1 Cent - Food Stamp Scrip Tops All Thriftway

Food stamp scrip was a pragmatic workaround to a real problem: U.S. federal food stamp coupons were issued only in whole-dollar denominations, leaving cashiers unable to make change in kind. Retailers in the Pacific Northwest — and elsewhere — began issuing their own fractional cent scrip during the 1960s and 1970s so that customers could spend their full coupon value without forfeiting the remainder to the store. Tops All Thriftway was one of several Oregon grocery chains that participated in this informal but widespread practice.

The embossed seal is the only security feature, which tells you everything about the threat model: the concern was casual counterfeiting at the checkout line, not organized fraud.