25 Cents Texas Dept. of Corrections

The Texas Department of Corrections operated its own internal scrip system for use within the prison commissary network — a common practice among large American penal institutions through much of the twentieth century. Inmates could not hold federal currency, so scrip denominations like this 25-cent piece served as the medium for approved purchases. The yellow paper was a deliberate security measure, making the scrip immediately distinguishable from official U.S. currency and harder to pass outside the facility.