"Hobo Nickel" Cigar Box Guitar Bridge with vintage U. S. Buffalo Nickels

Bring a bit of American history to your next build with these beautiful Made-in-the-USA hardwood bridges that feature classic U. S. coins!

These bridges are cut from 1/8" thick genuine mahogany panels and laser-engraved a custom design, and also with special recesses that we glue two vintage U. S. Buffalo Nickels into.

These 5-cent pieces minted between the years 1913 and 1938, and remain one of the most recognizable of the classic American coins. The term "hobo nickel" came about as a moniker for artwork that used coins as a canvas, often using Buffalo Nickels due to their size. The artist would alter the coin, using it as a basic blank for sculpting new shapes and images from the face on either side. This type of modification was popular among hobos, as they could easily be carried around in a pocket and generally didn't cost much.

While we have not modified the face of the coins at all, we feel the same spirit of using the coins as a canvas lives on in these bridges and proudly presents one of the most recognized coins in U.S. Mint history.

This bridge also includes a saddle cut from exotic Padauk hardwood. The saddle comes slightly rounded, but otherwise untouched to make it as versatile as possible for use on different styles of instrument - simple sand/file it to your desired shape/height and notch it for the number of strings you intend to use. The bridge piece also is not finished and can be lightly sanded on the edges if desired (be careful not to sand the surface of the coins though, as it will scratch them).

The bridge base plate is 4 1/8" long by 1 1/4" wide by ~1/8" thick. The saddle piece is 2" long by 3/8" tall. When inserted into the slot in the bridge, the total height of the saddle from the surface of the instrument is approximately 3/8", but you can of course file this down as desired. Once you have the saddle shaped as desired, we recommend gluing it into the slot in the bridge.

=Please note: We do not overly polish or buff the coins that we mount into these pieces, prefering to leave them in their natural state of coloration and patina from years of circulation. If you prefer a shinier finish, you can always use some extra-fine steel wool to buff them up a bit.