From the archives: Ration Token
June 21, 2026 | Featured
It s a small, perforated disc made of pressed wood. It s blue in color. It bears the following inscription: Canada Ration / Meat Viande. Harold Don Allen wrote a small book entitled Canada Rationing, published in 1956. Thanks to this booklet and a few conversations with people who lived through the Second World War, I was able to trace the history of this coin.
First, it s important to understand that, generally speaking, events like war always bring problems to trade and currency: shortages of money, inflation, scarcity of goods, hoarding, etc. To address some of these problems, the Canadian government created the Wartime Prices and Trade Board. Its main action was to implement rationing.
From Coins and Canada