A sign at Tenino Coffee Bistro in Washington state announces the shop accepts the city's wooden money, created to help businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The money is being given as a grant to locals who demonstrate they have been economically harmed by the pandemic. Media attention piqued the curiosity of investors, and over the years the wooden currency became a collector's item sold on eBay and Amazon. The US Treasury declined to comment on its position regarding local currencies. Advocates of local currencies also see them as a bulwark against unbridled globalization.

Source: Standard Digital July 12, 2020 07:30 UTC