Candace D. Kagin Hobo Nickel Auction Session 1 Exceeds $100,000

“We are very pleased, not only with the results but with the wide participation,” remarked Don Kagin, president of Kagin’s Auctions. “What was particularly gratifying was that virtually anyone could participate with lots selling for as low as $50 to over $11,000.”

The auction featured several nickels carved by Depression Era migrants including George Washington “Bo” Hughes, and his mentor and protector Bertram “Bert” Wiegand.

Born from ingenuity and necessity, the Hobo Nickel is a small-denomination coin—most often the American Buffalo nickel—hand-carved by itinerant artists, or “hobos,” during the early twentieth century. With crude tools and creative vision, these artists transformed ordinary coins into portraits, whimsical scenes, or abstract designs, sometimes reflecting their own journeys or the culture of the time.

The tradition began in earnest around the 1920s, coinciding with the Great Depression, when economic hardship forced many to travel the rails in search of work. The coins acted not only as possible currency but as tokens of gratitude, mementos, or barter items exchanged for food, shelter, or simple companionship. Each Hobo Nickel is thus a relic of survival, storytelling, and artistic improvisation.

These coins capture moments of resilience and creativity during some of America’s most challenging years. They serve as everyday objects transformed by extraordinary skill, a reminder that art can flourish even in the most austere circumstances.

Hobo Nickels also bridge worlds—between art and commerce, anonymity and fame, poverty and ingenuity. The artists themselves often worked in obscurity, yet their creations live on, admired and studied by collectors like Candace and by historians seeking to understand the spirit of an era.

Highlighting the sale was an image of “Sara” carved by “Bert”, which brought $11,100 including the 20% buyers’ charge after spirited bidding. Another popular piece was a portrait of another woman carved by Bo and referred to as “Monique” which realized $6,270.

“I concentrated on acquiring women on these coins as typically, outside of “Lady Liberty”, women were not often depicted on numismatic coins. My first acquisition over 20 years ago was a “Bo” and it set a record price for a Hobo Nickel at the time,” explained Candace Kagin, the consignor, “ It makes me glad to know that other collectors now get to enjoy these pieces of art as much as I have.”

Kagin’s Auction plans to present two more auction sessions of the Candace D. Kagin Hobo Nickel collection, billed as the largest collection of these coins ever assembled and sold. The auctions are tentatively slated for January 25th, 2027, and August 30, 2027.

To register to bid for these auctions or further information contact info@Kagins.com or call 888-8KAGINS (852-4467).