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Introducing Guido


By Marc Banks HLM538, Fred Avan RM908

This new nicknamed carver illustrates just how long it sometimes takes to identify the works of a particular unknown classic carver. I won Carving #1 in an eBay auction in 2012. What stood out about this standard hobo carving of a bearded man wearing a hat with a straight brim and rounded crown was the partially outlined beard that came to a sharp point that nearly extended to the rim of the nickel. It wasn’t until 2019 when my late friend Fred Avan won Example #2 in another eBay auction. I was the under bidder. The two nickels subsequently appeared in Bo Tales’ “Threes a Match” as we searched for a third example. In 2021, Fred let me know he was consigning his hobo nickel collection to Heritage for auction and offered his carving to me. Fred, his wife Dorothy, and I continued to watch for another match. In January (2025) OHNS archivist Barry Homrighaus sent me a photo of a third work he found in the archives by this unknown carver. Photos were sent to our nicknaming committee and there was unanimous agreement that they were created by the same carver. I decided the most appropriate name for this carver was “Guido”, Fred’s OHNS moniker. Fred loved the challenge of hunting matching carvings. I wish he had gotten to see this one.

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#1
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#2
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#3

Carvings by “Guido” display the following characteristics:

  1. Hat with a rounded crown and a straight, narrow brim sitting high on the forehead, no hat band.
  2. The hat’s brim is aligned with the L in LIBERTY or just above it;
  3. Punched hair, moustache and beard.
  4. The beard is partially outlined and pointed below the chin and extends almost to the rim of the nickel.
  5. If there is any alteration profile and/or nose it is slight, as noted above the beard extends beyond the chin.
  6. The only modification to the eye is the addition of a punched eyebrow.
  7. The ear is narrow and kidney-shaped with some inner detail, it sits back on the head and somewhat low on Examples #2 and #3.
  8. All examples have a similar double collar, the shirt collar has a triangular fold at the front and the jacket has a distinct lapel.
  9. Somewhat rough dressing of the field behind the head, LIBERTY intact except on Example #1 on which the L has been incorporated into the brim.
  10. The three carvings are on 1916S, 1917D and 1914S all of which are distributed in the western part of the country.