1 Cent - Food Stamp Scrip Pik-Kwik

American food stamp scrip of this type emerged from a federal loophole that retailers quietly exploited through the 1970s and into the 1980s. USDA food stamp regulations prohibited giving cash change for purchases made with federal coupons, so grocery chains printed their own fractional scrip — redeemable in-store only — to avoid rounding in the customer's favor. Pik-Kwik, a regional supermarket chain operating primarily in the mid-South, issued these cents denominations as a practical register solution rather than a collectible item.

Congress eventually closed the change-making gap, and most retailers destroyed remaining stock. Surviving pieces are more common than their obscurity suggests — they were simply never designed to leave the store.