Any Way To Tell If A Hobo Nickel Is Authentic?

avoid buying most that are only a couple of dollars, and coming from asia.

also general question for anyone viewing this thread- I cant seem to find a good place to purchase an authentic hobo nickel. Even on ebay, theres a small selection and these sellers arent even claiming theyre authentic. Anyone have a good source?

first off, what do you mean by authentic? Do you mean an early carved piece as opposed to a modern carved piece or do you mean a hand carved coin versus a die struck piece? Just like most areas of coin collecting, education is the place to start. Join the OHNS or at least go through their web site (hobonickels.org) and study the pictures. Most old pieces were done on coins dated before 1920, most modern pieces are done on coins from the 1930's. there is a OHNS group on facebook as well, but most of it is new carvers making skulls on low grade coins with the occasional high quality modern carving or early carving. there are also a lot of collectors who do have the old originals there and if you ask, they may have some for sale. If you join the FB group, mention my name in your application, I am an admin there.

Joe Paonessa
America's greatest left handed hobo nickel carver...so far

There are certain known carvers that help identify original hobos vs. modern ones. Even with that you should be careful. One thing to look for are early dates where the reverse is in good condition. For example, if you get a 1916 with an AU reverse then there is a good chance it's an original. Also look for surfaces that don't appear to have been cleaned or messed with in some time. I am a member of the OHNS. Some coins come with certificates with pictures where it has been authenticated by members of the club. Too much info to get into and teach on this forum but check out the website and get some books to read up. It's a great part of our hobby and neat to think that a real hobo carved the coin for a meal or some cash.