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⅕ cent Washington Tax Token Scrip Series C
| Issuer | State of Washington Tax Commission |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | ⅕ Cent 1⁄500 USD = EUR 0.0017 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress on yellow-tinted security cardboard with state seal underprint in yellow. Denomination '1/5¢' appears at upper left and right, with centred inscription block detailing redemption terms. Text arranged in horizontal registers across the face. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Printed on tinted security cardboard stock with state seal underprint as anti-counterfeiting measure. |
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| Comments |
Washington's sales tax fractional tokens were a direct consequence of the state's 2% retail sales tax, introduced in 1935. Collecting exact change on small purchases was arithmetically awkward — a 10-cent item generated a 0.2-cent liability — so the Commission authorized scrip in fractional denominations to let retailers make precise change rather than absorbing the rounding loss themselves. The cardboard tokens circulated alongside aluminum and fiber equivalents issued by other states grappling with the same problem.
Series C distinguished itself from earlier issues through the blue security stock. Washington ultimately abandoned the fractional scrip system by the early 1940s as the tax rate and accounting practices evolved.