1 Cent - State Food Stores Moundsville, West Virginia

Private scrip issued by a grocery or general merchandise retailer operating under the "State Food Stores" name in Moundsville, a Marshall County town on the Ohio River. Small-denomination paper scrip of this type proliferated during the 1930s Depression years when coin shortages and cash-strapped retailers created a parallel small-change economy across Appalachian communities. Whether this piece was redeemable only in-store or accepted more broadly among neighboring merchants is unknown — local scrip networks varied enormously by town and issuer.