Introducing Spots

By Barry Homrighaus RM1548

In a recent review of the hobo nickels sold in the public auction of the late Fred “Guido” Avan’s collection, I noticed a coin that looked familiar (#1 below) which sold in that auction for $149. A review of the OHNS archives turned up a second coin (#2), which sold in OHNS Auction 29 for $375. I was about to submit these two coins to our editor for inclusion in a future “3’s a Match” column, when I realized that they looked familiar because there was a third match in my collection (#3), a coin I bought on eBay in 2019 for $320.

Naming this carver turned out to be quite easy. The most distinctive feature of the coins is the use of a pin punch to create the lines of the hat crown, hat band and brim, as well as the beards, eyebrows, and lapels of two examples. Since we have already used “Dots” in the nickname “Dots Beautiful,” I have christened this carver, “Spots.”

The carving characteristics for "Spots" are as follows:

1. High-crowned derby hats sit low on the brow, with the outline of the crown, straight brim and hat band all formed with a series of punched dots. The crown of the hat in each case is textured with crosshatch cuts, and the front of brim in each case hits LIBERTY at the “B.”
2. Simple, low, “C”-shaped ears touch the hat brim.
3. Punched full beards hang slightly below the chin on all three examples.
4. Profile modification is limited to a small punch at the bridge of the nose.
5. All three examples have a high collar and a lower notched lapel. Lapel is “dotted” in examples #1 & #2, but carved on #3.
6. All three examples have a button or stickpin at the front of the collar, with the pin on #3 gleaming.
7. All three carvings on are 1913 D Type 1 nickels.