During World War II, the federal government initiated a new agency called the "Office of Price Administration." Its objectives included rationing of scarce commodities, price fixing on certain items to avoid speculation, and preventing runaway inflation during the war. Each household was issued ration books based on a variety of factors: number of people in the household, ages, children under the age of 3, elderly, and handicapped. These ration booklets contained various small stamps which had no cash value, but were required to purchase food items — for example four "B" stamps for each pound of ground beef or five "A" stamps for a bag of sugar. The price of the item was not a factor in the use of these stamps. However, to make exact change, shopkeepers were issued small red and or blue tokens. They were made of a vulcanized fiber and were 16-mm in diameter. These basically were "small change" for stamps from ration books. Some products required red tokens in change while other products required blue tokens as change.

Huyler’s chocolate and candy company was once the largest and most prominent chocolate maker in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, the Huyler’s company operated a large chain of Huyler’s branded stores across the country in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and their high-quality chocolate products were a part of daily life--given as holiday gifts, used as special indulgences, and as treats for young boys and girls.