You might have found one in an old jar. Or maybe you saw a weird, colorful plastic disc at a flea market in Providence and wondered if it was play money. It isn't. Those little tokens are actually a fascinating piece of New England history. Specifically, they represent a time when the way we bought groceries looked a lot different than the EBT cards we swipe today.
Rhode Island food stamps coins—technically known as change tokens—were a practical solution to a very specific bureaucratic headache.
Back before the digital age, the Food Stamp Program (now SNAP) relied on paper coupons. These books looked like Monopoly money but were worth real food. There was a catch, though. If your groceries cost $4.50 and you handed over a $5 coupon, the retailer couldn't give you $0.50 in US currency back. Federal law was strict: you couldn't "convert" food stamps into cash.
Rhode Island, along with several other states, decided to make their own "change." They minted plastic or aluminum tokens to act as fractional currency.
The Weird History of Rhode Island Food Stamps Coins
It feels like a lifetime ago.
The 1970s and 80s were the heyday of these tokens. If you walked into a Star Market or a local bodega in Warwick or Pawtucket, you didn't just see quarters and dimes. You saw these tokens. They were typically issued in 1-cent, 5-cent, and sometimes 10-cent denominations.
Why did Rhode Island bother? Because the alternative was a nightmare for store clerks. Without tokens, if a customer had change coming back, the clerk had to issue "credit slips" or find some other way to make sure the value stayed within the food stamp system. Rhode Island opted for a more physical approach. They produced these discs so that the "value" stayed "locked" in the program. You couldn't take a Rhode Island food stamp coin and put it in a vending machine for a pack of cigarettes. Well, you weren't supposed to, anyway.
Technically, they weren't "coins" in the legal tender sense. They were "scrip."
What do they actually look like?
Most of the ones you'll find today are plastic. They are usually bright colors—think vibrant reds, blues, or oranges—to make sure they didn't get mixed up with real silver or copper. They often have the state name stamped right on them. Some of them are incredibly simple, just saying "RI" or "Rhode Island" with a numerical value.
Others have more detail. You might see "Food Stamp Change" or "Non-Transferable" embossed in the plastic.
There is a tactile quality to them that EBT cards just can't match. They feel light. Cheap. But in 1982, that little red plastic disc meant the difference between getting your full value of milk and bread or losing a few cents to the checkout counter's rounding errors.
Why Collectors are Obsessed With These Plastic Discs
Numismatics—the study of coins—isn't just about gold doubloons. There’s a massive sub-culture of "Exonumia" collectors. These are people who collect things that look like money but aren't quite money. This includes transit tokens, car wash tokens, and, yes, Rhode Island food stamps coins.
They are getting harder to find.
When the USDA moved to the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system in the late 90s and early 2000s, these tokens became obsolete overnight. Most were tossed in the trash. Some were melted down. Others sat in the back of kitchen drawers for thirty years.
Because Rhode Island is the smallest state, the "mintage" of these tokens was naturally lower than somewhere like Texas or California. Scarcity drives the market. If you have a specific color or a rare manufacturer's mark, you might be looking at something worth $5, $10, or even $50 to the right collector. It’s not a lottery win, but it’s a lot more than the 1-cent face value.
Market Value Realities
Honestly, most of them are worth about a buck. You see them on eBay in bulk lots.
"Rhode Island 5 cent orange plastic token, EF condition."
That’s the kind of listing you’ll find. But the value is growing. As we move further away from physical currency, these "oddities" become nostalgic. They represent a specific era of American social policy and local Rhode Island commerce.
🔗 Read more: Why the Man in a Turkey Suit Is Still the Unofficial King of Thanksgiving
Collectors look for:
- Condition: No bite marks (kids loved chewing on these) or heavy scratches.
- Color variations: Sometimes a batch was produced in a slightly different shade due to a change in plastic suppliers.
- Errors: Just like real coins, "off-center" stamps are highly prized.
The Legal Side of Things
You might wonder if it's even legal to own these.
Back in the day, it was technically a gray area to keep them. They were federal property in a sense, or at least state-issued instruments of a federal program. However, once the program switched to EBT, the tokens lost their "monetary" status. They are now officially historical artifacts. The USDA isn't going to kick down your door for having a 1985 food stamp nickel from a Cranston grocery store.
But it’s important to remember the intent of these coins. They were a tool of dignity. Before tokens, people often lost their change because stores didn't have a way to give it back. The tokens allowed families to save every cent of their benefits for the next trip.
There's a bit of a misconception that these were used everywhere. They weren't. Some states hated the idea of "state-issued money" and stuck to paper change or credit notes. Rhode Island was one of the "Token States," which gives local residents a unique piece of bragging rights in the world of niche history.
Spotting a Fake
Are there "counterfeit" Rhode Island food stamps coins? Not really. It wouldn't be worth the effort. However, there are many "generic" food stamp tokens that don't have a state name on them. Collectors usually want the ones with the "Rhode Island" or "RI" identifier. If you find a plain red token that just says "1" on it, it might be a food stamp token, or it might be a token from a 1970s board game.
Check the lettering. If it’s embossed (raised) and has a distinct "government" font, it's likely the real deal.
How to Find or Sell Them Today
If you’re looking to get your hands on some, or if you found a stash in your grandpa’s attic in Newport, here is the move.
First, don't clean them. Like real coins, scrubbing them with soap or chemicals can ruin the "patina" of the plastic and drop the value. Just leave them as they are.
Second, look for local coin shows. The Blackstone Valley Coin Club or similar groups often have members who specialize in Rhode Island history. They can tell you in five seconds if you have a common "red cent" or a rare variety.
Third, check the "sold" listings on auction sites. Don't look at what people are asking—look at what people are actually paying. You’ll see that the Rhode Island ones often fetch a premium over the more common ones from states like Illinois or Missouri.
What to do if you find one:
- Identify the material: Is it plastic or metal? Metal ones are generally older and more valuable.
- Document the location: Knowing which store or city it came from adds "provenance," which collectors love.
- Storage: Keep them in a cool, dry place. Old plastic can get brittle or "sticky" if left in a hot attic.
A Forgotten Era of Commerce
We live in a world of tap-to-pay and digital wallets. The idea of carrying around little plastic discs just to buy a gallon of milk seems absurd now. But these tokens were a vital bridge. They allowed the Rhode Island Department of Human Services to bridge the gap between paper coupons and the digital future.
👉 See also: Perfect Eyebrows Santa Fe: Why Your Local Artist Matters More Than The Trend
They are small. They are plastic. They are, quite literally, "bits" of history.
Whether you're a serious collector or just someone who stumbled upon a piece of Rhode Island's past, these tokens are a reminder of how we’ve managed our social safety nets over the decades. They tell a story of local stores, state bureaucracy, and the daily lives of thousands of Rhode Islanders who just wanted to make sure their change wasn't wasted.
Actionable Next Steps
If you suspect you have a Rhode Island food stamp token, start by verifying the markings against known exonumia databases like Tokencatalog.com. This site is a massive, crowdsourced database where you can see photos of almost every known variety of Rhode Island scrip. Once identified, place the token in a PVC-free plastic "flip" or coin holder to prevent the plastic from degrading. If you’re looking to sell, avoid general pawn shops; instead, reach out to specialized "Exonumia" dealers or list them on specialized numismatic forums where buyers understand the specific value of Rhode Island regional issues. For those looking to start a collection, searching for "State Tax Tokens" or "Food Stamp Change" on auction sites is the most direct way to find these affordable pieces of New England history.