Where does the expression wooden nickels come from?
This phrase fell into use in the 19th century and was addressed to country people venturing into the city. People who were seen as unfamiliar to the town were likely to be cheated and swindled, and wooden nickels were used as a blanket term for this.
What does don’t take any wooden nickels mean in the 1920s?
: : A second source says, the expression means: “Don’t let yourself be cheated or ripped off. Originated in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Money that has no real value is sometimes called ‘wooden’. So the expression ‘Don’t take any wooden nickels’ became the popular equivalent of ‘Don’t be a sucker.
Is a wooden nickel worth anything?
Wooden Nickel Values Most wooden nickels are quite cheap. Sometimes you can buy handfuls of them for only a few dollars. Many are sold today for less than 50 cents each. Older, scarcer wooden nickels can fetch between $1 to $5 each, based on the demand for the piece.
Do wooden nickels exist?
Wooden nickels are novelty coins, now scarce but once abundant, especially in the 1930s, though they may date back as far as the 1880s. They were usually commemorative, so, printed by the people throwing fairs or festivals, or by organizations like banks and boy scout troops, and distributed to the masses.
Who first said Don’t take any wooden nickels?
In the early 20th century, the expression was “don’t take any wooden money,” a phrase that showed up in Sinclair Lewis’ 1922 novel “Babbitt.” By at least 1927, smart, slang-slinging American collegians had modified the proverb to the more familiar version “don’t take any wooden nickels.”
What does the phrase Wooden dollars mean?
Formal. An internal dispute over costs, margins, allocations etc that make no difference whatsoever to the real profits and costs – it’s just an internal departmental spat. The managers sitting above this row comment ‘they are simply arguing over wooden dollars’ – it doesn’t change a thing .
When did they stop making wooden nickels?
How much is a buffalo wooden nickel worth?
Undated Buffalo nickels are worth about ten cents each, but only because people use them for jewelry, shirt buttons, and a variety of other uses. All other types of nickels without dates are only worth face value.
Who invented wooden nickels?
sculptor James Earle Fraser
It featured the head of a Native American on one side and a bison on the other side. The coin was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser.
What are wooden dollars?
When were wooden nickels used?
1930s
Wooden nickels became popular in the 1930s though they may date back as far as the 1880s. During the Great Depression, banks in both Tenino and Blaine Washington issued emergency currency printed on thin shingles of wood due to coin shortages.
Where did the saying Wooden Nickel come from?
Originated in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Money that has no real value is sometimes called ‘wooden’.Probably stories about wooden nutmegs, wooden hams, and wooden pumpkin seeds contributed to the later use of the phrase ‘wooden nickels’ in American or even to the use of ‘wooden rubles’ in Russia.”.
What does never take a wooden nickel mean?
An American adage, “Don’t take any wooden nickels”, is considered a lighthearted reminder to be cautious in one’s dealings. This adage precedes the use of wooden nickels as a replacement currency, suggesting that its origins lie not in the genuine monetary value of nickels, but rather in their purely commemorative nature.
What does don’t take any wooden nickels mean?
don’t take any wooden nickels. Take care and, specifically, try not to get swindled. The phrase is thought to have originated in the early 20th century when country residents visiting the city were considered easily duped.