Celebrating The 100th Anniversary of the Buffalo Nickel
Celebrating The 100th Anniversary of the Buffalo Nickel
Celebrating The 100th Anniversary of the Buffalo Nickel
Celebrating The 100th Anniversary of the Buffalo Nickel at the 2013 F.U.N. Show
By Erin Leigh
2013 marked the 100th Anniversary of the Buffalo Nickel. As many of you know by now, the theme for the FUN convention in January was “Buffalo and Hobos A Centennial Celebration”.
Former Vice President Donna Moon acting as FUN's General Chairwoman designed the souvenirs distributed at the show (i.e. lapel pins, convention medals, the encased buffalo nickel giveaway, derby hats for FUN's Young Numismatists program and more). However, it was the artwork Donna provided to create the entranceway to this year's F.U.N. convention that was the biggest hit! Our special thanks to Mr. Ralph Winter of the Original Hobo Nickel Society (OHNS) for featuring our FUN Buffalo & Hobos entranceway on the cover of the Spring issue of Bo-Tales.
Working with Hobo Nickel artists from the Original Hobo Nickel Society, Donna was able to obtain some wonderful photographs of traditional hobo nickels. One of the large coins featured at the top of the entrance's signage and on the panels of the membership and registration booths was created by Hobo Nickel carver, Aleksey Saburov. Mr. Saburov is a master engraver from Russia who was incredibly surprised to find his work featured in such grand scale.
In fact, the prominent entryway, which proudly boasted a 1913 Buffalo Nickel and Saburov's Traditional Hobo Nickel faintly, depicted the era of the great depression in the background. There were Hobo's riding the rails as well as photograph's of Chief Iron Tail one of the Native American Indians who posed for James Earle Fraser who designed and sculpted the coin.
The Buffalo nickel is extremely popular with collectors. The coin was produced from 1913 to 1938. It was not until the Great Depression progressed and Americans were struggling with economic collapse that the Hobo Nickel appeared and nickel carving became prevalent. The homeless often referred to as "Hobos" roamed across America looking for work and a better life.
"Hobos" began carving designs on the Buffalo Nickel creating a piece of folk art, and using their artistic numismatic treasures to pay for food and shelter. The carving tradition continues today. The Hobo Nickel Society is filled with talented carvers who continue to turn nickels into extraordinary pieces of art.
The 100th anniversary celebration brought many "firsts" to this division of numismatics. The Hobo Nickel Auction held at the F.U.N. Show garnered a record-breaking purchase of $24,200.00 for a coin believed to have been carved by the late 1930's Hobo Nickel carver, George Washington “Bo” Hughes. The auction total was also a "record breaker" generating $72,385.20 in total sales. The sale was open to only OHNS members.
There were (14) fourteen hobo nickel carvers in attendance at the F.U. N show and OHNS Auction. Two of which traveled from Spain to attend the event. Paolo "Mr. The" Curcio born in Italy moved to Spain in 2003. He discovered the art of hobo nickel carving by watching the Keith Pederson carving in the Steve Lindsey video chat online. As his love for nickel carving blossomed, he contacted OHNS President Archie "Rollie" Taylor to learn more about the craft. Mr. Curcio is completely self-taught. He currently produces beautiful pieces of art and shares his carving techniques on his incredibly popular YouTube Channel. Paolo has introduced many of his friends in Spain to Hobo Nickel carving, sharing with them a piece of Americana. One of those "friends" is Hobo Nickel carver Pedro Villarrubia.
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Paolo "Mr. The" Curcio appears in photos 1,2,3,4,& 6 Pedro Villarrubia & Paolo appear in photo #6 Photo Credit Erin Leigh
Pedro Villarrubia made the 4600 (12 hour) trek from Spain to the F.U.N. show with his pal Paolo Curcio. Much like his friend Paolo, Pedro discovered Hobo Nickel carving by visiting the American (internet) forums of Steve Lindsay. He started carving Hobo Nickels a year ago after receiving nickels from Paolo. Now, he and his wife Blanca de la Hoz both enjoy the hobby and have successfully sold their Hobo Nickels on EBay. Oh, the power of the internet, the World Wide Web, brings what was once a piece of American numismatic history to the world.
What I love about The Hobo Nickel Society is their dedication to the younger generation. Archie "Rollie" Taylor preaches the "Hobo way of life" which is all about sharing what you have with someone else. Clearly, all the carvers at the OHNS booth were happy to share their time and talent with F.U.N. show guests. However, they particularly focused in on the young numismatists at the show, sharing a hobo nickel and a Whitman Buffalo Nickel Coin Folder with each child that visited their booth.
Yes, the F.U.N. Show in January was a fabulous success. If you missed the spectacular Buffalo & Hoboes entranceway, do not worry because it will proudly stand at the 7th Annual Summer FUN Convention in Orlando Florida, July 11 - 13 2013. I hope to see you there!
Photographs
The Entranceway
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OHNS Explores The Entranceway
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Click To Enlarge
Copyright (c)2013 by Erin Leigh.
Ralph & Don from the Original Hobo Nickel Society point out the artwork of their carver friends
The Original Hobo Nickel Society Takes Over FUN's Opening Ceremony.
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Click To Enlarge Copyright (c)2013 by Erin Leigh.
Erin Leigh: Erin's work appears on FUN Forums & FUN Convention TV as a "courtesy" to Florida United Numismatists. Copyright (c)2013 by Erin Leigh. This work by Erin Leigh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License Photograph(s) may be used within the terms of the license . Although, special arrangements may also be made for photographs. Please list photo attribution (credit) as "Erin Leigh” “FUN Forums" and link attribution to FUN Forums http://fun-forums.livejournal.com/
Previously Posted On FUN Forums
Riding the Rails Hobo Kids during Great Depression
Riding the Rails presents the poignant and little-known story of teen hobos during the 1930s, a time of desperation and bitter hardship
The Great Depression & The American Hobo
During the great depression teenage Hobos roamed across America in search of work. Most Hobos left their homes searching for a better life.
Spotlight On: Dealer Club Original Hobo Nickel Society
Paolo "Mr The" Curcio Shows Us How To Carve A Hobo Nickel
Hobo's Holiday
Adam Leech: Documentary A Nickel And A Nail Adam Leech discusses his documentary A Nickel And A Nail which depicts his Hobo style trek to The FUN Show in Tampa, Florida
7/2012 Spotlight On: Original Hobo Nickel Society
Ray Dillard Of Dillard Elongated Coins Rollie Taylor of Original Hobo Nickel Society and Mr. Dillard talk about the business.
Opinions? Please Share Them Below In Comments
Quick Links To 2013 FUN Show News
The 58th Annual FUN Convention took place January 10-13, 2013 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The 2013 Convention Theme was "Buffalo And Hobos A Centennial Celebration. Did you attend the F.U.N. Show? If you missed it, we've posted some of the highlights below, simply click the links and explore all that the F.U.N. show has to offer.
Coin Tales From The Bourse Floor Video Interviews
Explore The Bourse Floor Video Interviews
2013 F.U.N. Young Numismatists Meeting
Minor Details: A Young Numismatist's Perspective On Coin Collecting: Featuring Abigail
Minor Details A Young Numismatist's Perspective On Coin Collecting: Featuring Justin Wurst
2013 FUN Boy Scout & Girl Scout Coin Collecting Merit Badge Clinic
Spotlight On: Dealer Club Original Hobo Nickel Society
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Mark Your Calendars
Be sure to mark your calendar and come see us at the FUN Show!
7th Annual Summer FUN Convention: July 11-13, 2013 - OCCC West Building, Hall WC, Orlando, Florida
59th Annual FUN Convention: January 9-12, 2014 - Orange County Convention Center Orlando, Florida
8th Annual Summer FUN Convention: July 10-12, 2014 - OCCC West Building, Hall WA1, Orlando, Florida
60th Annual FUN Convention: January 8-11, 2015 - Orange County Convention Center Orlando, Florida
9th Annual Summer FUN Convention: July 9-11, 2015 - OCCC West Building, Hall WA2, Orlando, Florida
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