Rationing of processed foods started march 1st, 1943. To assist with rationing, ration books were introduced on 15 july 1918 for butter, margarine, lard, meat and sugar. War rationing 19401949 fashion history movies music. The first ration book was introduced in the us in 1942, with people receiving their first one on may 4 th the same year. To conserve rubber and gasoline, a countrywide speed limit of 35miles per hour was implemented. They were charged with acting as an agent of the ration administration, wartime prices and trade board, under carefully defined regulations. The book was issued to roland otto mueller of falls city, texas on may 4, 1942.
But dont sell it untill you get a good idea of the prices people are getting for that kind of thing. The sale of sugar ended countrywide in april 1942, which resumed on may 5 but each person was entitled to receive only 0. Sugar, the first item rationed nationwide in may 1942, started the process, followed by coffee. To get your classification and ration stamps, you had to certify to a local board. Green stamps will be replacing blue stamps in new ration book 3. War ration book one ration coupons on the home front. Sugar rationing created an additional concern for women who canned. World war ii home front ration book four 1942 1945. If you didnt use all of one kind of your stamps, you would trade them to someone else for a stamp you could use. War ration books and tokens were issued to each american family, dictating how. The back reads never buy rationed goods whitout ration stamps never pay more than the legal price. It will limit their purchases of sugar beginnning around the middle of march to 12 ounces per individual per week.
Pictures, scans, text of war ration book one, two, three, four issued between 1942 and 1945 by office of price administration, local board 181920, caddo parish, louisiana. No sugar could legally be bought without stamps, and sugar rationing would continue until supplies returned to normal in 1947. Price new from used from paperback, 1942 please retry. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. The coupons, smaller than postage stamps, were for staples like sugar, gas, coffee and milk. Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Jan 31, 2011 to discourage hoarding, each family had to report how much sugar they had in stock over a certain amount and the corresponding number of stamps was removed from the book.
Sep, 2017 elaine norwich showing bushel of beans she just picked. Ration book four was printed in red, blue and green. Jan 14, 20 to prevent hoarding and skyrocketing prices, the office of price administration issued 123 million copies of war ration book one, which contained stamps that could be used to purchase sugar. The used ration coupons became the responsibility of banks across canada. World war two ration stamp points release dates living like. The front cover of the war rations book is featured on the picture above. Food rationing and canning in world war ii national womens. The ration book bore the recipients name and could only be used by household members.
May 22, 2006 to a collector it would be worth a great deal. The countrys entrance into the war meant many changes on the home front. See more ideas about wwii, world war and ww2 posters. It still cost money, but you couldnt even buy it unless you had stamps. The paper stubs, or stamps, in each ration book purchased rationed consumer goods and foods. World war two collection and one other and was provided by arlington historical societys fielder house museum to the portal to texas history, a digital repository hosted by the unt libraries. Several photographs of the paperwork needed to obtain food and gas are displayed here.
Included is an eight cent stamp depicting a mail delivery driver with holes along the right edge, a postcard with two russian stamps, and a bicentennial of the day of freedom july 4 76 cover in a vinyl storage case with four thirteen cent stamps marked july 4, 1776. On january 30 th of that year, president franklin delano. Jul 10, 2015 the above photo are blue ration stamps from a real war ration book number two. Ration books were very valuable and had to be presented to the grocery clerk. The first stamps in war ration book one will be used for the purchase of sugar. Elaine norwich showing bushel of beans she just picked. On may 5, 1942, each person in the united states received a copy of war ration book one, good for a 56week supply of sugar. Chief among these alterations was the introduction of food rationing in 1942.
Under the food rationing system, everyone, including men, women, and children, was issued their own ration books. When entering the hospital for greater than ten days, the ration book had to be brought along. Initially used to ration sugar, coupons were later designated for other products. A person could not buy a rationed item without also giving the grocer the right ration stamp. World war ii sacrifices on the home front in houston county, texas. Coffee was rationed in the first place because of war in the atlantic. There are many forms of rationing, and in western civilization people experience some of them in daily life without. Food rationing begins nationwide the national wwii museum blog. Wwii ration books utilised a system that ensured that everyone had equal amounts of food, clothes and provisions and were an integral part of the war effort in. I do not know anything else about this young man, or what became of him. Wwii ration books are items of historic ephemera dating from the second world war. Red and blue stamps have been from ration book number two.
Ration book two contained red and blue stamps, numbered az, each with different ration point designations. World war ii rationing stamps program, 19431946 overview of the collection title world war ii rationing stamps program dates 19431946 inclusive 1943 1946 quantity 1 box. World war two ration book what did ration books look like. Food rationing and canning in world war ii national.
War ration books ww2 1942 large lot mileage sugar more 7a. The inside cover lists names and addresses of retailers. March 1, 1942 food rationing begins nationwide the. Rationed foods were categorized as either needing red or blue points. The ration stamps allowed you to purchase a certain amount of each commodity per person in your household. Farmers must win the battle of the land with the machinery they already have. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is ones allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time. Ration books on may 5, 1942, each person in the united states received a copy of war ration book one, good for a 56week supply of sugar. Ration book four also introduced red and blue cardboard tokens, each valued at onepoint, to be used as change for ration coupon purchases. War ration book one ration coupons on the home front, 1942. Holders like these would help protect the book and its stamps.
The events on december 7, 1941 catapulted the united states into world war ii. Stamp 16 was for sugar the book was nicknamed the sugar book but, to my. Sugar was the first food to be rationed, as the war with japan caused our nations supply of sugar to quickly be reduced by more than a third. World war ii memorabilia memoriabilia and collectibles from world war ii, including helmets and other field gear, medals and ribbons, patches, and more. During the war each person received a ration stamp booklet. If the book was lost, stolen, or destroyed, an application had to be submitted to the ration board for a new copy. When this book was issued, the registrar aasked you, or the person who applied for your book, how much sugar you owned on that date. If you have any complaints, questions, or difficulties regarding your war ration book, consult your local ration board.
At the bottom it reads when you have used your ration, salvage the tin cans and waste fats. Without the stamps you will be unable to purchase these goods. Home page ration book search why war ration book no. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. The front cover has been left blank, so it can be filled in by the new owner. Each stamp was illustrated with a military symbol such as a naval ship, airplane, tank, gun, horn of plenty or torch of liberty, adding a patriotic flair. World war ii ration book three stamps these are the world war ii ration stamp books of young william walton smith jr. First, uniform stamp rationing constituted stamps for a stated equal quantity of a. Unfollow world war 2 ration books to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Use these books to illustrate how ration books worked. Each stamp was worth 1 lb of sugar and was given a designed two week period during.
To discourage hoarding, each family had to report how much sugar they had in stock over a certain amount and the corresponding number of stamps was removed from the book. The office of price administration issued 123 million copies of war ration book one, which contained stamps that could be used to purchase sugar. Wwii us war rations books and stamps this page describes the way in which resources such as gas and sugar were rationed and distributed to the civilian population in the united states during wwii. Permission to publish material from the world war ii rationing stamps program must be obtained from the special collections manuscript curator andor the special collections department head. The red stamps were for canned fruits and vegetables. World war two ration book replica wwii teaching aids. Rationing the encyclopedia of oklahoma history and culture. Once a persons ration stamps were used up for a month, she couldnt buy any more of that type. Wwii war ration coupons gas, sugar, tokens huge lot.
All car owners received a letter windshield stickers and a gas ration coupon booklet. Ration coupons on the home front, 19421945 83 about the digital collection the world war ii ration coupon collection consists of ration coupons, stickers and certificates for tires, bicycles, typewriters, sugar, shoes, fuel oil, gasoline, and food which were issued by the office of price administration from 19421945. Food rationing appeared in poland after the first world war, and ration stamps were in use until the end of the polishsoviet war. Life resumed as normal and the consumption of meat, butter, and sugar inevitably rose. The typical car owner received an a gas ration coupon booklet, allowed 150 miles of driving per month and only 3 gallons per week, but if someones job required them to drive further then the a book allowed them they would be eligible for the b gas ration coupon booklet.
Items similar to vintage sugar poster print digitally remastered world war i. This was almost half of the national consumption at that time. The first consumer commodity item to be rationed in the us was sugar. Food is a weapon the rationing of goods in us during wwii.
Individuals used these books daily to purchase rationed goods such as sugar, butter, beefsteak, and gas. On june 28, 1942, each stamp became good for two pounds of sugar over a fourweek period. Ration stamps were widely used during world war ii by both sides after hostilities caused interruption to the normal supply of goods. While americans still live with some of the results of world war ii, rationing has not returned. In 1942 rationing had started for sugar, gasoline and other goods. Note the first stamps in war ration book one will be used for the purchase of sugar. This ration book belonged to luella runck of oxford, indiana. See more ideas about ration stamp, stamp, ration card. Jul 11, 2016 the ration books contained removable stamps good for certain rationed items, like sugar, meat, cooking oil, and canned goods. Mar 23, 2007 ration books became a way of life for everyone at home during world war ii. Ration coupons on the home front, 19421945 83 about the digital collection the world war ii ration coupon collection consists of ration coupons, stickers and certificates for tires, bicycles, typewriters, sugar, shoes, fuel oil, gasoline, and food which were issued by.
The red stamps were for butter, margarine, meats, cheese, fats, and canned fish. Vintage wwii ww2 world war ration book stamps sugar flyer. Ration coupons on the home front, 19421945 digital. Of the 180,000,000 printed, 123,000,000 were issued. The ration books contained removable stamps good for certain rationed items, like sugar, meat, cooking oil, and canned goods. If you had any sugar, you were allowed to keep it, but stamps representing this quantity were town from your book except for a small. Stamps had to be torn off in the presence of the grocer. Names were put on the coupon books and the stamps had to be tom out in the. Every american was issued a series of ration books during the war. During the war, average calories intake decreased only three percent, but protein intake six percent. Once a persons ration stamps were used up for a month, she couldnt buy any more of that type of food. Four different ration books were issued during wwii. The stamps were used to buy sugar, coffee, flour, meat, etc.
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