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1 Cent - Vern's Oakland, California
| Issuer | Vern's (Oakland, California) |
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| Year | |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Pink paper voucher with a letterpress-printed border of repeated ornamental units along all four edges. The denomination "1¢" appears in large type at upper left and upper right, with "ONE CENT / FOOD STAMP CREDIT" in bold block letters across the upper centre. A dashed rectangular panel in the lower centre carries the store name and address; redemption notices in italic text flank it on each side. |
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Uniformly plain pink paper reverse with no printed design or lettering; obverse text is faintly visible as a bleed-through impression. |
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| Comments |
Vern's was one of hundreds of small American retailers that issued their own fractional paper scrip during the early 1930s, when the Depression-era coin shortage made small change a genuine operational problem. These merchant-issued notes were technically illegal under federal law but were tolerated locally as a practical necessity — enforcement was inconsistent and prosecutions were rare.
Oakland saw a notably high volume of private scrip in circulation between 1932 and 1934, reflecting the city's industrial workforce and the near-collapse of small retail credit during that period.