Artist Roman Butin (A.K.A. Roman Booteen) turns vintage and contemporary coins into an art form known as hobo nickels . Until I came across his work, I hadn’t heard of hobo nickels. Here’s what Wikipedia had to say about the coins:
“The hobo nickel is a sculptural art form involving the creative modification of small-denomination coins, essentially resulting in miniature bas reliefs. The US nickel coin was favored because of its size, thickness and relative softness.”
The magnificent coin above, entitled Gold Bug, was created by Booteen using two 1921 Morgan dollars and a five dollar gold coin from 2015 to create this stunning piece entitled Gold Bug. In 2017, it sold on Ebay for $9,200. I’m not surprised. Though the somewhat mysterious artist’s work is coveted by collectors around the world, very few can claim an original Booteen. Here’s what he has to say on that subject:
In addition to his glorious coins, Booteen turns vintage Zippos into highly-desirable, collectible objects, too. What an amazing talent! And what a big tease!
You can follow the artist on Instagram and Facebook.
Share:
April 20, 2019 at 7:30 am
WOW!! Great work. Hal
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 20, 2019 at 8:54 am
Isn’t it interesting? He’s such a talent!
LikeLike
April 26, 2019 at 12:51 pm
As a kid, I collected foreign and vintage coins and always hoped to own a hobo nickel. It never happened. These take the idea of hobo nickels and turn it into sophisticated art. The pieces that move are absolutely incredible. The movie nerd in me loves the Shining and Xenomorph lighters.
LikeLike