I hope many of you will get the chance to meet other collectors and dealers who have interests in your field(s) of numismatic interest at a future MSNS event. Art is known in hobo carving circles as "Cinco de Arturo"įor me the MSNS show was the best ever, not because of the nickels I purchased, but having the opportunity to meet Art and Rita as well as talk to Norm about hobo nickels. (By the way, I was able to view Rita’s hobo nickels at the Spring 2004 MSNS show in Lansing, Michigan.) Art Delfavero and I have stayed in touch and he carved the hobo nickel on the left for me this Spring. The rise and fall of the trillion-dollar coin wasnt the only weird numismatic news this. I found out later that Art was able to go back to the MSNS Show on Sunday, and Rita showed him several hobo nickels that she had acquired a couple of months earlier. I was able to show her the two nickels above that I had acquired from Norm Talbert*. She shared some of her hobo knowledge with me, and we had a great discussion. Rita Jene is an avid hobo nickel collector and regular attendee at the OHNS Annual Meeting and auction at the FUN Show. Rita Jene is well known to MSNS and OHNS old-timers, but was someone new I wanted to meet. I had heard that Rita Jene Sledz was the hostess. I later found out that I had outbid Art for this particular nickel.Īfter placing my auction bid, I went upstairs to the MSNS Hospitality suite. I believe the carver may be "Flat Nose." (see page 53 of the Steve Alpert’s Hobo Nickel Guidebook). While many types of coins were used to create these pieces of art, nickels were especially. I did just that and put my bid in on the below pictured hobo nickel which I was fortunate enough to acquire. A hobo nickel is a coin that has had a piece of art carved into it. I was intrigued by the small head on the second of the two hobos.Īrt told me to be sure and check out the hobos being offered in the MSNS auction conducted by Craig Whitford Numismatic Auctions. I ended up purchasing two of the hobos from Norm and Art bought a third.
I found out Art was both a collector as well as a modern hobo nickel carver.
Norm shared with us some of his dealings with Del Romines many years ago. Art introduced himself, and pretty soon the three of us (myself Art and Norm) were talking about Hobo nickels. I was definitely interested in one of them.Īs I was examining the hobos, Art Delfavero walked up. Then I saw the four hobo nick els Norm had in one of his display cases. Type coins I wished to sell, which I handed to Norm for his examination. Our take on the classic Buffalo Nickel hobo coin (popular because it was a. Carvings can be made from any coin denomination. Norm is also a member of OHNS (Original Hobo Nickel Society) I had brought a couple of U.S. Hobo Coins are die-struck coins that reimagine classic US coins with new designs. A hobo nickel is an art form involving the creative modification of a coin. Norm is an MSNS member and an authority on Buffalo Nickels. As is my practice, the first table I visited was Norm Talbert’s (Great Lakes Coin Company). Information can be obtained by going to the OHNS website at or by contacting OHNS Secretary Verne Walrafen at 12000 Sunset Ridge Drive, Ozawkie, KS 66070-6045.The Michigan State Numismatic Society (MSNS) Fall Convention and Coin Show was held November 28-30, 2003 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan. To participate in the annual auction, one only needs to be a member of OHNS. Special events are being planned for the 20th anniversary of the society’s founding at the 2012 FUN show in Orlando. Nine members received silver and copper literary tokens for contributions to the OHNS quarterly publication, BoTales.
Many children stopped by to view the demonstrations and pick up a free starter hobo nickel.Īt the OHNS annual meeting member John Petrow of Miami was named the recipient of an OHNS scholarship to attend the 2011 American Numismatic Association Summer Seminar.
At this year’s show, several of these carvers gave hobo nickel carving demonstrations at the OHNS bourse table. Nine contemporary hobo nickel carvers were in attendance. The previous high for an OHNS auction was set in 2009 when 138 regular lots and seven donated lots sold for a grand total of $47,701.45.Īnother record was broken at this year’s show. As with all the coins, this is a 39mm die-struck, hefty 12 gauge coin. Another carving, a beautiful two-sided hobo nickel by an artist nicknamed “Twofer,” realized $3,410.Ī new auction record was also set this year with a hammer price of $48,425 for 117 regular lots and three donated lots of hobo-related items. Nevermore Aged with an antique silver-finish.