The Lobster Boy – 1 AVDP Oz .999 Fine Copper Round | Famous Circus Sideshow Acts Series
Description:
A compelling tribute to one of the most recognizable and enduring figures of the American sideshow, The Lobster Boy continues the Famous Circus Sideshow Acts Series—a collection honoring performers whose physical differences became symbols of resilience, identity, and spectacle during the golden age of the traveling circus.
The obverse features a finely engraved portrait of the Lobster Boy seated in a relaxed yet confident pose, his distinctive hands rendered with careful detail and restraint. The design avoids sensationalism, instead emphasizing personality, presence, and humanity. Executed in classic intaglio style, the engraving captures the balance between curiosity and dignity that defined the presentation of sideshow performers at the turn of the 20th century.
The reverse bears the ornate Famous Circus Sideshow Acts common series design: a grand carnival marquee framed by intricate scrollwork and radiating lines inspired by vintage circus tents, lithographed posters, and midway banners. The consistent reverse unifies the collection while reinforcing its authentic period aesthetic.
Struck in one avoirdupois ounce of .999 fine copper with a Brilliant Uncirculated finish, this round preserves the legacy of a performer whose story remains central to the history of sideshow entertainment.
About the Act: The Lobster Boy
The Lobster Boy was a classic sideshow attraction, most famously represented by Grady Stiles Jr., who was born with ectrodactyly—a rare genetic condition that caused his hands and feet to form claw-like shapes. Marketed under the moniker “Lobster Boy,” he became a fixture of American carnivals and traveling shows throughout the 20th century.
Often born into multigenerational sideshow families, performers like the Lobster Boy inherited both the condition and the profession, navigating lives shaped by public fascination and private struggle. While the act was promoted as a physical curiosity, it also reflected the limited opportunities available to individuals with visible differences during the era.
Today, the Lobster Boy stands as one of the most iconic—and complex—figures of sideshow history, representing both the allure and the contradictions of a bygone form of entertainment.
Specifications:
- Series: Famous Circus Sideshow Acts
- Composition: .999 Fine Copper
- Weight: 1 AVDP Ounce
- Diameter: 39mm
- Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated
- Edge: Plain
- Mint: Intaglio Mint
- Made in the USA
