OPA's

HISTORY & INFORMATION

• OPA stands for Office of Price Administration
• Rationing was first started in 1942. Items that were rationed include canned goods, meats, sugar, coffee, tires, gas and more.
• The Office of Price Administration used OPA stamps, coins and chits for rationing.
• OPA coins (commonly called OPAs) were used for change for food.
• OPAs were used by retailers to give change back for food bought with ration stamps.
• Blue tokens were used for processed foods; red tokens for meats and fats.
• OPAs were first issued in 1944
• Stopped being issued in 1945
• Nobody has found a true reason for the letters on the OPA's. Theories include, they are random; demographics; and prevention of counterfitting.
• Red letter combinations known. HC, HT, MV, MM, TH, TY, UC, UH, UT, UV, UX, UY, VC, VH, VT, VU, VX, VY, XC, XH, XT, XU, XV, XY, YC, YH, YT, YU, YV, YX.
• Blue letter combinations known. CC, CH, CT, CV, CX, HH, HU, HV, HX, HY, TC, TT, TU, TV, TX, UU, VV, WC, WH, WT, WU, WW, XX, YY
• The rarest is the red MV. The next rarest are the red MM and the blue WW, WC, WH. Then blue WU, HX and red YC, XC. The rest are fairly easy to find. Reds are a lot more common than blues.
• Error OPAs are worth a little more. There is a good example at the end of this page.
• Tokens used for rationing during World War II
• There are 30 different red tokens and 24 blue ones.
• They are all vulacanized fiber (celluloid) and 16mm in size.
• Blue ones read: OPA Blue Point 1 (with two different letters)
• Red ones read: OPA Red Point 1 (with two different letters)

• HC 40c
• HT 40c
• MM $5.00
• TH 40c
• TY 40c
• UC 40c
• UH 40c
• UT 40c
• UV 40c
• UX 40c
• UY 40c
• VC 40c
• VH 40c
• VT 40c
• VU 40c
• VX 40c
• VY 40c
• XC $2.00
• XH 40c
• XT 40c
• XU 40c
• XV 40c
• XY 40c
• YC $2.00
• YH 40c
• YT 40c
• YU 40c
• YV 40c
• YX 40c

• CC 80c
• CH 80c
• CT $2.00
• CV $2.00
• CX $4.00
• HH 80c
• HU 80c
• HV 80C
• HX $2.00
• HY 80c
• TC 80c
• TT $2.00
• TU 80c
• TV 80c
• TX 80c
• UU 80c
• VV 80c
• WC $10.00
• WH $12.00
• WT 80c
• WU $2.00
• WW $4.00
• XX $2.00
• YY 80c
• **SPECIAL** Complete set of the above blue OPAs $32.95

• Canada Meat $2.00

• Red YV (minor off center) $1.50
• Red ?? (Very rare - Way off center - Only the top of a R on one side by edge. The other side is bottom of P.) $80.00
• Blue YY (minor off center) $1.50