Trading Stamps

[mattl]

Anyone remember trading stamps?  Growing up I recall two kinds, S&H, green and another TopValue? gold - not sure of the second name.

 

I am doing holiday cleaning and was polishing the fireplace screen and andirons and was thinking about stamps since that is where my parents got the set. It's quite heavy and well built, heavy brass plating. The set is easily close to 60 years old. It is the only thing that survived from the stamp days. Much better quality than stuff I see now.

 

I recall filling the books with stamps as a kid. Sometimes licking, others using a sponge. I recall looking through the catalogs and seeing stuff that required a massive number of books. There were a few redemption centers around town and they were quite busy.  I think they died out in the early 70's.

 

Anyone else recall collecting stamps?

 

[ea56]

Matt

we had S&H Green Stamps in California and we also had Blue Chip Stamps. The gas stations even gave out Blue Chip Stamps. Sometime you would get double Blue Chip Stamps at some store.

We got a pole lamp, Melmac dishes, a bathroom scale, an electric can opener and probably more that I don’t remember. I used to put the stamps in the books for redemption. I think that for awhile in the early 60’s you had to send the books to the redemption center and have the prize delivered. It wasn’t until about ‘65 that I recall a Blue Chip Stamp redemption center here in Sonoma Co.

It was kind a fun thing to do. Made you feel like you were getting something for nothing, which of course in the end wasn’t true but it was a good sales incentive.

Eddie

 

[qsd-dan]

I have some old stamps passed down from family members that collected them who have died over the years. I really should just get rid of them since I'm not a collector and free up some space. Not sure if the hobby is still alive and well but I'm guessing only the rare stuff goes for decent money and probably aimed at the older generation that really shouldn't be collecting this stuff at their age. I used to have some friends in elementary and middle school that collected stamps, generally with the influence of their parents (father most of the time) but I'm sure the youngsters today aren't the least bit interested anymore. Time to dig them out and check Ebay.

2023 is going to be the year of the big purge. As I get older, I'm getting less materialistic almost to the point of hating it. I enjoy fixing and using older well made items but there's a point to where stuff owns and controls a person instead of the reverse. Hopefully this manipulated economy will continue plugging along a bit longer so I can decent money for this junk before it crashes.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I've mentioned them several times. We got lots of things with stamps because Daddy put about 50,000 miles a year on cars and only bought gas at stations offering stamps, usually S&H or Top Value. The other one was Gold Bond, but those were not as common and not usually given by gas stations. Our Kroger gave Top Value stamps and our Colonial Grocery gave Gold Bond.

 

[circlew]

Kroger in this area gave out Top Value Stamps, and there were a few redemption centers around Cincinnati. A trip to Kroger was a rarity, as my dad worked for his uncle's grocery store. My mom did get some somewhere, though. It seems like one of the gas stations may have given them. I think I may have a book or two somewhere, if I didn't throw them out. A local clothing store gave out some type of stamps that had to be used in that store. I remember them being green, but nothing more. I'll have to ask my neighbor, as his family owned the place.

 

[goatfarmer]

A&P I believe had Plaid stamps.

 

[polkanut]

My late mother-in-law and my wife both saved cigarette coupons instead of trading stamps. My wife acquired an avocado GE electric skillet with a tilt leg, and a couple of record cabinets. The skillet is long gone, unfortunately, but we still have the cabinets.

 

After my MIL passed away, we found an old tin full of expired Raleigh coupons.

 

 

[joeekaitis]

Blue Chip Stamps

 

Stater Bros. doled them out.

 

S&H morphed into S&H GreenPoints and then transitioned to FreshPoints (link).

freshpoints

the new freshpoints are here

www.myfreshpoints.com

 

[petek]

I remember the A&P plaid stamps and booklets but don't recall my mother really collecting them much or ever redeeming them for anything. Maybe we never had enough for anything because she didn't always shop there. It's the sort of thing my dad would complain about, similar to when you took your film in to be processed they'd give you a free film, which really wasn't free because the price was built into the processing. Same with the redemptions of stamps. He'd rather see the prices lowered. Really it's the same thing with all the points we collect these days.

 

[whitewhiskers]

We had several S&H items in the house growing up. Copper Jello molds, self-winding starburst clock (the arms would come off with the slightest touch), Royal manual typewriter (keys always stuck or jammed), folding metal table, and roller skates you'd tighten with a key. Pretty much all junk. Mom would get $5 worth of gas at the Esso station (back when gas was 35 cents/gallon), and in return got a handful of S&H stamps and sometimes also buy a FireKing milk glass Tiger coffee mug. FoodFair (later renamed Pantry Pride) also gave out stamps.

The Brady Bunch had a good stamp episode, the local redemption center was closing, there was a rush to redeem all those stamps, fortified by a huge bundle from Alice. Lots of drama, boys want a canoe, girls want a sewing machine, eventually they settle for a color tv, happy ending.

 

[rp2813]

As I recall a lot more stores gave Blue Chip stamps than S&H, and my mom collected both.  I think there's an old card table from the Blue Chip redemption center store kicking around somewhere, but the weirdly folding chairs that came with it are long gone.  That store was in a more suburban part of town near one of the early iterations of a big box discount store.

 

The S&H redemption center was downtown, in a building that was clearly built for S&H as its original owner(?) occupier, and is still standing.  The exterior had large patches of green tile accents, or perhaps they were porcelain on metal. 

 

The Blue Chip redemption store may have become a bank branch.  I honestly can't remember if the bank was there at the same time or not, but it's the right size and location for the redemption center.

 

[gansky1]

 

 

We had S&H Stamps around here, several stores participated.  Don't remember them being given automatically, the cashier usually asked if we wanted them.   I've found a few catalogs from S&H over the years, one of the POD with late 50's Westinghouse appliances was from one of these.  

 

My mother saved points/coupons from another food company, and when she finally had enough, redeemed them for an entire flatware service for 12 including serving pieces and iced-tea spoons.  There was a limit on the amount one household could redeem so she cajoled friends and family to send them in for her and built up the flatware collection.  I'll have to ask if she remembers who offered that program, I can't remember now.  She still has some of it.

 

When my son was school-aged, we saved the education $$ points from food boxes and turned them into the school for redemption.  I don't believe they have that program any longer.  

 

 

 

 

[circlew]

I remember one of the TV Stamps catalogs showing a GE built-in wall oven and cooktop in Yellow. It was from around 1966 - 1967, before Harvest Gold. That catalog may be packed away somewhere.

 

[supersuds]

I’ve got a GE kitchen clock that my mom got at the S&H store. I’ve used the method supplied by RP2813/Ralph to keep the rotor from grinding. All it needs now is a new cord.

When I told my nephew we got the clock with Green Stamps, he asked if that was “a government program.” Heh.

 

[justjunque]

I definitely remember S&H. I used to enjoy helping my mom fill the books.
The funny thing is, I don't have any memory of where we got the stamps, or anything that was purchased with them.

Ralph,
I wonder if my parents have the same card table and "weirdly folding chairs" that you mention.
My mom always mentions how that table and chairs are older than I am. I don't know where the table is currently, but the chairs are still going strong! There's definitely a trick to folding them. There's a little lever on one side, and you have to somehow pull the seat out and down or something. To this day, some family members can't work them. But, those are still the spare chairs that get brought out when we have extra guests over for any occasion.

Barry

 

[jamiel]

There were a couple of different models for trading stamps--one (as described here) had the little redemption centers. The other, which was used by the big brand in St. Louis (Eagle Stamps) had you redeem right at the place where you got them for $2.50 in cash/$3.00 in merchandise. The big issuer was the department store, Famous-Barr, which actually owned the scheme (another division of May Department Stores). They gave them into the early 90s, along with one of the local supermarkets, and smaller retailers in the area. We also had S&H, Top Value and Plaid, and Pink Stamps.

Blue Chip Stamps provided the basis of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway (they have grrrrreat cash flow as you sell the stamps now and collect the $$$, but only have to buy the gifts/open the redemption centers later, and you collect the interest on the float for all that time.

 

[cycla-fabric]

A & P Plaid Stamps

My mom was a loyal A & P customer, and I remember licking the stamps to put in the books. mom would collect enough stamps to get items that were useful. I remember her picking up a Howard Miller walnut wall clock (late 60's), that I still have today and it still keeps great time. I think it required 30 books to get this clock. I have seen it on ebay selling for over $300.00. I am not selling it as I enjoy having it and the function it provides us, telling time.

Doug

 

[combo52]

I do remember trading stamps

In this area, we saw S&H, green stamps and top value stamps.

It was rare we ever got them. My father and mother generally wouldn’t shop at stores that gave them because the stores that gave the stamps were charging you more for what you were walking out of the store with.

The whole thing was kind of a farce. It was a way for the stamp, companies and stores to make more money. It’s easy to see why it went away.

John.

 

[petek]

John, your folks sound like mine