Catalog
1 Cent - Food Carnival New York, New York
| Issuer | Food Carnival Supermarket |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | White ground enclosed within a full-perimeter decorative interlaced Celtic-knotwork border in dark red. The denomination '1¢' appears in green letterpress at each corner, with the issuer's name 'FOOD CARNIVAL' in large green letters centered within a dotted rectangular frame; flanking text includes the USDA Food Stamp Program redemption clause at left and the designation 'FOOD COUPON CREDIT SLIP' in dark red at right. Header and foot carry the non-cash-redemption notice and restriction legend respectively, both in black letterpress. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Completely blank white paper, unprinted on all surfaces with no design elements, lettering, or security features of any kind. |
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| Comments |
Food Carnival was a small chain of supermarkets operating primarily in New York City's outer boroughs, catering heavily to immigrant communities in neighborhoods where Spanish-language signage was standard. Supermarket scrip of this kind — issued in fractional cent denominations to avoid giving coin change — was a common workaround in American retail during periods when small-denomination coinage was either hoarded or simply inconvenient to handle in high-volume checkout lines.
The legal status of such scrip was perpetually ambiguous under U.S. law, tolerated in practice rather than formally sanctioned.