THE JACK ROYSE COLLECTION OF HOBO NICKELS

One of the more fascinating areas of numismatics is numismatic art, something perhaps best exemplified in American numismatics by the Hobo Nickel. Our current June 6-9 Long Beach Signature Auction, taking place at the Long Beach Coin & Collectibles Expo, features an outstanding collection of these fascinating pieces, The Jack Royse Collection of Hobo Nickels.

Among hobo nickel collectors, the name Jack Royse Jr. stands out as one of the foremost early collectors of the genre. Several of his coins appear in Del Romines' original Hobo Nickels book published in 1982, and both his name and his coins figure prominently in Joyce Ann Romines' 1996 book updating and expanding the original reference. Jack Royse was an Indiana prep golf star who earned a scholarship from LSU to play golf there. After college, he was a professional golfer and competed on the PGA tour. Later, he was club pro at several country clubs including Olympia Fields, El Dorado, and others. Until he passed away at age 91, Jack enjoyed the distinction of being the oldest PGA golf pro in Indiana, where he was a PGA professional for over 60 years.

In his later years, Jack collected historic memorabilia and won awards showing his collections throughout the U.S. He also collected fine art, as well as rare coins. He once owned a famous New England sixpence - the so-called "Potato Field" coin - in addition to his hobo nickel collection.

Carvings by Bert Wiegand and George Washington "Bo" Hughes make up the majority of The Jack Royse Collection of Hobo Nickels, including one of the best-known Bert "Prisoner" nickels, two other Bert carvings, and 22 important and rare Bo Hughes masterpieces. To our knowledge, nearly all of the nickels in this collection have not appeared at public auction in at least three decades, and perhaps never. These carvings intertwine within the very fabric of hobo nickel lore. Most of the pieces are well-documented in the references. Individually or together, they form the foundation of a truly great hobo nickel collection.

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