Kkk Hobo Nickel

I can't see the other side, for some reason, only the last picture.

This could most likely have been a membership token, a way to identify to others, in much the way that a lodge penny or the Masonic hand grasp and greeting might be used by a Mason.

All authentic KKK memorabilia is collectible (for those so inclined to support such an endeavor) but there is an awful lot of fake/fantasy stuff out there. It pretty much defines "niche market" and people who collect in this area don't often make a habit of sharing their hobby.

Do the letters KIGY, KIYF or AKIA show up anywhere? Very few members wanted to be openly identified when not at meetings, so there were many acronyms in use that did the job.


--Free history and interpretation below from me. Read at your own risk--

The KKK was riding on a wave of anti-Catholic sentiment in the 1920s. This was fuelled by Southern Baptist Protestantism; the doctrines of Leo XIII's "Rerum novarum" (and subsequent re-affirmation in 1931 by Pius XI in "Quadragesimo anno") were anathema to Southern Baptists of the era, who did not sit well with Catholic social teachings supporting labor unions, individual rights, and most importantly, the Catholic Church's role in teaching and encouraging class harmony instead of class conflict. For this perceived heresy, the aforementioned Popes were considered enemies of America -- it helps to remember that the KKK by this time referred to itself as The American Party or variations on such a theme, the idea being that the Klan was supposed to somehow represent the "true" ideal American, to wit: a white man of European descent, a devout Protestant, and a stanch anti-Federalist.

By the depths of the Depression membership was in serious decline, and would never recover. The KKK was not just against one particular race; labor unions, Jews, Catholics, Communists, migrant workers, and even the Supreme Court were all offered up as examples of a country in decline and the forces corrupting it. The Depression was, much like World War I, firmly painted by the Klan as being the result of Jewish intervention in the financial and banking systems which was intended to bankrupt America.

The choice of a Buffalo nickel has much symbolism. James Earle Fraser had lived through Custer, and his father was one of the men who helped escort the General's force remnants back from the battlefield. When he attended the Chicago World's Fair and later, the Columbian Exposition, his perspective on Native Americans seemed at odds with the art and sculpture, most of which depicted the Native Americans as savage beasts possessed of an unrivalled bloodlust and a vendetta against the white man, borne out in the Buffalo Bill "re-enactments" of vicious raids against terrified cabin-dwelling settlers. When he was commissioned to cast End of the Trail, he wanted to present the Native Americans in a different light: sad, exhausted, weary, and accepting that they did not have the strength any longer to continue the fight. Based on the fame of that sculpture, especially a bronze version's appearance at Pan-Pac, he was commissioned to engrave the Buffalo nickel.

Whereas the original KKK even went so far as to hire Native Americans to track escaped slaves, the revived 20th century incarnation was more influenced by the Buffalo Bill romanticism of the frontier, and bought into the myth that the Native Americans were the savage enemy of the "true" Americans (white settlers of Western European descent).

Further recent history included Harding's memorial speech at the unveiling of Hamilton's statue at the Treasury -- having been sculpted by Fraser -- which directly pointed a finger at the KKK as an example of an organization which was contrary to the spirit of Hamilton's ideals (namely, Federalism and a strong central government, two concepts which were at odds with the KKK's position favoring states' rights.)

Defiling a Buffalo nickel, then, is not only symbolic as an attack against Fraser's beliefs, it manages to also slam Hamilton at the same time with the nickel being a Federal issued item of currency. Depicting the Indian portrait as, possibly, an African American symbolizes the Klan perception that both races were examples of perceived threats to their "True America."

That being said, I don't think this would be a Depression-era piece or "true" Hobo nickel; I'd guess 1920s is more likely. Given the KKK's drastic plunge in membership (some estimates say they went from 4m to 300k or less between 1921 and 1936) I don't think most Klansmen in later decades would be bothered to carve such a token, since mass-produced tokens and membership cards came into vogue by the 60s.

If this is not a modern fantasy or replica, it could have some value, but collectors of such things seldom make their interests public these days for very obvious reasons, much like collectors of Third Reich militaria are reticent to show off their "hobby" to others these days for fear of people being unable to discern between "historical interest" and "personal belief."


My opinions only; no offense intended, if any was taken at some point.

Wow, I'm sure there is a market for such a coin however like paralyze suggested, you're gonna have a heck of a time trying to sell it especially via a public venue. Even nazi stuff is a tuff sell most places and that stuff has Broad appeal due to militaria collectors. I'm guessing most auction houses, lage & small won't touch it. It's not something I would want in my collection but to each their own.

For better or worse it's a piece of American history. If it were mine, I'd do a little research to find a highly respected American history university professor that specializes in civics or race relations. I bet they'd want to see it and possibly could tell you more about it if it were a member identification type piece

It would carry a nice premium, most Klan tokens do, but I would keep it for it's historical value. The stigma around historical artifacts is absurd. From my experience, the best place to buy/sell/trade/find such items are "gun and coin" shops.

Very true, OldSkool. I think it depends on your location. A Klansman in, say, Portland, Oregon would be far less likely to advertise that fact to a random stranger than one in the deepest Carolinas or Mississippi.

I live in Texas and still remember, growing up, my kindergarten teacher's husband had a Forrest KKK sword above the fireplace mounted in front of his Rebel flag, and he was once almost jailed for greeting his daughter's new boyfriend with a sawed-off 12 gauge named Shorty, on the occasion that he was African-American (which would have made him the endless target of jokes among his truck-driver buddies, and probably socially scandalized his wife, who was very active in the deb/ball and dance scene.) Even having more socially liberal parents, they didn't seem to mind using the N word on occasion, or admonishing me about being careful if I am playing at the house of the "colored kids" across the street.

Of course, a lot has changed even here in 30 years, and any remnants of that particular ideology have been driven deep underground, as it has gone from being marginally socially acceptable to being something that would probably cost you your job and your reputation, especially since that small town, once 95% white, is now almost 70% non-white, and doing better than ever.

My grandma's fourth (!) husband was a Luftwaffe oberst who flew Junkers and Heinkel bombers with the Condor Legion and Afrika Korps for the Third Reich. Upon her passing, he moved out of their big old house and headed for a trailer on the beach. I was 22 and about to get married and while going through her things and preparing to sell the house I came across a box full of Third Reich medals, pins, and ribbons. Being as her first two husbands were American veterans (a Pacific Theater fighter pilot and a young man who survived Normandy, respectively) this wouldn't do at all. So with the blessing of my ma & pa I unloaded all of it on ebay, hand-writing my own listings, and editing out the Swastikas in photoshop as required to list the items, and they all sold extremely quickly. I received about $2,200, which financed my honeymoon in Vegas when I got married later that year. Most of the items sold to Spain, Argentina, Brazil, but not Germany, where they were banned. Of course, later on in life, I realized I had probably let about $10k worth of stuff go, including some particular medals struck in silver with less than a hundred copies known to exist. I also inherited a cigar-box full of German coins, which I still have.

At any rate, the market is there for KKK stuff, just as it is for Third Reich, and the buyers are usually quite eager to have at it, but I am not sure that ebay would be nearly as friendly towards such listings as they were in 2003.

Best piece out of the lot I sold was a Spanish Cross in silver w/swords, which brought almost $700, complete w/presentation box. Nowadays that's a $2.5k+ piece. I had several NSDAP & HJ pins w/numbers, shooting badge, wound badges, parachute badges, 4 Iron Crosses (1st/2nd class), ribbon bars, etc. Only thing I kept was a 1930s vintage German metal pill box that some of the items were stored in.

I think that a collector of KKK memorabilia would buy this nickel, for sure, as Cascade points out, but if you don't mind the stigma, it's quite a conversation starter.

Also these historical items remind us that Voldemort in Harry Potter isn't jsut made up evil, but there were truly bad people in our own past as well and gives chance chance for reflection.

I just have a curious quesiton about this. the "no advertising" allowed on coins rule, since this is a known organization, does this coin fit that the design would have constituted advertising or is that only for stickers and such affixed to coins?