Print Your Own Ration Stamps!

[LizzieMaine]

http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/catalog/hfc/browse/

Just the thing for homefront reenactors, a treasure trove of full-size high-resolution scans of wartime ration stamps, books, and other OPA documents. Just print them out on heavy stock, fill in the appropriate information, and you're all set to stand in line at the grocer. Or print up a bunch, and perfect that local black-marketer impression!

Or just browse -- fascinating stuff here!

 

[RetroToday]

Great stuff Lizzie, thanks.

We had different ones in Canada, but everything was rationed here too.
I have a few Canadian gasoline ration coupons (green in colour) and meat ration tokens (small flat blue rings).

Haven't found a site about the Canadian ones yet.... will have to search for that now.... maybe even start my own if I get ambitious one day.

 

[Story]

Cool, just the thing to go with a vintage gangster's outfit. One could slither around at dances, selling them on the Q.T.

 

[BigSleep]

Those are cool!
The last time I was in Detroit to see my dad we found three ration books from 1943. One was in my grandmothers name, one was in my grandfathers name, and one was in my dad's name. He was 13 in 1943. the cool thing was that they all still had some stamps in them.

 

[CharlieH.]

Swell stuff! I love to scatter vintage papers around my room for that aid that "inexplicable" time warp sensation.

(Semi - OT: Anyone here have a Hindenburg or world's fair ticket?)

 

[Feraud]

Great stuff Lizzie! Thanks for posting it.

 

[Diamondback]

Charlie, can't do either but I have an old New York Central employee "Gray Pass" and some company letterhead, which I'm looking for a way to scan, digitally restore and create my own paperwork from.

That and chasing a "White Pass"--on NYC, all but the top executives got Gray passes (not good on extra-fare trains like the 20th Century or Empire State Express; the white pass was good on any passenger train on the system aside from still having to pay your Pullman charges.)

 

[CharlieH.]

Now that's an interesting item to carry in your wallet!
Somewhere I have graphics for a Super Chief ticket waiting to be reproduced...

 

[renor27]

what a great find

What a great find, thanks so much for passing on the info .
Going to make up some for a friends 41 art deco Chevy truck.
David

 

[Diamondback]

fftopic:: Actually, the pass was a half-sheet-sized form; each employee was given a certain number of them per given time interval (I don't know it it was yearly, half-yearly or quarterly) for his/her entire family--it wasn't anything like a company ID--but most railroads would honor each other's employee passes.

I'm honestly afraid to scan the gray pass I have--it's from the 1910s and I'm afraid too much light will deteriorate/destroy it. Letterhead's from the '30s, but same concern.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

I'm honestly afraid to scan the gray pass I have--it's from the 1910s and I'm afraid too much light will deteriorate/destroy it. Letterhead's from the '30s, but same concern.

How about photographing it? With today's digital cameras, get the lighting right (two sources, one on each side for even lighting) and the pictures will produce very usable reproductions.


Lee

 

[16_sparrows]

Very nice! Thanks for the link.

 

[Diamondback]

How about photographing it? With today's digital cameras, get the lighting right (two sources, one on each side for even lighting) and the pictures will produce very usable reproductions.

Good idea, Lee--if I could find something to brace the digital camera in position without casting any shadows. (Doubt my dinky little mini-tripod would cut it, and with how my hands shake...)

 

[FedoraGent]

These are great!

LM,

I was just saying to Magneto that it would be cool to go on a WWII diet using ration stamps as people were eating better during the war years.

FG.

 

[Rick Blaine]

(Semi - OT: Anyone here have a Hindenburg or world's fair ticket?)

I have an original Graf Zeppelin Crew ID Badge from Lakehurst NJ's naval air station... if you look closely you can see an itty-bitty swastika on the rear tail fin...:rage:

Very cool likn,BTW< the most ration stamps I have seen. THANKS!

 

[Mimi]

That is a great link, thanks!

I'm going to print some and put them in the kitchen mail rack.

 

[dashiell]

NIFTY! Thank you, ma'am!

 

[Fletch]

Funny about rationing

At the ADS of California do at the Presidio last month (pictured somewhere on FL), some gent in chauffeur's livery with a Big Black Cadillac had a class A gas ration sticker.

I thought, "Heck, even my salesman and newspaperman gf's had B rations, which meant they traveled for their work. This gent probably has A 'cause the only gas ration he knows about is A. Chauffeur-having Cadillac-owning 40s folks were big shots, and big shots had to have better connections than that."

Well, I figured I better google for more info, and sure enough, there was a "VIP" class X card - for Members of Congress and presumably high industrialist mucky-mucks as well - but it was gotten rid of due to public outcry.

What a country. Here the rest of the world is under martial law or worse, and we could do that.

The biggest gas ration after X was abolished was T (trucking), then C (essential workers = doctors, police, firefighters, and letter carriers). Presumably Congress had to get along on the 8 gallons a week entitled the B card, along with war workers, pharmacists and other not-quite-essentials.

Class A was "nonessential," and you can bet a chauffeured Cadillac qualified. 3 measly gallons a week of go-juice. And rationing was per household - not per vehicle. The big guzzlers probably never left the garage.

As I said - what a country.

 

[Story]

As I said - what a country.

See my post about Black Market.

Then read this:
http://www.thepeoplenews.com/September05/page18.html


Gas rationing was started by the U.S. government on May 5, 1942. *snip* But he could have also been a very rich man if he would have done business with "Mr. Black." (During World War ll., this is what the "Black Market" was called). People offered Red all kinds of money and other things too, if he would just sell them gas ration stamps. He could have had a dozen girl friends in exchange for the stamps. But nobody could bribe Red no matter how hard they tried. However, he would always help anyone who really needed help. Red Wurst delivered gasoline, fuel, oil, (now called diesel) and coal oil, (now called kerosene) to the farmers and ranchers. He worked long hours as he drove several hundred miles a week.

Found this while noodling around on the topic, as well -
http://antiqueshoppefl.com/archives/rnuhn/rations.htm

Counterfeiting and black market operations remained critical problems. Again evoking patriotism, the government proclaimed: "The first call on the war supply of fuel oil comes from our boys overseas. The black market drains oil away from war industry, making their weapons - which they need for their very lives." Government action aimed at blocking the counterfeiters was both devious and complicated. The paper used for printing ration coupons and tokens was manufactured at only one mill and had special fibers embedded in it. Each rationing district had its own coloring and numbers as well as special codes. There were also different categories of users, such as farmers and medical doctors.

 

[Story]

From the Carnegie Library -

The Agony of Victory,
a Black Pittsburgh History Recalled.
Private Roosevelt F. Simmons, Saddie Lea Thompson, Corporal Russell Struthers
interviewed by Kenny Roberson.
http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/pennsylvania/ww2/ww211.html

"When we first heard about rationing and ration stamp, we all thought that we Blacks wouldn't get our fair share of ration stamps but that wasn't the problem. There were stamps everywhere just like food stamps you could buy them on the street, or catch a hophead (marijuana smoker)--he would sell you his. People would use them as money, you could pay your rent with then or buy a bottle, or trade them for what you needed. Oh there was a black market in stamps. But sometimes you had stamps but no food, stores were out. We did have a garden, I don't think you can call it a victory garden or not, not like in books. We always grew tomatoes and pole beans anyway so when the war came we just planted a little more. I saw kids collecting pots and pans and stuff but I didn't do any of that. Since my man was gone I had to feed my kids. I talked to Boogey and he said I could count numbers, that's how l helped in the war effort." --Saddie Lea Thompson.