United States Department of Agriculture Food Coupons [solved]

Hello, I am interested in obtaining some United States Department of Agriculture Food Coupons from the time frame my family used them, roughly 1973-1980-ish. I wasn't finding this date range listed in the catalog. Can someone point me in the right direction please? Thank you!

Is this what you are talking about?

N#362768

Yes, those are the coupons, thank you. I saw the series listed as 1967-1970. Is there a later series, or was this the series that would have been distributed in the next ten years or so? 

To be honest Paper Exonumia is not something I collect. You can see all that is listed in the USA currently by making the changes I pointed out in this screen shot to perform your search. I can also tag a couple of members that are much more knowledgeable and may be willing to provide some assistance. I hope this helps.

@onecent @Mattsman60 @DominusDeus 

NumisMary

Yes, those are the coupons, thank you. I saw the series listed as 1967-1970. Is there a later series, or was this the series that would have been distributed in the next ten years or so? 

There are indeed more.

Series 1971

Series 1971A

Series 1973

The bicentennial design that Xennial and Millennials are familiar with start with Series 1975

Series 1976

Series 1976A

Series 1976B

Series 1977A

Series 1977B

Series 1978A

Series 1978B

That pattern continues into the early 2000s. There’s a book you’ll want, though incomplete (unless they’ve since completed it); 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOOD STAMP and FOOD COUPON PROGRAM

1939 to 199_

R. H. (ROCKY) ROCKHOLT and TOM CONKLIN

Contact ostiltz on the bay of e. He will likely be able to get you a copy of the book if one isn’t on eBay already.

A great article on the subject can be found in... PAPER MONEY OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF PAPERMONEY COLLECTORS 2011 – Whole No. 273. - pp169-198

But here’s a few key dates from the period you seem interested in:-

Food coupons were in continuous use from 1961 until 2004.

Throughout the 1960s, state participation in the Food Stamp Plan was voluntary. States had to apply for areas to be included in the program. 

It was expanded to a mandatory system nationwide on July1, 1974.

The last series date on a coupon was 2000. The last coupon was printed in fiscal year 2002, and the last coupons were issued in fiscal year 2004 (in Guam and one county in California). Most stores had stopped accepting them by 2005 because few

remained in the hands of beneficiaries.

The food coupons associated with the modern issues are grouped into three distinct sets. Each set is a collection of denominations that were printed concurrently. The three sets are: 

1. Food Stamp Coupons, 1961-1962,  
2. Food Coupons, 1962-1975, 
3. Bicentennial Coupons, 1975-2002

With only a handful of design groups, Food Coupons appear at first glance to be a limited pursuit. This is not the case.

Food coupons should be considered a work in progress that never was finished - just like the legislation that created them! 

Design elements on the food coupons, and the books that housed them, were ever changing, as were the contractors

who printed them.

If a stylistic change was desired by program administrators or recommended by the printers, commonly it was implemented immediately upon being approved so a new look suddenly appeared in the middle of a printing contract or fiscal year. The change could involve anything such as the wording on the book covers, how serial numbers were used and presented, or how replacement coupons

were distinguished from regular coupons. Some changes were quite subtle such as the introduction of series and eventual display of plate serial numbers and plate position on the coupons.

Serial numbers were overprinted on the coupons beginning in 1970, and were the same as that on the cover. The plate position, left circle, and plate number, right circle, were added in 1973.

Great information…

Thank you to everyone for the amazing information!