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1 Cent - Food Stamp Scrip Twin Ports Grocery Co.
| Issuer | Twin Ports Grocery Co. |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1785-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 1c ONE CENT FOOD STAMP CREDIT STORE........................................TPG |
| Reverse description | Plain white reverse showing bleed-through impression of the obverse design in pale yellow-tan. A handwritten pencil inscription identifies the issuer as 'Twin Ports Grocery Co., Superior WI' with a notation 'ph 2', likely a collector's attribution added after issue. |
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| Comments |
Twin Ports Grocery Co. operated in Superior, Wisconsin, the smaller of the two harbor cities straddling the Wisconsin-Minnesota state line — Duluth being the other. Scrip of this type was a private solution to the chronic small-change problem that plagued American retail commerce well into the mid-twentieth century, particularly in working-class industrial towns where cent-denomination transactions were constant but coin supply was unreliable. Grocery scrip specifically was sometimes issued against credit accounts, redeemable only at the issuing store — a quiet mechanism for customer retention as much as a monetary convenience.
The "Food Stamp" designation here almost certainly predates the federal food stamp program; it likely refers to a proprietary loyalty or ration-style coupon system rather than any government program.