Frederick J. Nachman

The Point Ration Book & Token Pocket belonging to my grandparents has moved between various drawers over the years. Finding it next to various baseballs – including a personalized Ernie Banks ball and one signed by the 1958 Kansas City Athletics – I decided it’s time to start scanning.

Shortly after the beginning of World War II, the Office of Price Administration (OPA) through 5,500 locations staffed mostly by volunteers issued rules for purchasing a wide range of items. The first was tires, as rubber was needed for military vehicles, as was gasoline. Foodstuffs from sugar to butter, cheese, jelly, pork and coffee were rationed. Consumer goods – shoes, stoves and typewriters – made the list.

The books have various stamps inside and two tokens left in the pocket, after several fell out and disappeared. The red-point tokens are made of thin compressed wood fiber material.

My mother’s family lived in South Shore in Chicago, at the corner of S. Clyde and E. 69th. My grandfather sold women lingerie – bras, girdles and the like – while my grandmother stayed home. My mother spent one semester at DePaul University before dropping out in January 1942 to work various jobs downtown to support the war effort. My uncle attended O’Keefe Elementary across the street before heading off to Hyde Park High School.

My mother never talked about rationing, although noting that during the Depression a more fortunate relative would pin an envelope with money on her coat for her parents. They were probably used to doing with less.