1 wooden nickel 150th anniversary of the Northwest Territory, 1787-8 to 1937-8

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.