OPA Tokens - Bob's Tokens

Complete Guide to WWII OPA Ration Tokens

Red and blue OPA tokens were used during World War II as ration change for food purchases.
Today they are fascinating historical collectibles that connect directly to life on the American home front.
What Does OPA Mean?
OPA stands for Office of Price Administration.

During World War II, many everyday goods were rationed, including meat, fats, processed foods, sugar, coffee, gasoline, and tires. To help manage ration purchases, the government issued small fiber tokens along with ration stamps.

Red tokens were used for meats and fats.

Blue tokens were used for processed foods.

These tokens helped make change when ration stamps were used in stores.

OPA tokens were mainly issued in 1944 and 1945, and today they are collected as important pieces of American wartime history.

Red letter combinations known. (30 combinations) HC, HT, MM, MV, 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. (24 combinations) CC, CH, CT, CV, CX, HH, HU, HV, HX, HY, TC, TT, TU, TV, TX, UU, VV, WC, WH, WT, WU, WW, XX, YY.
They are all vulcanized fiber (celluloid) and 16mm in size.

Error OPAs are worth a little more.

Go to Error OPAs

Token Order Form
Token Order Form

Available OPAs

RED OPA’S

HC 60c
HT 60c
MM $5.00
(Sold Out) MV
TH $2.00
TY 60c
UC 60c
UH 60c
UT 60c
UV $2.00
UX 60c
UY 60c
VC 60c
VH 60c
VT 60c
VU $2.00
VX 60c
VY 60c
XC $3.50
XH 60c
XT 60c
XU 60c
XV 60c
XY 60c
YC $4.00
YH 60c
YT $4.65
YU 60c
YV 60c
YX 60c
Red Canada Meat $2.50

BLUE OPA’S

CC 80c
CH $2.00
CT $2.00
CV $2.00
CX $15.00
HH 95c
HU 95c
HV 95C
HX $5.00
HY 95c
TC 95c
TT $2.00
TU 95c
TV 95c
TX 95c
UU 95c
VV 95c
WC $21.00
(Sold Out) WH
WT $27.50
WU $4.00
WW $4.00
XX $4.00
YY 80c

WWII OPA Starter Pack $10.00 & $1.50 postage & handling
Perfect for beginners who want to start collecting WWII ration tokens.
Includes:
1) 10 authentic WWII OPA tokens
2) Mix of Red and Blue tokens
3) Several different letter varieties
4) Printed OPA History Sheet
Great for: New collectors, WWII history enthusiasts, Gifts for young collectors

Collector Variety Pack ⭐ Most Popular $25.00 & $4.95 postage & handling
A great way to quickly build a collection.
Includes:
1) 30 authentic OPA tokens
2) Wider mix of letter varieties
3) Red and Blue tokens
4) Printed OPA History Sheet
Great for collectors trying to build a complete set.

WWII Collector Lot $50.00 & $4.95 postage & handling
For collectors who want a large group of tokens.
Includes:
75 authentic red OPA tokens
Many letter varieties
Chance of scarcer letters
Ideal for collectors trying to expand their collection quickly.

Optional Premium Group
If you want one higher option: $95.00 & $4.95 postage & handling
For serious collectors.
Includes:
150 red OPA tokens

Larger variety mix
Some better condition tokens
Chance for tougher letters

ERROR OPAs

Here Are Examples of Rare OPA Minting Errors

The following is an example of an error OPAs. The pictures were sent to me by Dan Orbeck. As you can see OPAs can be struck, by mistake, more than one time. They are also not always centered when struck.

Error OPAs For Sale

Red TH (Off Center) (Clipped) $8.00
Red TY (Clipped) (Off Center) $8.00
Red TY (Double Strike) $8.00
Red UV (Off Center) (Clipped) $12.50
Red UX (Way Off Center) $8.00
Red UY (Minor Off Center) $1.50
Red VC (Off Center) $4.50
Red VT (Off Center) $4.50
Red VU (Double Strike) (Clipped) (off Center) $20.00
Red VX (Off Center) $4.50
Red VX (Off Center) $4.50
Red XH (Off Center) (Small Clip) $8.00
Red XT (Minor off center) $1.50
Red XT (Minor off center) $1.50
Red XT (Minor off center) $1.50
Red XT (Minor off center) $1.50
Red XT (Way Off Center) $8.00
Red XT (Way Off Center) (Clipped) $12.50
Red XU (Double Strike) $8.00
Red XY (Minor Off Center) $1.50
Red YT (Off Center) $4.50
Red Yx (Off Center) (Worn) $4.50
Red XH (Off Center) (Double Stamp) $15.00
Red YU (Off Center) $4.50
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 CC (Minor Off Center) $1.50
Blue CC (Minor Off Center) $1.50
Blue CH (Off Center) $4.50
Blue CX (Off Center) $4.50
Blue HH (Minor Off Center) $1.50
Blue HU (Off Center) $4.50
Blue HV (Off Center) $4.50
Blue HX (Way Off Center) $9.50
Blue TU (Extreme Double Strike) $12.50
Blue TV (Way Off Center) $9.50
Blue TV (Minor Off Center) (Faded) $1.50
Blue TX (Way Off Center) (Clipped) $14.50
Blue VV (Off Center) $4.50
Blue Planchett (Completely Blank) $8.50

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SOME FUN OPA FACTS

OPA tokens were actually nicknamed:“Red Points” and “Blue Points.”
Many Americans during WWII simply said: “Do you have enough points for that?”

Why Two Colors Were Used?
The Office of Price Administration (OPA) created two separate ration systems:
Token Color Used For
🔴 Red tokens for Meats and Fats
🔵 Blue tokens for Processed Foods
The colors prevented people from mixing ration categories.

Why the Tokens Were Fiber:
The government did not want them confused with coins, so they made them from compressed fiber material.
Cheap to produce
Conserved metal for the war effort
Easy to manufacture quickly

The Real Reason OPA Tokens Were Introduced:
Stamps in ration books were often 5-point or 10-point denominations.
Canned potatoes might be 8 OPA points or soup might be 7 OPA Points. How do you make change with OPA stamps that are 5 point or 10 point denomination? 1 Point OPA fiber tokens.

Can You Build the Full Alphabet?
Many collectors try to build a complete alphabet set of OPA tokens.
Because some letters appear less often than others, completing the alphabet can be a fun challenge.
Try to find all the letter combinations!