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The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 1, January 5, 2014, Article 28

THE HOBO NICKEL CARVINGS OF PAOLO CURCIO

Bill Rosenblum forwarded a link to this page of great coin carvings by an artist named Paolo Curcio. Thanks! Be sure to visit the page to see them all - here is just a sampling of coins that caught my eye. -Editor

Skull hobo carving About two years we featured a great selection of skull nickels, a numismatic curiosity where miniature bas relief sculptures are carved into coins, an artform that’s broadly referred to as hobo nickel art. While researching a follow-up article on Hobonickelart.com I stumbled onto the work of Paolo Curcio (aka “mrthe”) who appears to have taken the process of carving coins to an entirely new level. Using a variety of different coins the Barcelona-based artist creates etched homages to pop culture, illustrations of figures from literature, and most commonly: macabre portraits of skulls and death, probably the most prevalent theme in hobo nickel art.

Lincoln Bert hobo carving Washington hobo carving

One aspect of Curcio’s process that’s really amazing is his ability to use coins made from multiple layers of metal (referred to as clad coins) which he then strategically reveals to create colored flourishes and background patterns. You can see much more of his work over on his website, and keep an eye on his Ebay page for occasional coin listings.

Laughing hobo carving

I like these! Some clever designs, well executed. -Editor

To visit Curcio’s web site, see: Remarkable Hobo Nickels Carved from Clad Coins by Paolo Curcio (www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/12/hobo-nickels-paolo-curcio/)

To read the complete article, see: www.mrthehobonickels.com/

Wayne Homren, Editor

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The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

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