Saturday, July 27, 2013

Stampin' it up the S&H and Top Value way!


Did you ever collect S&H Green Stamps or Top Value Stamps at the grocery store?



I remember my mother collecting the S&H stamps and letting me stick them in the little book. I was always so neat with those stamps -- they had to be perfectly placed in the blocks on each page. I have no idea what she got with the stamps but I'm sure it was all anticipated with great excitement!

I just liked sticking those stamps!

The book itself was different too -- just a big S&H on the front as I recall -- no cute family deciding what they are going to redeem those stamps for! I wonder if those kids licked all the stamps for their mom like I did....



I had some of the S&H and also Top Value stamp books tucked away in my buffet. I was scrounging around for something or other in the top drawer which has turned out to be my catch-all drawer -- it catches all the stuff I don't want to fool with right away, but don't want to lose either! Anyway, among all the odds and ends and bits and pieces.... I found the stamp books!



Now these stamps are my own from when I was all grown up and did my own grocery shopping. The last time I remember getting something with stamps was in 1973 or so -- it was a blue wing back chair! I really liked that chair -- I have two wing back chairs now that are burgundy. Comfy to sit in. (But I didn't get them at the stamp store!!)

The books had cute drawings on the inside of people shopping at the stamp store (aka Redemption Center)!

Oh! Is that my wing back chair?
Actually, it was a more feminine looking chair with a kind of scalloped back and curvy legs (which is what I have now with my two burgundy wing backs)!




I found these coupons tucked away in one of the books -- they are worth 400 stamps total, or 1/5 of a book plus 100 extra stamps -- woot! woot!

When I was licking those stamps for my mother, they only had the single stamps, 50 stamps on each page. That's a lot of licking!!



The Top Value stamp books had a cool drawing on the cover -- all the happy people doing their shopping and collecting those stamps! Look at that blue sky -- it's a beautiful day for shopping!

Or filling up the family car at the gas tank! Look -- there's the guy to do that for you (WHAT?? You didn't do it yourself?? LOL!). I bet he cleaned your windshield too! Gone are those days!



Open it to show both front and back covers and we've got those happy shoppers rushing to the redemption center to shop and get free stuff! What fun! What thrifty shoppers!

I'll be listing them in my Etsy shop -- I figure somebody might want them to go in a nostalgic kitchen collection or for vintage paper ephemera to craft with, but for now I'm enjoying looking at them and remembering.... 


Sharing at
A Favorite Thing at Mockingbird Hill Cottage
Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove
Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's
GRAND Social at Grandma's Briefs


♥♥

30 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness I forgot all about these till the post! I am pretty sure my mom used these..I remember the books! :)

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  2. Yes, we saved them too. I remember getting a cool Indian style blanket with the books. I have some books and stamps in my paper crafting stash. Fun to use!

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  3. Very cool! Those books look older than me, but I kept Greenbax from the Piggly Wiggly when I was a little kid. It was the same concept. Now all the Greenbax are digital. =( Not nearly as fun!

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  4. We collected green stamps - some kind of blue stamps and Gold Stamps in the 70s. Don had a company truck and traveled a lot with it and would fill up on certain days or certain stations that gave double or triple stamps - what a bonanza. We still have several items that we got with the stamps - a clock in the kitchen shaped like a slice of bread, a baseball glove, a tea cart - oh it was fun to decide what we would get with all those stamps. My kids were too little to stick the stamps in - but I loved doing it myself.

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  5. I love this post! I used to put the stamps in rhe books for my Mom too. What memories. I wish I remembered what we got with them, but I do remember going to the S&H store.

    Happy favorite thing!

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  6. Now this was a trip down memory lane! We always saved S&H Green Stamps when I was growing up. I got my first transistor radio with Green Stamps!

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  7. I used to love these as a newlywed. I was able to get things I might not otherwise have been able to afford. Cute post. xo Laura

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  8. We collected Green Stamps, too--it seemed so magical to be getting something from a store for "free"!

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  9. I can still remember my mom collecting these when I was little! I also remember going to the store to redeem them!

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  10. I do remember helping my mom stick all the stamps on the books. What a fun blast from the past! Thank you for sharing it with us at TTF!

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  11. I too put the stamps in the books but it was a strange activity because my parents never wanted any of the options. I think we got a toaster once....

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  12. I did collect these stamps and bought some things for my home with the books! It was so exciting to get something for 'free'!!

    Linda

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  13. Since I am older than dirt I remember those stamps and I remember redeeming them. A great post.
    QMM

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  14. Oh what wonderful memories you stirred up! I can remember that my Mom would decide which market and which gas station to go to based on WHICH stamp they had. She didn't collect Green Stamps only TV Stamps and I do remember when they came out with a larger stamp that I think was equal to 10 regular stamps??? Just remember them being larger and needing lots less of them to fill the page. I know I collected them, too when I moved out and when my daughter was little but I don't remember when I quit?

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  15. Fun post ~ haven't seen these 'vintage items in a long time ~ thanks ^_^

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  16. Yep, I remember both of these stamps. I collected them and redeemed them for plenty of goodies that I still use today! I like your bits of blue; thanks for sharing.

    Happy Blue Monday, Sarah.

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  17. O. yes, my family used all of these. In fact, I still have a few of the S&H Green ones.

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  18. I guess I'm old because I remember collecting them when I first got married too! I love the books. I may have to run over to your Etsy store and check them out.

    http://agutandabutt.blogspot.com/

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  19. I always got excited when I was allowed to put lick the stamps and put them in the book! What memories!

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  20. What a cute post. I remember seeing those back in the day.

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  21. How fun to find your True Value Stamp book! I remember licking those Green Stamps and filling those books as a girl. My mother kept them in the kitchen drawer, and I remember handling them with care, they were just like money, you know.

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  22. Visiting from Grand Social. I remember filling these books for my mom when I was a kid. Loved it! A few years ago I went to La Vegas and was so amused to see an S&H Green Stamp slot machine! You "earned" stamps leading up to some big payoff. Actually it was a great scam to keep a person playing at one machine for a while! And I was definitely suckered in!

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  23. We did Blue Chip stamps, but it was the same fun, filling the books and going to the redemption center! I often see things my mom got at antique stores now!

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  24. Oops! Forgot to tell you I'm following this blog now!

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  25. Love the vintage pics, great post :)

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  26. We used to get tons of S&H green stamps when I was a kid. My Dad was a farmer and he got them for buying feed at the local Farmer's COOP. I remember driving the 50 miles to the closet store to redeem them. My Mom bought lamps, wall art, etc.

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  27. aahh...you're taking me back in the day!
    yes, yes, we had both kinds of stamps. I know we some got redeemed, but have no idea for what.
    and then what? pfft...gone! disappeared! Now I'm curious. How did they die out?

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  28. Boy, you brought back some great memories, here. I loved remembering these books. I helped mom put the stamps in the books too, but I don't remember anything she got with them. I'll have to ask her.

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