25 Cents - Food Stamp Credit Tops All Foods

Tops All Foods was a regional American supermarket chain that issued proprietary food stamp scrip — a practice that existed in the gap between federal food assistance programs and store-level redemption mechanics. These retailer-issued fractional credits were used to return change on food stamp transactions, since federal stamps came in fixed denominations and cash change from a food stamp purchase was prohibited under USDA regulations.

The square format is the distinguishing physical fact here — 69 x 69 mm is an unusual choice that almost certainly served as a deliberate anti-counterfeiting measure, differentiating the scrip from any standard rectangular currency.