1940s - 1960s Historical Figures & American West – Illustrated Spanish Ration Coupon Sheets
DESCRIPTION
Eight colorful illustrated portraits of influential historical figures, from Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein to Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, and prominent figures of the American West.
The group also includes George Armstrong Custer and portraits captioned in Spanish as Nube Roja (Red Cloud), Oso Bravo, and Mangas Coloradas. Each sheet features a portrait on one side and an intact panel of perforated Spanish food-ration or relief coupons on the reverse. The portraits are sold individually.
Spanish food rationing began in 1939, following the Civil War, and continued until 1952. Ration coupons were issued by local authorities and relief organizations to regulate the distribution of scarce food supplies. Printed in perforated sheets, each coupon specified a particular food item or quantity and entitled its holder to purchase that allowance at an officially regulated price. Merchants collected or invalidated the coupons when the food was distributed. The surviving coupon designs reference communities and aid programs including Cáceres, Salamanca, Ceuta, Vera (Almería), and La Riba (Tarragona).
The portraits include printed dates of death as late as 1965, establishing that at least some of the illustrated designs postdate the Spanish rationing period. The artist, publisher, printing dates, and precise relationship between the portraits and coupon designs have not been established. The sheets retain their original-looking perforations, with light toning and minor handling wear visible in places. Select the desired portrait from the options above.
CONDITION
1200 W. 35th Street #425 Chicago, IL 60609 | P: (312) 496 - 3622