1 Cent - Food Stamp Credit Food Town

Food Town was a regional American supermarket chain, and these in-store food stamp credit tokens — issued in paper form — circulated as change-making instruments within the federal food stamp program. Federal food stamps were issued in whole-dollar denominations, which meant retailers were legally required to provide change in cash or equivalent scrip for purchases that came in under a dollar. These small paper pieces filled that gap.

The obligation to issue fractional change scrip was eventually eliminated by federal rule changes in the 1990s, which ended the practical need for this class of item entirely.