Table A1. Major US trading stamp... | Emerald Publishing

Table A1.

Major US trading stamp companies: operational timeline and highlights

Company name	Year established	Highlights and outcome
Sperry & Hutchinson (S&H)	1896	Achieved peak revenue of US$368m in 1969; distributed more stamps than the US Postal Service; issued 35 million catalogs annually; facilitated over US$10bn in merchandise redemptions; sold in 1981; major operations ceased in the late 1980s; Greenpoints digital loyalty program discontinued in 2020
Eagle stamps	1903	Introduced by The May Department Stores Company; widely distributed through May Company stores, Pick-N-Pay supermarkets and affiliated retailers; highly popular in the Midwest from the early 1900s through the 1970s; recognized as the third-largest US trading stamp company by the late 1970s; remained profitable until its closure on January 31, 1989
Gold bond stamps	1938	In 1978, Carlson Premium Group reported US$250m in revenue, with approximately one-third attributed to Gold Bond Stamps; the program declined during the 1970s as the company diversified its business interests, such as, hospitality (Radisson Hotels), restaurants (TGI Friday’s) and travel services (Ask Mr. Foster); the program was phased out by the early 1980s
Blue chip stamps	1950	Recorded peak revenues of US$126m in 1970, followed by US$102m in 1971, US$19.4m in 1980 and US$1.5m in 1990; merged into Berkshire Hathaway in 1983; legacy cash redemption of old stamp books continued until 2010
Top value stamps	1950	Operations were adversely affected by the 1973 fuel crisis; the program concluded in 1982
Gift house stamps	1950	Ceased operations shortly after the termination of its partnership with National Tea Company (a major Midwestern grocery chain) around 1970
King korn stamps	1953	Experienced collapse after losing major retail accounts, including supermarket chains Waldbaum’s and Daitch-Shopwell, in 1965
Triple-s stamps	1955	Initiated by The Grand Union Company (a supermarket chain) in 1955; gradually phased out by the late 1970s
E.F. MacDonald (Plaid)	1961	Plaid Stamps rapidly expanded after securing A&P, the largest US grocery chain, as its primary client, driving company sales from US$55m in 1961 to a projected US$115m in 1962. By the late 1960s, the program operated approximately 675 redemption centers, including 175 Plaidland stores. Following A&P’s withdrawal in 1972, which caused a US$20m revenue loss (about half of Plaid’s volume), the program entered steep decline and was gradually wound down during the 1970s

Company name	Year established	Highlights and outcome
Sperry & Hutchinson (S&H)	1896	Achieved peak revenue of US$368m in 1969; distributed more stamps than the US Postal Service; issued 35 million catalogs annually; facilitated over US$10bn in merchandise redemptions; sold in 1981; major operations ceased in the late 1980s; Greenpoints digital loyalty program discontinued in 2020
Eagle stamps	1903	Introduced by The May Department Stores Company; widely distributed through May Company stores, Pick-N-Pay supermarkets and affiliated retailers; highly popular in the Midwest from the early 1900s through the 1970s; recognized as the third-largest US trading stamp company by the late 1970s; remained profitable until its closure on January 31, 1989
Gold bond stamps	1938	In 1978, Carlson Premium Group reported US$250m in revenue, with approximately one-third attributed to Gold Bond Stamps; the program declined during the 1970s as the company diversified its business interests, such as, hospitality (Radisson Hotels), restaurants (TGI Friday’s) and travel services (Ask Mr. Foster); the program was phased out by the early 1980s
Blue chip stamps	1950	Recorded peak revenues of US$126m in 1970, followed by US$102m in 1971, US$19.4m in 1980 and US$1.5m in 1990; merged into Berkshire Hathaway in 1983; legacy cash redemption of old stamp books continued until 2010
Top value stamps	1950	Operations were adversely affected by the 1973 fuel crisis; the program concluded in 1982
Gift house stamps	1950	Ceased operations shortly after the termination of its partnership with National Tea Company (a major Midwestern grocery chain) around 1970
King korn stamps	1953	Experienced collapse after losing major retail accounts, including supermarket chains Waldbaum’s and Daitch-Shopwell, in 1965
Triple-s stamps	1955	Initiated by The Grand Union Company (a supermarket chain) in 1955; gradually phased out by the late 1970s
E.F. MacDonald (Plaid)	1961	Plaid Stamps rapidly expanded after securing A&P, the largest US grocery chain, as its primary client, driving company sales from US$55m in 1961 to a projected US$115m in 1962. By the late 1960s, the program operated approximately 675 redemption centers, including 175 Plaidland stores. Following A&P’s withdrawal in 1972, which caused a US$20m revenue loss (about half of Plaid’s volume), the program entered steep decline and was gradually wound down during the 1970s