20 Kilograms - Nitrogen Fertilizer Stamps Gao'an County, Jiangxi

China's fertilizer rationing system persisted well into the reform era, and county-level governments retained authority to issue commodity stamps for agricultural inputs long after most consumer goods had been decontrolled. This stamp authorized the bearer to purchase 20 kilograms of nitrogen fertilizer — urea or ammonium bicarbonate being the typical controlled forms — at the state-subsidized price rather than the significantly higher free-market rate that had emerged by 1991.

Gao'an, a county-level city in northern Jiangxi known for paddy cultivation, would have distributed these through its agricultural supply cooperatives ahead of planting season. Timing was everything — unused stamps from the wrong quarter were generally voided.