wooden nickel
Fake currency souvenir
A wooden nickel is a worthless token or counterfeit, originally a novelty item made of wood in place of a real coin.
The phrase survives mainly in the warning Don't take any wooden nickels—folksy advice to be careful and avoid getting cheated, typically said as a parting farewell rather than literal caution about currency.
Fraudulent imitation
- fakeNot the real thing
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
sham · bogus · phony · forgery · deceit · trickery · charlatan · con
Having no worth
- trivialLacking significance or weight
- insignificantLacking importance or consequence
- meaninglessLacking significance or purpose
- pointlessLacking any purpose
useless · inconsequential · negligible · paltry · nominal · trifling · unimportant · worthless
Study of currency
- tokenRepresentative placeholder
- souvenirToken from a trip
- memorabiliaCollected items of significance
- keepsakeItem preserved for sentiment
memento · curio · antique · vintage · ephemera · relic · artifact · novelty
Old valued collectible
- bygoneOf earlier times
- datedOld-fashioned or courted
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- relicPreserved ancient object
vintage · archaic · defunct · old-fashioned · quaint · anachronism · historical · curiosity
Disposition toward doubt
- warinessCautious distrust
- cautionCareful attention to risk
- distrustAbsence of confidence
- vigilanceState of keen awareness
prudence · circumspection · alertness · heedfulness · guarded · watchful · wary · careful
Related to marketing efforts
- giveawayFree item or betraying clue
- souvenirToken from a trip
- gag giftHumorous present, not serious
- tchotchkeSmall decorative trifle
trinket · knickknack · keepsake · commemorate · publicity · advertising · chamber of commerce · tourist
counterfeit
Fraudulent imitation
hoax · sham · bogus · phony · forgery · deceit · trickery · charlatan · con · hoodwink
valueless
Having no worth
- trivialLacking significance or weight
- insignificantLacking importance or consequence
- meaninglessLacking significance or purpose
pointless · useless · inconsequential · negligible · paltry · nominal · trifling · unimportant · worthless · two cents
numismatics
Study of currency
- tokenRepresentative placeholder
- souvenirToken from a trip
- memorabiliaCollected items of significance
keepsake · memento · curio · antique · vintage · ephemera · relic · artifact · novelty · Americana
antique
Old valued collectible
relic · vintage · archaic · defunct · old-fashioned · quaint · anachronism · historical · curiosity · forgotten
skepticism
Disposition toward doubt
vigilance · prudence · circumspection · alertness · heedfulness · guarded · watchful · wary · careful · mindful
promotional
Related to marketing efforts
tchotchke · trinket · knickknack · keepsake · commemorate · publicity · advertising · chamber of commerce · tourist · roadside
- worthless thingsnot worth a dime, not worth a hill of beans, dime a dozen, two-bit, good for nothing
- collectible tokenschallenge coins, arcade token, transit token, subway token, challenge coin
- tokenstoken, tokens, arcade tokens, arcade token, transit token
wooden nickellegal tender
Officially recognized payment medium
real money · hard currency · gold standard · cold hard cash · real McCoy
wooden nickelgold coin
Currency of precious metal
gold · sure thing · treasure · precious metal · valuable
wooden, nickel, wood, woodenly, woodenness, nick, nickels, nickeled, woods