Stormtrooper Hobo Nickel

(Photo: Shaun Hughes)

Nickel carving is American tradition dating back to at least the Great Depression. Some homeless people of that era carved designs into nickels, then sold them for hopefully more than 5 cents. This is how they became known as "hobo nickels."

In recent years, the craft of nickel carving has revived in popularity. We've seen inventive designs here at Neatorama, such as aliens. For Star Wars day, British artist Shaun Hughes carved the image of a stormtrooper into a vintage nickel.