Expert: PAPAJACK - 5/1/2009

Question
i have found a buffalo nickle dated 1928 with what looks like a conquistador on the front instead of the indian i have not been able to find it in any books do you perhaps know what it is

Answer

Hello Tyler,                 

If there is no depiction of a conquistador on the front of this coin it has been altered. Normally this can make the coin worthless.

But from your description it sounds more like you have a “HOBO NICKEL”!

When the Indian Head or Buffalo nickel was introduced in 1913, it was a natural attraction for coin engravers. The big Indian head was a radical departure from previous (and even subsequent) coin designs. It just begged to be altered. The head was much larger than heads on previous coins, which gave the artists a bigger template to work on, and allowed for more fine details.
So the appearance of the buffalo nickel in 1913 generated the beginning of hobo nickels. The coin, with a low face value of five cents, was affordable to work on. And even the buffalo on the reverse lent itself to being altered into another animal or a man with a backpack.

Here is a page dedicated to the Re-Engraving of the nickel;

http://www.hobonickels.org/showcase.htm

When you get to the bottom look in the “  Old Nicknamed Artists Synopsis  “ and click on a few to see if your piece has the characteristics of the known artists.  

The Value goes according to the art quality and rarity of the piece. Here are a couple of Web Sites for you as well.
http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/signal/coins/worden-coinage0706a.htm

http://www.rarecoinsofraleigh.com/hobo_nickel_gallery.htm

Good Luck

PapaJack