(WVLT) - A city in Washington, like many, was hit hard by the economic shutdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Tenino, a city of 1,800, its government is doing what it can to help folks, but not with a check. They’re printing money on wood.
CBS News reports that the town is printing $10,000 worth on thin sheets of wood that can only be spent in the city. While it may seem strange, this is not the first time that Tenino has done it. The city issued wooden currency back in 1931, during the great depression on an 1890 Chandler & Price platen press. The city is using the same press to print money today.
Loren Ackerman, the president of the Tenino Depot Museum, is the only person in town who knows how to operate the machine.
You might be wondering, is the practice totally legal?
“We think so,” said Wayne Fournier, a firefighter and Tenino’s mayor. “They haven’t called us yet! Maybe after this story, they’ll give us a call and let us know we should stop.”
When the idea to print wood came up, Fournier said he had to do some research. “I started by googling what money is, it just started out as simple as that,” he laughed. “What the concept is, what currency is, what fiat currency is, trying to understand those things and wrap my mind around ‘em, You know, all the information’s out there on the internet.”
Tenino’s wooden money has drawn attention from all corners of the globe, but it’s not a joke or publicity stunt for its people like Laurie Mahlenbrei.
"It's been a godsend, you know?" she said. "I mean, I could buy things that I couldn't buy because, like I said, I was scrapping for any kind of work I could get. I was barely being able to buy food."
CBS reported that businesses in town redeem the bills with City Hall for regular cash. Each bill is numbered, signed and features a rough Latin translation of the phrase “We’ve got this handled.”
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July 21, 2020 at 08:01AM
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City in Washington printing its own money on wood - WVLT
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