Very Rare 1974 U.S. Gas Ration Coupon 4 piece sheet Start Price USD 399.99 Current Price USD 399.99 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, September 05, 2008 End Time Friday, September 12, 2008 Location Nebraska See more about 'Very Rare 1974 U.S. Gas Ration Coupon 4 piece sheet' Description This is NOT a World War II gas ration coupon. It is a much rarer,unissued gas ration coupon good for one "unit" of gasoline. Thecoupons were ordered by President Richard Nixon and printed by theU.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1974. They were to be issuedin the event of gas rationing during the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 -1974. When that particular energy crisis was resolved, the couponswere deemed unnecessary and all were ordered destroyed.The image of George Washington sued on the ration coupon is thesame as on the dollar bill. It was feared this image could illicitly triggercoin vending machines and for that reason as well as other concerns,the coupons were to be shredded rather than sold to collectors.Prior to the year 2000, none of the coupons were known to existoutside of a few sheets donated to the Smithsonian. There wereunconfirmed rumors that about thirty sheets escaped the destructionorder after a sudden "dust devil" blew them away from the teamhandling the destruction. Regardless of how, when or where ithappened, Rochette reported that a few full sheets surfaced in a fleamarket in Colorado Springs, not far from the Army depot where theywere supposedly destroyed. These reports were not confirmed in thenumismatic literature until 2000.Officially, these notes first appeared in public at a Heritage Galleriesonline sale on Feb 15, 2000, where three different uncut sheets of 4 x4 coupons, containing 16 individual notes, were offered for sale as lots2275, 2276 and 2277. The first sheet of notes sold for $3,100; thesecond and third brought $1,100 and $1,350 respectively. Full sheetshave occasionally sold since then; individual notes cut out off full sheetsappear on eBay with some regularity.This lot consists of four, uncut 1974 U.S. Gas Ration Coupons thatwere one of four columns on a sheet that has been expertly sliced atsome time in the past. Coupons are attached in a single, four-up unitwith perforations between individual coupons. The set is housed in anattractive wooden frame with UV protection glass and archival matting.Series: A (upper left corner)Plate position numbers: M1, N1, O1, P1 (lower left corner)Sheet number : 35 (lower right corner)Condition: CU with even borders.Further details about these pieces can be found in the folowingsources:"Panic at the Pump" by Victor Annaloro, the Numismatist, Jan 2003."Dust Devil" by Burnett Anderson Bank Note Reporter, Jan 1985."Ration Coupons Hit Market" by Ed Rochette, Numismatic News, Jun16, 1987.Postage $12.25 (U.S.) payment from non U.S. bank add $3.00GOOD LUCK Place a Bid!