Food stamps are a kind of voucher to buy food. Most countries in the world issue stamps, while food stamps are almost only issued in China, which has been used nationwide for nearly 40 years. At that time, whoever owned food stamps would own food.
With the increasing popularity of collecting food stamps, the ranks of collecting food stamps are also growing, and it is estimated that millions of people are collecting food stamps. Many people in many collection markets all over the country are buying, selling or exchanging food stamps. Food stamp collectors in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province have also set up a private food stamp collection hall and run a folk publication (Food Friends). At present, some large and medium-sized cities have established food stamp associations.
On March 6th, the State Council issued the Order on Implementing Planned Purchase and Supply of Grain. Therefore, since 1955, China's Ministry of Grain issued the national food stamps for the first time, the state has implemented a quota, planned supply and limited areas for grain and grain crops. Time-limited use policy is a unified purchase and marketing policy. For this kind of securities, the state expressly stipulates that it is forbidden to buy, sell, forge or speculate. Therefore, food stamps used to be one of the symbols of planned economy in China, and they were the product of a specific historical period and era. A true record of social environment, human geography and scientific and technological progress. In the history of our country, a voucher similar to food stamps has been issued. It has been more than 340 years since the early years of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty. During the Republic of China, the Kuomintang government issued "grain depot vouchers" to buy grain. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, the Eighth Route Army issued "meal tickets for shareholders".
But at present, collectors mainly collect food stamps issued after the founding of New China. The earliest local food stamp issued in Southwest China was 1950, and the ticket amount was: half gold. 1952, in order to solve the problem that the personnel on duty who temporarily went out to the Korean battlefield could have meals in nearby troops, the Chinese people's Volunteer Army Logistics Command issued a "meal ticket" engraved vertically in dark green with the seal of "Chinese people's Volunteer Army Logistics Command". 1953, the central people's government issued "marching food stamps" to facilitate the supply of rations when troops were mobilized. Both tickets are military. The earliest national food stamps were issued by the Ministry of Grain of China in September 1955, and military food stamps were also issued.
Since then, China provinces and cities. Autonomous regions and cities have also issued local food stamps for local use only. According to a preliminary estimate, there are more than 14000 food stamps issued by the state, local governments and the army in New China.
The width and amount of food stamps vary widely. The biggest ticket is 1957 "commissary ration check" issued by the Ministry of Food. There are four kinds of * *, all of which are 150x67 cm, just like the first ordinary envelope; The smallest ticket is 1976/kilo food stamp issued by Zhejiang Province, which is only 9x8mm, less than 1 cm2, equivalent to a child's fingernail; The largest ticket amount is the military food stamp issued by Tibet Military Region 1967, with the ticket amount of 10000 Jin; The smallest ticket is the one-yuan food stamp issued by Nanjing 1960. There are six food stamps in this set, and the remaining five are two yuan, half a catty, one or two, two or two, and half a catty. The first three pictures are all 50x25mm, and the pictures are all of a farmer and an ear of wheat. The last three tickets are all 53x32, with the factory on the left and the wheat ears on the right. In addition, there are "Half City Two" food stamps issued by Shanghai and Zhejiang at 1972 and 1976 respectively.
Second, the types of food stamps.
1. According to the attribute: 1. National ordinary food stamps; 2. Military food stamps; 3. Local food stamps.
Second, according to time: 1. Qing dynasty; 2. Republic of China; 3. Early liberation; 4. Difficult period (three years of natural disasters); 5. During the Cultural Revolution.
Third, by region: 1. Municipalities directly under the central government; 2; Provincial capital city; 3. City (region); 4. counties and cities.
Fourth, according to the ticket amount: 1. Take "money" as the unit (one money, two money, five money, 225 money, etc. ); 2. Take "two" as the unit (half two, one two, two two, two two and a half, three two, etc. ); 3. Take "Jin" as the unit (half Jin, one Jin, two Jin, three Jin, five Jin, ten Jin, etc. ); The metric system means "grams" or "kilograms".
According to the table: 1. Toothed; 2. no teeth; 3. variants; 4. Promissory notes; 5. Edition ticket; 6. Souvenir sheet; 7. Theme tickets.
The patterns on food stamps have a wide range of themes and colorful colors. Provinces and cities make full use of their own treasures and choose local places of interest, famous mountains and rivers, industrial and agricultural construction as patterns. For example, coal mines in Shanxi, FAW in Jilin, grasslands in Inner Mongolia, grapes in Xinjiang, oil in Heilongjiang, Bund in Shanghai, Guilin scenery in Guangxi, and so on. On the plane, on the boat. Trains, cars, bridges and tractors are available. 1969 A set of food stamps issued by Hunan Province has brought the scenery of Shaoshan, Qingshuitang, No.1 Normal School, No.1 Primary School, Shaoshan School and Orange Island, where Mao Zedong was born and studied, to an inch square, each with different quotations, which is absolutely exquisite. A set of 12 Zodiac food stamps issued from 1980 to19 in Zhejiang Province is a unique "Zodiac" food stamp in China, which has great appreciation value and collection value.
The production and use of food stamps are changeable. Beijing food stamps are unified, the specifications are the same, they are all rectangular and have teeth around them; Zhejiang food stamps have stubs, which are invalid from the root; Xinjiang food stamps are stuck on the back; Shaanxi Xianyang food stamps also have numbers; Interestingly, Guangxi Jianjiao food stamps have a noodle ticket in one corner and a corn ticket in the other. The whole ticket is a rice ticket, and one ticket is used three times, which is unique.
The words on food stamps are also varied. The front of the food stamp is printed with "National General Food Stamp" or "Military Food Stamp" issued by the Ministry of Food of People's Republic of China (PRC). Food stamps issued around the country are called "local food stamps in XX province" or "local food stamps in XX city". The units of ticket amount are gold, beam, beam and money respectively; 1986, the state changed the binary system of 16 to "thousand restraint", so the ticket amount appeared in kilograms and grams, reflecting the changes in China's weights and measures. During the Cultural Revolution, some food stamps were printed with "supreme instructions", quotations and inscriptions. For example, food stamps in Beijing and other places are printed with the words "against eating and drinking" and "against famine". For the people "and so on. All food stamps are marked with the year of issue in the middle of the lower end, but some are written in Chinese characters and some in Arabic characters, such as "1966" or "1974". On the back of the food stamp, there are several "instructions for use". As far as we can see, all local food stamps have the words "instructions for use" on the back, while the national food stamps do not have these four words, only the instructions of "one, two, three and four". Local food stamps are stamped with the circular red seal of "Adjusting XXX Grain Bureau" (stamped with the seal of "Adjusting XXX Revolutionary Committee Grain Bureau" during the Cultural Revolution); The national food stamps are all stamped with the circular red seal of "Ministry of People and Food of China" and have the national emblem pattern (the national food stamps issued in the 1950s are all stamped with the national emblem pattern, which is a red square, with the left and right seals symmetrical and no national emblem).
Third, food stamps for rare varieties.
First, early issuance of food stamps. Such as the Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China and the early days of the founding of New China (1950s);
Two, the largest and smallest food stamps. For example, the "rations check" issued by 1957 and the 10 Jin food stamp issued by 1976 Zhejiang;
Three, the maximum amount and minimum amount of food stamps. For example, 1967 military food stamps issued by Tibet Military Region, 1960 Nanjing small receipt food stamps * * six (one yuan, two yuan, half a cent, one or two, two or two, half a catty), 1960 Shanghai food stamps, 1960 Zhejiang food stamps. Sanliang 1965 issued by Henan, Banliang 1972 issued by Shanghai, and Banbianban 1976 issued by Zhejiang, etc.
Fourth, special food stamps. For example, the food stamps printed in Yunnan for supporting refugees are the only United Nations food stamps for disaster relief, such as the 12 series food stamps in Zhejiang, the numbered food stamps in Xianyang, Shaanxi, the "one vote, three uses" food stamps in Guangxi, and the numbered food stamps in Nanjing 1960 (issued by Jiangsu Province). The word "Nanjing" is printed in bold in the lower left corner and the lower right corner, and "1957" is changed to "1960". This may be the only food stamp with words in China, with a small circulation, which is extremely rare in the world at present. So far, the reason for adding a font size to the face is still a mystery.
Fourth, the collection and maintenance of food stamps
The method of collecting food stamps varies from person to person. Some people pursue complete sets of tickets, some people only accept national tickets, some people prefer military tickets, some people only accept provincial capital tickets, some people look for tickets with the same number, and some people specialize in tooth tickets, variant tickets, missing tickets and wrong tickets. District tickets, cultural revolution tickets and other categories, but it is quite difficult to collect all the food stamps in the country, even if it is not easy to collect all the food stamps in a province. Here are two food stamp catalogues for reference: First, the Catalogue of New China Food Stamps (compiled by Fujian Social Collection Culture Research Association); II. Catalogue of Food Stamps in China (edited by Liu Yanqing and Bao, issued by Hong Kong Oriental Cultural Center).
The identification of authenticity of food stamps mainly depends on intuition and experience. Because there are no authoritative departments and professionals to identify food stamps. Judging from the issuing process of food stamps,
The paper quality, color and printing of food stamps issued before 1960 are relatively general, but the food stamps printed later. Most of them are woodcuts, and the paper, color and printing are exquisite, which can be distinguished by the naked eye. Of course, some rare food stamps need to be carefully observed with a magnifying glass to know their true colors.
The maintenance of food stamps mainly includes: first, moistureproof, second, mildewproof, third, pollution prevention and fourth, wrinkle prevention. Hidden goods should be classified and stored according to postal account books or other account books; Don't touch it with your hands. Use special tweezers to keep the appearance intact for a long time.
Five, the market value of food stamps
The price of food stamps will continue to appreciate over time. Because food stamps are the product of history, they will not be printed in the future. At present, the fare of any kind of ordinary grain is around 3 yuan; The price of local food stamps in Jiangsu Province, 1986 issued amount 1 kg, 199 1 issued amount of 2J kg are all around 500 yuan. An ordinary Nanjing Green 10 Jin food coupon is worth about 20 yuan; 1955 current price of national food stamps 1500 yuan. Some experts predict that if we can collect a set of food stamps from 1960s to 1990s, we may earn tens of thousands of yuan in a few years. 1993, a collector of more than a thousand kinds of food stamps in Suzhou made a special trip to Yunnan in order to get a national food stamp issued in 1955 and spent more than 300 yuan to buy it in heaven. From 65438 to 0996, a collector in Nanjing wanted to buy a rare food stamp from a collector in Suzhou at a price of more than 10 thousand RMB, but the latter still refused to sell it, which shows that the market price of rare food stamps is high. Food stamp collection is also very popular in Hong Kong. At present, the average food stamp in Hong Kong market is HK$ 20 per catty, and the ticket amount is HK$ 50 per catty 1000 grams. A set of local food stamps in Zhejiang Province can be worth HK$ 1000, and a set of national food stamps can be worth HK$ 3,000.