The coinage of our country has many ties linking coins to our
nation’s history. For example, “buffalo nickels” were minted
from 1913 through 1938. These had an obverse, or “heads,” with a
Native American facing to your right. On the reverse, there was
a side profile view of a buffalo. If you recall your history, in
1929 the great crash of the U.S. stock market occurred and the
Great Depression began, which ended about the time World War II
began. Times were extremely tough during the Great Depression.
Unemployment levels were the highest in our nation’s history.
Millionaires became destitute over night. The “dust bowl”
conditions throughout a wide swath of our country drove the
farmers off the land and began the migration to California.
“Hobos” were people who were unable to find employment and who
took to bumming illegal rides on the trains across the country,
looking for someplace better to be. Many would stop at homes and
ask for food; if a housewife was helpful and generous, the hobo
would “tag” that hous