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1 Cent - Consumers Supermarkets Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| Issuer | Consumers Supermarkets |
|---|---|
| Year | 1972-1975 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Cent 0.01 USD = EUR 0.0085 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | White field enclosed by a scalloped guilloche border. The Consumers Supermarkets logo in a dark cartouche occupies the top; the denomination ONE CENT is printed in red letterpress at center. Remaining text details the Food Stamp Program authorization, with series designation SERIES 3-72 at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | THIS CREDIT SLIP MAY BE ACCEPTED ONLY FOR FOOD PURCHASES AS LIMITED AND DEFINED IN THE FOOD STAMP PROGRAM REGULATIONS OF THE U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE CUSTOMER MAY BE REQUIRED TO SHOW HIS FOOD STAMP IDENTIFICATION CARD CONSUMERS SUPERMARKETS |
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| Comments |
Consumers Supermarkets operated a chain of grocery stores in the Milwaukee area and issued these small-denomination paper scrip tokens during the early 1970s as a workaround for the chronic coin shortage that plagued American retail throughout that decade. Rather than round up or absorb fractional change, some regional grocers issued their own redeemable paper cents — valid only at their own registers.
The practice was entirely legal but short-lived. As the U.S. Mint ramped up cent production and the shortage eased by the mid-1970s, the business case for private scrip evaporated. Consumers itself was eventually absorbed into larger regional grocery consolidations, taking the redemption network with it.