Green Shield Stamps

[Daveandsydg]

Someone did get a car with green shield stamps, it was my dad in 1971
My nanna had a second hand shop and used to buy green shield and embassy coupons.
she bought green shield books at 40 p a book and sold them for 50 pence a book
my dad told her not to sell any and he would buy them all off her at cost
after a few weeks he had the required 1200 (I think) books
he had to go into Tescos for new empty books as some people had wrote their names in them before selling them to my nanna and he had to reback them and write his name in them.
we took them to the green shield shop in Blackpool in 2 big boxes put them on the counter and my dad said we want the car!
Green shield didn't want to give him the car as they said he hadn't collected all the books himself with the new backs on them.
My dad said there was nothing in the catalogue to say that you had to have.
After a lot of letters back and forward and my dad saying he was going to call the news of the world saying they put things in their catalogue that they had no intention of honouring the next letter he got was saying did he want a bronze one or a red one.
That is how we ended up with a 1300 X l ( WMJ 584K) costing £480 roughly half price.
We kept it about 6 months and traded it in for a cortina getting about £700 on a trade in

[battyrat]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I can still remember the taste of both Green Shield & Co-op stamps, bring them back...

Many stamps back then had a characteristic taste. Some of those pasted kiddies stickers also had the same taste.

[battyrat]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

Certainly helped for Christmas, which is why mum saved them.

It's surprising how many uncashed books used to turn up when buying large lots and collections of old stamps.

[Richard1978]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I am sure you could get stamps from the petrol station?

I they were one of the most common ways to collect the stamps.

When Green Shield Stamps had a comeback in the late 1980s my parents would normally get a small sheet of stamps which I would stick in the book.

[amethyst]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I am sure you could get stamps from the petrol station?

[Semi42]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I remember going to an amusement arcade, may have been Scarborough , was a huge machine , put 2p’s in and the prizes being green shield stamps

[amethyst]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I can still remember the taste of both Green Shield & Co-op stamps, bring them back...

Double stamps on Tues or thurs with co_op

[spuggybridge]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I can still remember the taste of both Green Shield & Co-op stamps, bring them back...

[Pussywillow]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I remember PINK stamps as well. Where they co-op or something ?

[George 1978]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

Could that be something to do with TV Licensing or the Coop? I have said it before on here - my late father used to have a chequebook-sized book with stamp sized grids inside to stick stamps in. He was a member of the Coop bank at the time, and I am almost certain that he also paid the TV Licence with stamps back then as well. It might have been something to do with the Coop which probably succeeded the first generation of the Dividend scheme.

I suppose that the stamps were the loyalty card of their time - did Tesco also use Green Shield Stamps as well? I saw an old newspaper advert circa early 1974 when they seemed to be going strong back then.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

Here’s a thing. I remember in the 80’s our local shop having stamps to collect. They weren’t green shield, and I think they were more of a loyalty card thing i.e. money off a shop when you collected so many. I think they were blue and came with a card to stick them to. Can anybody remember these?

[80sChav]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I recall these well (or rather the re-collections of generations of the family re-citing the story's of them to me)!!

The last time ever I saw any/bought any/knew of any was the 15th of April 1989 - the day of the Hillsborough Disaster from a Petrol Station between Sheffield and Mansfield (though probably nearer to Mansfield) when out with my Dad. It is strange - just like Princess Diana, JFK being shot etc and the Twin Towers/other Terroist attacks in America that day how on specific dates all have a link/connection no matter how remote it may be. Of course though April 15th 1989 was one day before my 12th Birthday, so that adds further to such events when associating/linking them etc
80sChav

[zabadak]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I seem to recall my mum and dad getting GS stamps when buying fags and using them to buy... fags! (I may be misremembering though...)

[tex]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

The Co-op also did "dividend stamps" commonly known as the"divi" they were blue and you got double stamps on tuesdays but these could only be spent instore. i think a full book was worth a pound

[staffslad]

Re: Green Shield Stamps

I remember there was a speedboat--like the ones they sometimes had on Bullseye--in one catalogue. Petrol stations often gave out stamps, so if you were a rep doing lots of miles in your car, you could quickly fill up books.