings with an Eskimo, a walrus, two walrus, and a scrimshaw sperm whale tooth carving. All Alaskan subjects and distinctly not hobo related… see Four “Real People” Carvings from Steve Ellsworth. The same artist is going to do a series of Native American portraits from the SouthWestern US… again not hobo related. These pieces likely will sell for just a little bit less than a hobo theme piece would but perhaps not… it all depends on how the pieces strike the collectors. Like all art… these pieces appeal to some folks and not to others. Carvings on coins other than Buffalo Nickels are interesting to some people but that collector group would be much smaller and thus the prices the pieces would sell for would most likely be considerably less. Even though Andris’ first pieces are not particularly interesting, as far as subjects go, I know he can come up with pieces from his own unique perspective. Like they tell authors… “Write what you know best.” I'd tell him to carve what he knows best. I’ve never seen his artwork but I recall you saying something about awards, medals, and such. He could easily incorporate devices from those designs with distinctly Russian/European hobo/railroad subjects to make some really unique carvings. The inclusion of exceptionally small semi-precious stones and metal inlays can dramatically increase the appeal of a carved nickel and thus the price it sells for. Lee Griffiths has put just the smallest pin points of gold into the eyes of a couple of his carvings which gives a glitter to the eyes that is dramatic for such a nominal effort and virtually no investment in that small a quantity of gold, see WinoSanta. I recall one piece where he put a bit more gold in the eyes and it really came out superb… see CowardlyLion. For more extensive gold work you can see the glasses he put on me… see V-Dubya and the chains he put on a sleeping hobo… see Workers. A piece or two of Russian coinage of similar size to a buffalo nickel would be really interesting to see carved. They would likely sell for a bit less than a carved nickel but I’d judge not a whole lot less. Such pieces would not have a broad demand, collector base, but would be worth creating just because it hasn't been done before. We do know of at least one buffalo nickel carved in Russia during the very early 1900's apparently by a US soldier. “On Aug. 16, 1918, 1590 US troops from the 27th Inf. arrived in Vladivostok, followed by 1421 troops from the 31st Inf. On Aug. 21. more arrived from the 8th Inf. Div. later. The 31st Inf. operated in the area just north of Vladivostok and in the small mining town of Suchan. This was the first and only time American troops operated on Russian soil.” One reason for carved nickels with subjects other than hobos/railroads is that the classic carved nickels (some done by hobos but many not of course) included subjects that simply just appealed to the hobo/carver. Santa, a ball player, a clown, a donkey, an eagle, and etcetera. Thus non-hobo/railroad subjects have a historical provenance that includes them in the genre. Verne Walrafen...Sunday, 9/11/2005, 11:59PM

    −by Dick Sheehan

Clara Bow→ 
    The “It” Girl ...a quicksilver hedonist who lived in and for the present, was Paramount's most profitable star and the most popular female performer of the late silent era. She was also Al Capone's favorite actress, and when she visited Berlin, an admiring Hitler gave her an inscribed copy of “Mein Kampf.” Elinor Glynn, the high-flown Englishwoman whose lush bestselling novels included “It” -- a coy synonym for sex -- received $50,000 from Paramount's B.P.Schulberg to state that Bow had “It,” more so than any actress in Hollywood. Check out her photos here:

−by Steve Ellsworth    

←Ilanich Mukluks
    Iñupiaq Eskimo language phrase for “SOME Walrus hide boots.”

    −by Bill Jameson

Eddie Ginley→ 
    “The sleuth, the whole sleuth and nothing but the sleuth!” ...From the 1972 movie “Gumshoe” in which Eddie was a Liverpudlian down-but-not-quite-out bingo caller and P.I. wanna-be (Albert Finney) who decided to place an ad in the classified section, soliciting work as a private eye. It was all a lark, just a gag to celebrate his own birthday, but then someone actually hires him to solve a real case. Soon he was up to his stiff upper lip in heroin smugglers, African politics, gun-running and all sorts of fun stuff. The awkward transition of Eddie from a stumbling, mild-mannered bloke to a hard-boiled Yankee gumshoe was a joy to behold.

−by Steve Ellsworth    

←Iñugaik Mukluks!
    Iñupiaq Eskimo language phrase for “MANY Walrus hide boots!”

    −by Steve Adams

BonHomme Bones→
    Bones hails from BonHomme County, South Dakota. He is a very private person so we don't really know much about him. His story is that he left home when he was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). That is unlikely since folks with that invariably fatal disease have a very short life expectation and we know he has been “on the road” for a decade or more. We are assuming for the nonce that he is extremely thin because he has missed a lot of meals. It seems that his “I'm dying!” routine hasn't gone over as well with the rubes as he had hoped.

−by Bill Jameson    

←Toby “Red Well” Tobar Dearg
    The term “Toby” is the British equivalent of the American term Hobo while “Tobar Dearg” is Celtic for “Red Well.” We assume that Toby is a British import but that is sum total of our limited knowledge.

    −by Cliff Kraft

Buzz “Yucca” Chimango→
    A chimango is a south American carrion buzzard, a large hawk-like bird with a screeching call. It will eat almost anything. Yucca is clearly an American Turkey Vulture, not a chimango. We have absolutely no clues about his family name's origins. Cliffy certainly knows the sordid details, since I have never asked him a single thing that he didn't have a ready answer for, but like Jay Bush's Golden Retriever “Duke”... he's not telling!

−by Sonny Carpenter    

←Cheyenne Hetane
    Hetane is the Cheyenne language word for “man.”

    −by Bill Jameson

Conestoga Stogie→
    Stogie is from Conestoga, a village of southeast Pennsylvania. Conestoga wagons were heavy freight-carrying vehicles of distinctive type that originated in the Conestoga region of Pennsylvania c.1725. “Stogie” became a slang term for fat cigars because they looked like Conestoga wagons. His family name, which he seldom uses, is Susquehanna... a founding family who settled Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley and took that name to avoid the unwelcome attentions of certain unspecified European authorities. Susquehanna is “muddy river,” derived from the Delaware Indian words sisku “mud” and hanne “stream.”

−by Sonny Carpenter    

←Pawnee Chahis
    Chahis is the Pawnee language word for “man.”

    −by Bill Jameson

Suffragette Susie→
    Susan B. Anthony was a very serious woman but she had to have been young once! History does not record any nickname for Susan so I had to generate one of my own. Surely she must have been affectionately known as Susie by her loved ones at some point in her life!

−by Michael Cirelli    

←Beckett “<BG>” George
    Beckett is a midwest transplant originally from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He is known by one and all as “<BG>” which is his personal tag and shows up on boxcars from coast to coast. We heard that he fell out of Silicon Valley during the dot-com diaspora so his tag makes sense. Of course, the BG could be his initials but since he invariably has a BIG GRIN on his mug we take the “<BG>” literally. We were so impressed with Beckett's unflagging good humor that we convinced our eldest daughter to name our brand-new Grandboy “Beckett George Hanna”.

Bust of Napoleon III on Dix Centimes coin has been capped with a German spiked helmet. Unaltered 1854 Dix Centimes.

      In the Fall 2004 BoTales I authored an article entitled “Before the Hobo Nickel” where I shared what I'd learned about my eBay acquisition of an 1854 French Dix Centimes coin that had been engraved in a satirical manner to ridicule the French emperor Napoleon III.
      The re-carved coin was executed as a general protest of the French Emperor Napoleon III and, in particular was meant to protest the shameful defeat of Napoleon III in Sedan in September 1870. As I stated in the article my coin was probably altered in the latter months of 1870.
      The Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) brought ruin to the Second Empire. Napoleon himself took the field, but he early devolved his command to Achille Bazaine. He was caught in the disaster of Sedan (September 1, 1870), captured by the Prussians, and declared deposed (September 4th) by a bloodless revolution in Paris.

Altered “1870” French Dix Centimes Reverse of “1870” French Dix Centimes

      A few months ago I acquired a second example of a transformed Dix Centimes. This coin is a French Dix Centimes that has been engraved “1870” to further emphasize protest of the defeat at Sedan. The date of the original coin is not legible (appears to have been scraped off.) Although you will note the carving is not as well done as on the 1854 coin, the carver has added the word “SEDAN” on the collar.
      Perhaps these coins were brought back to the United States by WWI doughboys? Some of these veterans may have later become hobos. Could a coin like this one have given a hobo the notion to transform a Buffalo nickel???

My “so called” FREE TIME!

        Jasen Varitek                           “B” (rev only)                           Babe Ruth                   Ted “The Kid” Williams

My name is Amy Armstrong and I am from Montville Connecticut where I live with my husband Jim and my two children, Jessie 7 and James 4. I have been a Jeweler for fifteen years. Over the past few years I have been engraving and have attended three classes at the GRS. Most of my FREE TIME (Ha Ha) is spent engraving. Between working all day as a Jeweler and Mom... most of my so called FREE TIME is late night till the wee hours of the morning. Armed with an engraver, an idea and occasionally a glass of wine... I head downstairs to my engraving shop to work. Although to call it work is a stretch, engraving is a pleasure and my passion.

        Jesse James                           Annie Oakley             Babe “Bambino” Ruth (obv)       “Curse Reversed” (rev)

I  heard of Hobo Nickels a few years ago.  I admired them but had no desire to engrave one. I was busy engraving jewelry, knives, and etcetera. Last October while attending a Bulino class at the GRS I sat next to Dick Sheehan. During that week all of us (students and instructors) spoke much of our engraving. Dick spoke much about nickels. Well, by the end of that class I decided to try a nickel carving when I had some FREE TIME. Last spring I engraved my first nickel. To date I have engraved eight and presently working on my ninth. I have the intention and ideas for many more. Thanks to the GRS for great classes, instructors, staff and equipment. Thanks also to Dick Sheehan for his tips and encouragement. ~ Amy Armstrong... Sunday, 14 August 2005, 7:35PM

Al “Alphonse” Capone

When I saw the weird lettering under Amy's “B” it took me a while to figure it out. Even once I understood what it had to be... it wasn't until I put it in my graphics editor and hit the [mirror] button that I could appreciate how well Amy had done this bit of engraving. The upper portion of the scan here on the right is how Amy's engraving actually looks and the lower portion is what it looks like once my graphics editor did its [mirror] magic on it. Clever idea Amy! ~ V-Dubya

Mirrored “Curse Reversed”

Even simple tasks... such as the creation of the quarterly BoTales header image ...require choices which are never easy it seems. Selecting a recent carving for the header requires leaving out MANY superb carvers and an uncounted number of superb carvings. Often the carving selected is mostly determined by which pieces are the most recently encountered. There are just too many deserving carvings to do this task “right!”  −V-Dubya