1953

UNITED STATES: SET of Depression Script "myrtlewood money"

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1,700.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD
UNITED STATES: SET of Depression Script  myrtlewood money
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This item SOLD at 2021 Jan 22 @ 21:29UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
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UNITED STATES:SET of Depression Script "myrtlewood money" from North Bend, Oregon. A complete set of both series plus additional obverse examples. The set includes First Series: 50 cents, 1, 2½, 5, 10 dollars, all redeemable June 15 to July 15, 1933, and the Second Series: 25, 50 cents, 1, 5, 10 dollars, all redeemable December 1, 1933. Each issued on round 4mm thick myrtlewood (Umbellularia californica) planchets and after they were pressed, they were covered in a clear veneer. This is only one of a very few complete sets, retail value $3000, set of 12 pieces, RRR. Depression scrip was used during the depression era of the 1930 's as a substitute for government issued currency. Because of temporary bank closures and the lack of physical money, other forms of currency to keep the economy going were devised. Therefore the old idea of local currency was reborn. Paper, cardboard, wood, metal tokens, leather, clam shells and even parchment made from fish skin was used. At one point, the U.S. Government considered issuing a nationwide scrip on a temporary basis. But that idea was quickly shot down by the Secretary of the Treasury William H. Woodin. Instead, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing was tasked with increasing their printing of new Federal Reserve notes. In 1933, with its only bank closed and the country in the midst of the Great Depression, the Oregon shipbuilding and timber city of North Bend turned to a local resource to keep its economy afloat. On March 10, 1933, fifty-nine days after the First National Bank of North Bend closed its doors, the city announced a plan: North Bend would issue its own currency. The city planned to print $1,000 worth of its own scrip to help stimulate the flow of commerce. The city chose a design and began work on issuing the first set of coins. Pressed on 1/4 inch-thick discs of myrtlewood in various diameters, the city 's new coins came in a variety of denominations. Then-mayor Edgar McDaniel, who also served as editor of The Coos Bay Harbor, oversaw the printing of the coins on the paper 's presses and their distribution to the public. The local newspaper advertised that it was good money and listed all the stores, people and the services in North Bend that would accept the new currency. City employees and contractors were paid with myrtlewood money, and they, in turn, spent it on goods and services throughout the community. Demand for the local coins was high and soon, the city decided to issue a second pressing of coins. While the coins proved useful in keeping the economy moving, they also were gaining a reputation far and wide for their beauty. The rarity of the wood made counterfeiting the coins difficult, and collectors appreciated the attractiveness of the design. These are published in the "Standard Catalog of Depression Scrip of the United States" by Ralph A. Mitchell and Neil Shafer.