1913 Type 2 Original Hobo

 

SKU: 1913T2OriginalHobo

 

A distinctive original hobo nickel on a first-year 1913 Type 2 Buffalo nickel host, hand-carved into an expressive unnamed gentleman with hat, beard, mustache, and defined neck detail.

The obverse has been transformed from James Earle Fraser’s Native American portrait into a classic hobo-nickel character study. The artist retained the 1913 date and portions of the original border while reworking the profile with a broad-brimmed hat, incised facial features, textured beard, and mustache. The reverse remains the standard Type 2 Buffalo nickel design, with the bison standing on a raised line above the recessed denomination FIVE CENTS, accompanied by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

This piece displays pleasing antique nickel-gray color with darker charcoal accents settled into the carved recesses, giving the design strong visual contrast. The host coin is circulated, as expected for the genre, with surface wear and handling consistent with its age and later hand workmanship. The carving is bold and highly legible, with especially engaging detail in the beard, hat, and profile.

Hobo nickels occupy a beloved specialty within American exonumia, blending circulating coinage with folk art and Depression-era ingenuity. The Buffalo nickel was the preferred canvas for generations of carvers, and 1913 Type 2 host coins are especially desirable as first-year representatives of the modified reverse design. Each original hobo nickel is effectively unique, with collector appeal determined by quality of execution, subject character, host coin, and overall eye appeal.

An appealing and characterful original hobo nickel, well suited for collectors of Buffalo nickels, American folk art, and hand-carved numismatic curiosities.

 

PCGS #
Grading Service	NONE
Grade	NONE
Mint Location	NONE
Year	1913
Designation	NONE
Strike	Business
Grade Add On	NONE