1 Dollar 'Morgan' - Outlaw Hobo

Hobo nickels — and their larger Morgan dollar equivalents — emerged from a Depression-era folk art tradition, carved by itinerant workers who reworked surplus coins using little more than a nail set and a penknife. The Morgan dollar's high silver relief and broad planchet made it the preferred canvas for more ambitious carvers. "Outlaw" hobo carvings typically rework the face into a skull or skeletal figure, a subgenre that developed more deliberately in the late 20th century among collectors and competitive carvers rather than Depression-era hobos themselves.

Authentication matters here: the Original Hobo Nickel Society maintains attribution records for known contemporary artists.