This is the third year Hobo Santa and I attended the FUN Show at Orlando, Florida.  It was a cornucopia room full of coins and money of all sorts for sale.

We were interested in the OHNS (Original Hobo Nickel Society) auction held on Saturday and visiting with folks in the OHNS booth.  This year at the coin show people were confused hearing railroad locomotives sounds very near.  If you listened at the locomotive sounds and followed the whooooo you would eventually end up at the booth of OHNS.  The engineer of the CD playing of train sounds was Don "H20" Haley.  He played the CD over and over
until fellow Bo's were about to throw him off the train however in this case take away his CD and CD player.

The auction had 101 lots for sale plus some not listed in the catalogue.  Lot 49 a donation by master carver Steve Adams caught my eye.  Comments from Bill Fivaz and Steve Alpert coin examiners were:  "This is about as unique a lot as we have had", an engraved real railroad spike (engraved on three sides), with a hobo nickel embedded in the top flange.  The scroll work on the hard steel spike is extraordinary.  It is very well executed in all respects and is signed "SA" on the shoulder by master carver Steve Adams. 

I collect railroad spikes.  I have a spike I found near the tracks of the old Illinois Central tracks in Vaughn, Mississippi at the spot where the famous engineer Casey Jones was killed in a terrible train wreck.   I know
it isn't from his time but it is from the spot.    Other items in my collection are a railroad spike whistle and a door knocker made by Ohio Tom; a gold railroad spike given to me when I was crowned 2003 National Hobo Queen; and a small spike pin I wear on my Hobo Vest that I bought at the Hobo Gathering in Derry, PA to remind me of hobos and railroad workers.  The moniker of the 2003 National Hobo King and a good friend is Hobo Spike.

Did you know a "golden spike" is the last, ceremonial spike driven specifically to mark the completion of a railroad line.  The practice originated with the First Transcontinental Railroad, when Leland Stanford officially joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah.

On May 10, 2006 on the anniversary of the driving of the spike, Utah announced that its state quarter design would be a depiction of the driving of the spike.  The Golden Spike design was the conception of Mr. Scott Price's Syracuse (Utah) Junior High special education students.  The design was selected as the winner from among several others by Utah's governor, Jon Huntsman, Jr. following a period during which Utah residents voted and
commented on their favorite of three finalists.

    A special friend, Larry Penn, who is a musician and poet, wrote a great poem about a spike.  The poem is copyright 1986 by Larry Penn & 1987 Cookie Man Music Co.  He gave me permission to use his poem only in my story.