Introducing Tucker


By Art DelFavero RM552

Last November (2009) I purchased on eBay the hobo nickel shown here (with the shading above the hat). I already had a carving by this same carver (no shading, darker beard) that I purchased in 2003. Both works have a large hat, Back in 2018 I was given the opportunity to purchase a three-piece lot of hobo nickels. To my recollection all had something to offer in the way of artistic expression and value. Two of the coins were quickly matched to a third and went swiftly on their way to being nicknamed. The other stood dormant as an above average one-off specimen.

In the latter part of 2019 while reading the current issue of BoTales I spotted a match for the aforementioned coin. This came about while reviewing the so important "Recent Sales" section which is now a staple created by our editor, Ralph Winter. The major standout characteristic of this carving was the way the ear over lapped the brim of the hat. In other words, the brim was always tucked under the top of the ear. I have decided to nickname this artist "Tucker" based on this feature.

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The carving characteristics for "Tucker" are as follows:

  1. Three dimensional hats with bands and slightly folded up brims.
  2. Well-formed ears that overlap the hat brims.
  3. Stippled head and facial hair.
  4. Modification to profiles.
  5. Clean and smooth necks.
  6. All have an Adam’s apple.
  7. All display very similar thin collars with opening for neck.
  8. Similar shoulder areas.
  9. Deep and nicely dressed fields where LIBERTY and dates are sometimes removed or left intact.