Catalog
1 Cent - Safeway Stores Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas
| Issuer | Safeway Stores |
|---|---|
| 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 | 102 × 64 mm |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ONE CENT 1¢ 1¢ FOOD STAMP CREDIT Redeemable Only By Participant of U.S. Govt. Food Stamp Program for Food items on Authorized List … at any-- SAFEWAY STORES In Counties of Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas Approved by U.S.D.A. |
| Reverse description | Plain pink paper reverse with an overall geometric cross-hatch underprint pattern. This example bears a large 'VOID' cancellation stamp in violet ink applied diagonally across the centre of the note. |
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| Comments |
Safeway's regional trade tokens and scrip were issued during the early 1930s Depression-era period when small-denomination coin shortages made change-making a genuine operational problem for chain retailers. This particular scrip — denominated down to a single cent — reflects just how acute that problem was at the retail counter level. Limiting redemption to Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas suggests this was a district-specific issue, likely tied to a regional management structure rather than a national rollout.
Paper cent scrip from this period survives poorly; the denomination made it disposable in the minds of shoppers, and most was either spent immediately or discarded.