S&H Green Stamps

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Sperry & Hutchinson Co., which printed the popular
Green Stamps, once claimed it issued three times
more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service.

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you’re a senior citizen, you may remember collecting
and redeeming S & H Green Stamps.

 S & H Green Stamps were the first trading stamps popular
 across the United States and Europe, although the
company did have a number of competitors.
 Big Bear supermarkets rewarded shoppers
 with Buckeye Stamps and A & P stores
 handed out Plaid Stamps.

 “S & H” stood for the Sperry & Hutchinson Co.,
which was founded by Thomas Sperry and Shelley
 Byron Hutchison in 1896. It wasn’t until the
1930s that the company’s rewards program
became popular nationwide. The little
green stamps were distributed by
 supermarkets, gasoline stations
 and various other retailers.

 The stamps could be pasted into booklets — their backs had
 an adhesive like that on postage stamps that had to be wet
to adhere — then the booklets were redeemed for “rewards”
 ordered from S & H catalogs or picked up at one of the
 S & H redemption centers scattered across the
country. The centers offered an array of
items, from China and linens to kitchen
 appliances and sporting goods.

 The 1960 Huntington City Directory listed an S & H
Redemption Center at 1046 3rd Ave. and
 identified Mrs. Hazel Atkins as
 the center’s manager.
 

Collecting the stamps was so popular that S & H once claimed
it issued three times more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service.
The recessions of the 1970s impacted Green Stamps and their
 popularity sharply declined. The arrival of the internet
 forced S & H to junk its stamps and establish an
online operation, but digital rewards proved
 unable to match the enormous popularity
 of the little green stamps.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on July 8, 2024.

-----------------------------------------------------------

[ Back ]