War ration book two 1942 office of price administration private collection. Feb 12, 2012 last year my mum gave me a ration book that dates back to world war 2, shes a hairdresser and one of her customers, an old lady, learnt that i was interested in history and gave me it. It will limit their purchases of sugar beginnning around the middle of march to 12 ounces per individual per week. Prefix fnfy war ration book fours are harder to find than the suffix books and are. Mileage certificate undated world war ii rationing stamps program, 19431946.
Initially used to ration sugar, coupons were later designated for other products. War ration book five undated mileage ration coupons, undated box1, folder4 containers description dates box folder 1 4 item 1. Office of price administration opa froze prices on practically all everyday goods, starting with sugar and coffee. Coupons and rationing during world war ii dealhack. The work of issuing ration books and exchanging used stamps for certificates was handled by some 5,500 local ration boards of mostly volunteer workers selected by local officials. Learn more about rationing for the war effort during world war ii with. While war ration stamps are not rare, many people find this type of historical memorabilia interesting. Jun 24, 2019 interesting question, since i have some as family heirlooms, meaning they are not for sale. Original ww ii us home front collectibles for sale ebay.
Q i have two objects in my possession that i would like to know more about. In 1942, five months after december 8, 1941 the united states entered the second world war, book one series were issued. Consumers actively traded stamps with each other so they could get the items they wanted. World war ll ration book printable pdf teaching history. World war ii ration books, 194345 collection information biographical sketch scope and content note cataloging information processed by emily castle august 2006 manuscript and visual collections department william henry smith memorial library indiana historical society 450 west ohio street indianapolis, in 462023269.
Here at home during world war ii, americans were required to ration some items to ensure that troops on the front lines would have everything they needed to win the war. Get the best deals on war ration book when you shop the largest online. These little 6x4inch books were printed with tiny stamps representing points, and were a kind of currency with an expiration date. Home page ration book search why war ration book no. The overall condition of the booklet as well as the stamps have the biggest impact on the resale value, with a large number of these available on the market.
Every american was entitled to a series of war ration books filled with stamps that could be used to buy restricted items along with payment, and within weeks of. Now before anybody starts on about respecting gifts, im not selling it, its just every time i look at it i see something extremely valuable, from a historical reference point of view. Blue stamps were good for canned goods such as vegetables and dried fruits. What is the value of war ration book four with stamps inside. When the war ended, many restrictions were ended immediately. They held concerts and sold war bonds to raise money. A look back at the canadian ration coupon books of ww2. Collection consists of ration coupons, stickers, permits, and certificates for tires.
Staining, soiling and other cosmetic damage would detract from the resale value of your wwii era ephemera. What is the value of war ration book four with stamps. As a matter of fact, when a gallup poll on march 5, 1943. I recently inherited my familys world war ii ration books, including paper coupons and coins. Stamps lettered a,b,c were to be used only during mar. Each family member was issued a ration book and the family pooled all the stamps to purchase the items they needed.
Four different series of war ration books were issued. What is the value of world war 2 ration books with all the. Ration books and cards 1 ration book holder containing used ration books and cards war ration book two 5 405721 blank 683938b betty ellen white 683939b eleanor h. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about war ration book. Vintage war ration book holder, war sugar purchase certificate, four copies of ration book 4, war ration stamps, 1940s world war ii items. Ration books, stamps, and tokens an anti hoarding, prorationing poster from the united states in world war ii. World war ii ration coupon collection date 19421946 creator united states. According to exhibit hall, war ration stamps are only worth a few cents each, and entire books generally sell for a few dollars. The war ration stamps are very common and the demand for them in the collectors circle is not very high. An advantage of tokens was that they never expired, while the stamps did. Please do not be deceived by my low feedback score. Note the first stamps in war ration book one will be used for the purchase of sugar.
Some clothing stamps were eventually validated for shoe rationing. War ration book one ration coupons on the home front, 1942. Throughout the 1940s and for nine years after the end of the war every man woman and child in britain owned ration books of coupons for food and clothing. I always recommend that folks educate themselves about the items they own. War ration stamps were a common item, and they are not in high demand as a collectible item, making their value fairly low. According to one website, book 1 with some stamps brings in the highest prices, while books 2 and 3 are more common. Oct 10, 2017 allowances fluctuated throughout the war, but on average one adults weekly ration was 1g bacon and ham about 4 thin slices, one shilling and ten pence worth of meat about 227g minced beef, 57g butter, 57g cheese, 1g margarine, 1g cooking fat, 3 pints of milk, 227g sugar, 57g tea and 1 egg. 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. Jan 11, 20 theres a lot of information on the web about war ration books, which i found fascinating. War ration book no 3 paperback january 1, 1943 see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Rationing was an attempt to keep prices low and to give everyone a chance to get scarce items.
Red stamps were used later when meat, fish and dairy products were added to the rationed foods each person was allowed 48 blue points and 64 red points per month. Each stamp was worth 1 lb of sugar and was given a designed two week period during. Coupons and rationing during world war ii during world war i, rationing was a voluntary movement, and the united states government relied on americans to voluntarily restrict their consumption of goods and commodities as a part of the war effort. Guide to the world war ii ration coupon collection, 1942. I was on ebay for 15 years with a 120,000 feedbacks with 100% positive. The opa accepted ration book applications and issued ration books, from which consumers tore out stamps in order to purchase food and other supplies at grocery stores. The ministry of foods carefully formulated diet is generally believed to have improved the nations health. Guide to the world war ii ration coupon collection, 19421946. It contains four pages of point stamps, similar to the point stamps in war ration book 2, though slightly different in design and printed in brown ink. As a matter of fact, when a gallup poll on march 5, 1943, asked americans, do you understand how the food point rationing system works. War ration book two book 2 introduced january 1943. Make offer original war ration book one 1943 certificate of registration c. War ration book two ration coupons on the home front. Can you tell me more about rationing from this period and what the ones i have might be worth.
Theres a lot of information on the web about war ration books, which i found fascinating. Unfollow world war 2 ration books to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. War ration book one 1942 office of price administration private collection. War ration book one ration coupons on the home front. Ration book four also introduced red and blue cardboard tokens, each valued at onepoint, to be used as change for ration coupon purchases. This new ration book, replacement for present books when their stamps are used up, will be distributed during the early summer. In accepting this book, i recognize that it remains the. This book still has 3 full pages of stamps, one page has 2 stamps used,gone and it looks like 2 pages. I was given 6 war ration books with most of the stamps still in them. Sugar purchase certificate 2 copies, 3part carbon form 1. Demonstration of point rationing plan btw 19421945 office of war information library of congress how to shop with ration book. No sugar could legally be bought without stamps, and sugar rationing would continue until supplies returned to normal in 1947. Ration books were exceedingly valuable to american consumers during the war, and people even carried them in special holders to keep them safe. Each stamp was worth 1 lb of sugar and was given a designed two week period during which it.
Ration book four also included spare stamps that were occasionally validated for the purchase of five extra pounds of pork. Meat rationing continued for 10 years after dday june 1954 in 1946, when food was just as short as during the preceding years, bread was added to the ration and the sweet ration was halved. In addition, it was considered patriotic not to use all of ones. Civilians first received ration bookswar ration book number one, or the sugar bookon 4 may 1942, through more than 100,000 schoolteachers, pta groups, and other volunteers. Please visit duke university digital collections to view all pages. Newman war ration book five basic gasoline ration supplemental gasoline ration transportation. The first two images explain how ration books were to be used. Of the 180,000,000 printed, 123,000,000 were issued. How to use your ration coupons color version youtube. During spring 1942, the government introduced rationing of certain consumer items that were in short supply. There is a note on the back of the book that reads. United states of america office of price administration.
Food rationing lasted for 14 years in britain, from 1940 until 1954. War ration book one 1942 office of price administration. Rationing was introduced temporarily by the british government several times during the 20th century, during and immediately after a war at the start of the second world war in 1939, the united kingdom was importing 20 million long tons of food per year, including about 70% of its cheese and sugar, almost 80% of fruit and about 70% of cereals and fats. The most common war ration book material is cotton. The paper stubs, or stamps, in each ration book purchased rationed consumer goods and foods. World war 2 ration books the war ration was not very high. Lot wwii civil air defense, sterling silver pin, warden arm band, clothes 1943. In the summer of 1941, the british appealed to americans to conserve food to provide more to go to britains fighting men in world war ii. Specialized private collectors may pay a little more for unused books in mint condition. Even though the war officially came to an end in 1945, rationing continued in canada late in the 1940s due in part to the fact that canada was shipping a lot of food and other goods to help out in post war europe, with the last ration book being issued in september 1946.
Pricing depends on rarity, and they get more value, the more provenance you can document tying it to particular families, particular persons, and so on. When tokens came into use, the purchaser could receive three tokens, each worth one point, in exchange. Youll notice that they change slightly throughout the war. Ration book used during world war ii with sheets of stamps inserted in the middle. War ration books were produced by the united states office of price. Digital collection wwii war ration book 4 american centuries.