I was comparing key terms used in Delma K. Romines’s 1982 book Hobo Nickels: Prisoner Nickels, Shop Tokens, Modern Engravings with those in my research files to create search alerts to help me identify new original specimens. It’s a daunting task with little hope of success.
The continual problem I encounter is that the anonymity of the hobo lifestyle and the resulting lack of original records complicate identifying most of the original carvers. So, in keeping with the hobo tradition of adopting a nom-de-rail—a nickname used while riding freight trains across America—authentic carvings are identified by nicknames that point to unique features on the Buffalo nickels that host them, such as “Big Ear,” “Cactus Face,” or “The Aussie.”
But when I experimented with searching different combinations of “The Aussie” and the key terms I encountered in Romines’s book, my research took me into unexpected territory—and reacquainted me with the ANA’s Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library.
An Unlikely Detour into British Colonial Tokens
Between 2011 and 2018, Original Hobo Nickel Society members Fred Avan and Arturo Del Favero found three specimens featuring a unique “turned-up Australian style hat brim” on the derby hat found on many original hobo nickels. When I combined “Aussie,” “prisoner,” and “engraving” in my search, the related terms that appeared included “Australian convict love tokens.”
I soon learned that these terms generally describe keepsakes bearing engraved messages that British convicts carved into smoothed circulating coins following their sentencing and transportation to New South Wales, Australia, from 1787 to 1868. One of the recurring motifs was a common phrase from that time: “When this you see, remember me.” The phrase is followed by features like rhyming and non-rhyming text, full names, initials, dates, and symbols of love, family, and imprisonment. The canvas of choice began with smaller coins like copper halfpennies. Then, in 1797, the mass production of two copper behemoths called “cartwheels” in Matthew Boulton’s Soho Mint dominated as host coins thereafter. Named for their resemblance to the wheels of a cart, the penny cartwheel weighed a full ounce, the twopence cartwheel two full ounces, and their respective sizes conveyed the emotional weight of the engraved message.
Different Centuries, Similar Experiences
The Australian convict tokens I found predate American hobo nickels by over a century, but they represent a similarly marginalized group who expressed their individuality through defaced circulating coins. So, I looked for a direct connection.
Britain had sent convicts to the American colonies from 1614 until 1775, when the Revolutionary War ended the practice. The following year, Britain stopped transporting convicts to other penal colonies until Parliament passed the New South Wales Act of 1787, and the first transported convicts arrived in early 1788.
By then, the practice of sending convicts to the American colonies was a distant but relevant memory. So, I had to accept an uncomfortable truth: my search for a direct connection between American hobo nickels and Australian convict tokens was better framed as a parallel comparison separated by distinct historical periods.
Barriers to Access Broken by the ANA Library
Shifting away from exploring an American connection, I soon found a significant resource that helped me clarify my research: Timothy Millett and historian Michele Field’s book Convict Love Tokens: The Leaden Hearts the Convicts Left Behind It was certainly a logical place to start because of the 315 leaden hearts at the National Museum of Australia (the largest collection of convict tokens in the world). Millet sold the museum 307 of those specimens in 2008.
However, as a U.S.-based researcher now examining a niche area of British and Australian numismatics, the problem with accessing Convict Love Tokens was twofold. It wasn’t available digitally, and the cost of a print copy plus shipping from Australia was about $100.
When I discovered that the ANA Library had a circulating copy, I set up a library account to borrow it, and Convict Love Tokens was soon in the mail. While a personal copy would’ve been ideal, the ability to borrow it for less than $10 in shipping and handling fees was a huge financial relief.
When the book arrived, I pored over the contents, reading, taking notes, and tagging 33 sources for further research, 12 of which I found through the ANA Library’s Bass Numismatic Index.
When I finished my evaluation and was preparing to ship Convict Love Tokens back to the ANA Library, I reflected on my research journey. Although my hope of establishing a direct connection between Australian convict tokens and American hobo nickels didn’t work out, the Library’s global reach allowed me to explore new perspectives on the human experience across time and borders. This experience also served as a welcome reminder that the Dwight N. Manley Library continues to be a valuable resource that keeps the stories behind numismatic treasures within reach.