2008 Woodie Awards
Taking a wooden nickel
Alyssa Cashman - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 1/22/08 Section: Metro
"Doctor Alphabet," wooden nickels, and mile-long poems may seem like things out of a children's novel, but all are part of Iowa City resident Dave Morice's reality.
And he'll be the first to admit his idea of entertainment is unique.
"I have a funny taste of what is fun," joked 61-year-old Morice in the disheveled back room of Uptown Bill's Small Mall.
His most recent project is selling wooden nickels on eBay. Costing upwards of $200 for one, these are no ordinary coins.
Dubbed the Wooden Nickel Art Project, Morice sent out roughly 2,000 wooden nickels to movie stars and comedians, artists, and authors. From 1987 to 1990, roughly 400 of the coins were returned with a drawing or phrase on one side, and the celebrity's signature on the back.
One of the coins that will go up for auction on Wednesday is a nickel designed by author and former Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty member Kurt Vonnegut. Priced at $199, it is the most popular of the coins on sale.
The idea came to Morice while watching "M*A*S*H" one night in 1987.
Picking up a wooden nickel, he carved a picture of his then-wife's face on the surface.
"I thought, 'This is fun, but I might get bored,' " he said. "Maybe other people will think this is fun."
Sending out only 15 at first, he received five back, including one from Dr. Seuss, his favorite nickel to date. Adorned with a sketch of the cat in the hat, it holds a special place in Morice's heart because of, in part, his own experiences with children's literature.
Over the next four years, he continued to send out nickels. From Steve Martin and Robin Williams to Ringo Starr and George H.W. Bush, coins poured in from around the world.
The collection has been displayed around Iowa City, and Morice would like a museum to pick it up.
Before turning to eBay, he tried auction houses Sotheby's and Christie's. The "stuffy people" were uninterested, much to Morice's chagrin.
"This is a collection of art; it's not just a hobby like some people may think," he insisted.
And he'll be the first to admit his idea of entertainment is unique.
"I have a funny taste of what is fun," joked 61-year-old Morice in the disheveled back room of Uptown Bill's Small Mall.
His most recent project is selling wooden nickels on eBay. Costing upwards of $200 for one, these are no ordinary coins.
Dubbed the Wooden Nickel Art Project, Morice sent out roughly 2,000 wooden nickels to movie stars and comedians, artists, and authors. From 1987 to 1990, roughly 400 of the coins were returned with a drawing or phrase on one side, and the celebrity's signature on the back.
One of the coins that will go up for auction on Wednesday is a nickel designed by author and former Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty member Kurt Vonnegut. Priced at $199, it is the most popular of the coins on sale.
The idea came to Morice while watching "M*A*S*H" one night in 1987.
Picking up a wooden nickel, he carved a picture of his then-wife's face on the surface.
"I thought, 'This is fun, but I might get bored,' " he said. "Maybe other people will think this is fun."
Sending out only 15 at first, he received five back, including one from Dr. Seuss, his favorite nickel to date. Adorned with a sketch of the cat in the hat, it holds a special place in Morice's heart because of, in part, his own experiences with children's literature.
Over the next four years, he continued to send out nickels. From Steve Martin and Robin Williams to Ringo Starr and George H.W. Bush, coins poured in from around the world.
The collection has been displayed around Iowa City, and Morice would like a museum to pick it up.
Before turning to eBay, he tried auction houses Sotheby's and Christie's. The "stuffy people" were uninterested, much to Morice's chagrin.
"This is a collection of art; it's not just a hobby like some people may think," he insisted.
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