Friday, June 13, 2014

Top Value Stamp Ad – June 15, 1960

Back here, I waxed nostalgic (whatever that means) about Top Value Stamps, one of the original customer loyalty rewards programs. Well, here's another ad for the trading stamp enterprise that ran in the Lorain Journal on June 15, 1960.

Besides featuring good ol' Toppie the Elephant, the ad is interesting because it lists the addresses of the various redemption centers, including addresses in Elyria and Lakewood. I tried to figure out where the Elyria redemption center was, but that address – 2023 Lake Avenue – seems to have disappeared. It's not on the Auditor website and it's unGooglable.

I'm guessing that Mom must have picked up our Toppie lunchbox at Krogers.

Speaking of Toppie, I found an undated image of him that looks pretty different from the familiar version shown in the 1960 ad. The tin sign (below), which is listed on Hake's is undated.

Here's a closeup of Toppie.

So it's either an early version of the friendly pachyderm, or an image of him all grown up with an appropriate middle age spread.

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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 13, 2014 at 7:03 AM

    Dan,

    That address at 2023 Lake Ave is at the foot of Adelbert St. As I recall, there used to be a grocery store there. Maybe a Kroger's?? Would make sense to put the redemption center inside or adjacent to a store.

    Living in Lakewood

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  2. Dan BradyJune 13, 2014 at 9:04 AM

    Thanks for that information! I kept clicking around on parcels on the Auditors website aerials and reading the corresponding reports, getting closer and closer to the 2023 address and then it would jump a few thousand! That makes sense that 2023 would be a shopping center! Thanks!

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