This week, a quirky neighborhood that was discovered by a Michigan man (Reddit user albanesegummies327) gained attention online.
Jordan posted a photo of his discovery on Reddit’s r/coins forum, where it garnered attention due to what appears to be an extraterrestrial in its design.
In an interview with Newsweek, Jordan stated, “I was inspecting a large bag of quarter-rolls, opening them one by one to look for older pieces with high silver content. On one of the reels, I was immediately surprised by a strange coin with the bust of an alien. It stood in stark contrast to the bust of Washington on the other coins.”
The alien face included the word “Freedom” printed on the top and the year 1937 printed on the bottom.
While it is still unclear where the coin came from, many believe that it is a “hobo coin.”
The hobo nickel (or hobo coin) is a sculptural art form that involves the creative modification of coins of small value, essentially resulting in miniature bas-reliefs. The U.S. nickel coin was favored due to its size, thickness, and relative softness. However, the term nickel hobo is generic, as the carvings were made in many different denominations.
Due to its low cost and portability, this medium was particularly popular with vagabonds, hence the name “hobo nickel”.
There were believed to be more than 200,000 classic tramp coins produced between 1913 and 1980 – each with a unique artwork created by the homeless.
However, the identity of the creator of this particular example is still unknown. And it’s not even entirely clear if this coin is actually a “bum coin.”
