| Author |
 Replies: 8 / Views: 6,624 |
|
|
Press Manager
 United States
1420 Posts |
Each week, CoinWeek, in collaboration with the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, brings you a highlighted feature from the current volume of the E-Sylum eNewsletter.For those who weren't collecting in the 1970s and don't remember these tokens, a little background. From the 1930s onward, food coupons were available to individuals and families whose income was below a certain level. The system is still around today, but the coupons have been replaced by a SNAP card similar to a credit card. The coupons used during the ‘60s through the ‘90s were the same size as and similar to currency, and were probably printed at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (they were shredded along with currency and sold in bags to visitors to the Bureau). The coupons were colorful and well-made and attracted the interest of collectors. However, possession (or collecting) of food stamps by those not registered in the program was illegal. Read the Entire Article
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4409 Posts |
My parents bought the local grocery store in the mid-1990s and I recall seeing people having and using paper food stamp dollars.
As a merchant, my mom had a paper she filled out and sent in to get reimbursed from the government. She did it once a month or so IIRC.
The problem with paper food stamp dollars was you'd get a person that would buy a 3 cent or 5 cent piece of candy and give $1 and get back real change. They would do this enough times and then come in and buy a pack of cigarettes with the change.
Eventually the government realized the fatal flaw and went to the EBT card. Merchants were instructed to send in the paper food stamps by a certain date after which they became non-reedemable.
I have some of these food stamp dollars: a bunch of $1 and a $10. I'm not sure if I have a $5 or not.
-MV
|
|
Valued Member
United States
300 Posts |
I remember handling the paper FS bills as a cashier back in the 90's and wondering if anyone was saving any as a future collectable. These days, people just give someone say $50 worth of food in exchange for $25 cash. I've also seen people buy cases of water, go behind the store, dump out the water and return the bottles for depost.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
589 Posts |
Quote:
I've also seen people buy cases of water, go behind the store, dump out the water and return the bottles for depost. Really? Nickel deposits? That they already "paid"? Compared to the price of water itself, that seems stupid. In the land of 10 cent deposits (not on water, though), the cost of even off-brand soda is too much to warrant such behavior (it would be taking a 2/3 loss, cheapest 12 pack of soda in my area is around 2.50, plus 1.20 deposit, 2/3 loss if you dumped the soda). On topic...I seem to recall reading that paper food stamps might be illegal to sell on the secondary market? I'd personally like a set (they do have serial numbers and a series year and were accepted as cash) |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1391 Posts |
I don't know why people did that but that was a huge problem in California when I was growing up in the 80's. There was a Vons and a Longs Drug Store down the street from the house at a strip mall. People would buy the cans of soda and then dump them for the generous CA deposits. Why? I don't know Groszy, as you said, the soda would be worth more than the deposit. But I guess if people made good decisions then marketing wouldn't work. Some of these local food stamp tokens (for Idaho) came up for sale on ebay a few years ago. I wish I would have bought them knowing how rare they are now. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
On those nickel back deposits you have to remember that the people doing it had paid ZERO for the bottles or cans of drink. So they lost, in their minds, nothing and gained the deposit money. (Why they never thought of selling the drinks to someone else for half price I don't know. That would be illegal but easy to get away with.)
I remember a story awhile back where one sore had a machine you put your empty cans in, it would crush and store them and give you the deposit money. One of these food stamp deposit for cash geniuses bought a shopping cart load of soft drinks with food stamps and went over to the machine and proceeded to load the FULL cans into it. Made a heck of a mess and destroyed the machine (Expensive) and then complained because the now destroyed machine didn't give her deposit back.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4409 Posts |
Quote:
I seem to recall reading that paper food stamps might be illegal to sell on the secondary market? Back when they were obligations of the government it was illegal to buy or sell them however since they have been demonetized it is legal. I see people selling them on ebay. |
|
Valued Member
United States
300 Posts |
Quote:
Really? Nickel deposits? That they already "paid"? "They" didn't pay the deposit, you and I paid it through our taxes. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I too remember those so called food stamps. So many people had methods to use them. My Dad had a business and really didn't need them but somehow always had a lot of them. Being a kid back then, never gave it much thought. I remember at some stores people with entire shopping carts full of food and using those.
|
| |
Replies: 8 / Views: 6,624 |
|
Posted 02/02/2015 2:12 pm
