5 Cents 'Buffalo' - Skeleton Soldier Hobo

Hobo nickels carved from Buffalo nickels became a recognizable folk art tradition during the Depression, when itinerant workers — the very population the nickname implies — had both the idle time and the motivation to transform low-value coins into tradeable curiosities. The Buffalo nickel's thick relief and deep fields made it the preferred blank for carvers; the high cheekbone structure of the Native American portrait lent itself to dramatic reworking with minimal metal removal.

Skeleton soldiers are among the more labor-intensive variants, requiring careful undercutting to suggest hollow orbits and exposed bone structure. Original Depression-era examples are distinguished from the flood of later tourist-trade and contemporary artist pieces largely by tool mark patina and edge wear consistent with actual handling.