Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Cent - Gold Star Food & Liquor Chicago, Illinois
| Issuer | Gold Star Food & Liquor |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 90 x 63 mm |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Yellow paper with ornate letterpress border of interlocking scrollwork and fan guilloche corners, each bearing the denomination numeral '1c'. A circular vignette at left shows scales of justice; a faint oval underprint at centre depicts a standing figure. Denomination and issuer legend printed in bold serif type across the centre field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain yellow paper with a fine crosshatch underprint pattern visible across the entire surface, printed without any additional text or vignette. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
A trade token in paper form rather than metal — Gold Star Food & Liquor issued fractional cent notes for in-store change-making, a practice that persisted in certain Chicago neighborhood grocers and liquor retailers well into the mid-twentieth century when small coin shortages or simply the cost of handling pennies made paper scrip a practical alternative. The issuer is a local establishment, not a banking concern, which places this squarely in the category of merchant scrip rather than emergency currency.
Provenance matters here more than condition. Without a date, value hinges almost entirely on whether the issuing store can be traced to a specific address and period of operation.