Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees

Almost everyone has heard the adage “money doesn’t grow on trees.” It seems like it has been passed down from generation to generation forever. There is great wisdom in the reprimand behind it. We should all be cautious about the way we spend our hard-earned money.

At the same time, there is a reverse side to the admonishment that is accurate from a numismatic point of view. Several related collector items have been made from wood and deserve a special place in our hobby. They may need a new name that doesn’t suggest they began life as a simple tree, and we should welcome them into our world of numismatic collectibles.  

Good on Paper

I like to think of them as “timber treasures” or “forest friends.” But kidding aside, many of our favorite collectibles are made from wood or wooden by-products. In the broadest sense, paper is often made from macerated tree pulp, and thus, many of our books, stamps, and paper money items should be recognized as having a woodsy origin. It is vitally important to realize this when storing and handling them.  

The original concept of using natural resources for what we today call paper products likely began centuries ago in China, where paper was used for writing, printed materials, and various other practical purposes. Ancient Egyptians used marsh-reed papyrus similarly, and today, the paper manufacturing industry provides us with a vast array of plant-based specialty products catering to our many needs. 

Since the advent of the printing press in the 16th century, most low-cost books have been printed on paper made from either wood pulp or rag linen. More costly items were sometimes made of parchment or animal hide, but because of their stability, storing and handling those are usually not a problem for collectors. 

What concerns numismatists is that wood-based paper products eventually dry out and crumble with age. Linen-based paper is far superior and has a much longer shelf life. This is especially noticeable when comparing 18th-century Continental Currency made from linen with inexpensive wood-based private bank notes of the mid-19th century. Proper handling of all these items is essential for preserving them in today’s often unstable environment. Exposure to some kinds of light can be detrimental, and collectors should take care to keep those items away from bright light for any longer than necessary. Exposure to sunlight can be especially dangerous.

All valuable paper products should be handled with care. This especially applies to rare books, which can be severely damaged unless carefully opened with cloth-gloved hands. Small, flat paper documents and paper money should be stored in archive-quality holders. Polyethylene terephthalate-based Mylar and Mylar-D plastics are considered the most reliable for paper money. I recommend that you avoid vinyl products, which decompose with time.

Non-Paper Collectibles

Of course, books and paper money are not the only wood-based items that appeal to collectors. Many coins, tokens, chits, checks, and medals have been made from wood throughout the ages. It is an exciting challenge to hunt for them among the specialized dealer inventories that can often be found at coin shows. 

Several attractive commemorative medals have been made of compressed wood and are among the most sought-after wooden collectibles. Tally sticks, often made from strips of wood, are also highly desirable, especially those used in medieval England as a pledge of money to be paid to the royal treasury. Many of these were sometimes used in secondary transactions as promissory notes. 

The most common wooden collectibles are the ubiquitous wooden nickels, which abound in every shape and form, from the early “flats” of the 1930s to the round dollar-size pieces seen so frequently today. One of my favorites was issued in 1952 on the anniversary of the so-called “tree” coins of New England. 

So, money might not grow on trees, but trees are essential to the creation of many collectibles that hobbyists love.