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| Issuer | General Committee for the Portsmouth, Ohio Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Northwest Territory |
|---|---|
| Year | 1937-1938 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 106.5 x 62.6 mm |
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| Obverse lettering | 150TH ANNIVERSARY 1787-8 NORTHWEST TERRITORY 1937-8 CELEBRATION PORTSMOUTH OHIO OCTOBER 2-6 1938 ONE WOODEN NICKEL ISSUED AT PORTSMOUTH, OHIO, 1938 IN CELEBRATION OF 150 YEARS OF PROGRESS |
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| Reverse lettering | THIS TOKEN IS ISSUED BY THE GENERAL COMMITTEE FOR THE PORTSMOUTH, OHIO, CELEBRATION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY AND IS REDEEMABLE AT ITS FACE VALUE OF ONE NICKEL IN COIN OF THE UNITED STATES IF PRE- SENTED FOR REDEMPTION ON OR BEFORE 12 NOON SAT., OCT. 1ST, 1938 AT THE GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUILDING, PORTSMOUTH, OHIO R. F. Fletcher L. M. Strickland General Chairman Secretary ONE WOODEN NICKEL |
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| Comments |
Wooden nickels issued as commemorative scrip were a Depression-era phenomenon, produced by local merchants and civic committees to keep money circulating within struggling communities. This example commemorates the sesquicentennial of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the legislation that established the framework for governance and eventual statehood of the territory that would become Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Portsmouth, sitting on the Ohio River, had direct reason to claim that history — the town itself grew from the territorial period.
Fletcher and Strickland signed as committee officers, not as bank officials. These pieces had no legal tender status and circulated purely on local goodwill, typically redeemable at participating merchants during the celebration window.