Ada printed pine-chip money pieces to promote its centennial in 1953.

Here's the idea behind the money as marketed during the centennial:

The idea of the “pine-chip” piece is to promote the Ada community centennial. Several thousand visitors will be here for the celebration, and the hope is that many of them will retain  as souvenirs.

Coin collectors are eager to secure these items, as the issue is limited, and Ada wooden nickels and dimes will become rare in years to come. They also will be interesting replica for future generations here.

August 1953-USE WOODEN MONEY-IT’S GOOD AS GOLD- Don’t allow yourself to be missed concerning the value of Ada’s centennial issue of wooden money. It’s as good as gold. A genuine U.S. nickel is on deposit at local banks to cover every wooden nickel issued.

(From Lee Crouse)