stampguyusa
Member 
Inactive
State Revenue Society Member #1119
Posts: 69
What I collect: Worldwide, USA used until self-adhestives, specialize in India
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Post by stampguyusa on Jan 17, 2021 2:49:14 GMT
My father was a stamp collector during 1930s-1960s. I was going trough his old US album, and found this unusual stamp. It is about the size of a Blue Chip or a S&H trading stamp. Anyone that could give me any information on the stamp, I would grateful. 
A. Andreatos "CASH 10 STAMP" Cash Value 2 Mills |
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rex
Member
Posts: 1,151 
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Post by rex on Jan 17, 2021 11:32:56 GMT
I don't think it's a stamp, maybe a discount sticker stamp for coupons, such as those for grocery items.
The term 'Mills' comes from the Latin "millesimum", meaning "thousandth part".
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,269
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Jan 17, 2021 11:36:54 GMT
Interesting Cinderella item.. While I cannot confirm identity it is almost certainly a store trading stamp . The text is English , the name is Greek and the currency value in Mills suggests Palestine or Egypt as the area of origin. EDIT: in view of what following members have posted, not familiar with the USA practices back in the 1960's , I seem to be entirely wrong with "Mills" being a Middle East currency connection . The consensus seems we are probably American, 1/1000s of a $1 after all.  |
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Post by daniel on Jan 17, 2021 13:13:52 GMT
stampguyusa it is definitely a trading stamp and probably USA. As rex suggests, the term mill in this context means a thousandth of a dollar as commonly used for trading stamps. A Andreatos would have been one of many companies using such a scheme.
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,657
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Jan 17, 2021 13:25:47 GMT
I can confirm that during my youth growing up in the US in the 1960s, trading stamps given out at supermarkets and other retail stores were often denominated in "mills". It was the only time I ever saw that sort of denomination used, and I can remember asking my parents about it at the time.
In the area where we lived, the most common types of trading stamps were: Eagle, Top Value, and S&H green stamps, although I know that there were probably other local ones as well, especially in earlier time periods.
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darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,145
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
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Post by darkormex on Jan 17, 2021 13:36:35 GMT
stampguyusa , it is possible, perhaps, that this was a supermarket trading stamp from a supermarket where your Dad grew up. Like Beryllium Guy above, I remember my mother have strips and books full of S&H Green Stamps. Perhaps your Dad decided to put it in his album on a whim.
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Post by daniel on Jan 17, 2021 16:28:45 GMT
The idea, of course, was to trade in the stamps for goods but, starting in the State of New York in 1904 and then spreading to other states, it became a legal requirement for the stamps to show a cash trade-in value. The shops got around this by minimising the cash value. Even today (some) shop coupons show a cash value.
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stampguyusa
Member
Inactive
State Revenue Society Member #1119
Posts: 69
What I collect: Worldwide, USA used until self-adhestives, specialize in India
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Post by stampguyusa on Jan 17, 2021 22:16:37 GMT
The idea, of course, was to trade in the stamps for goods but, starting in the State of New York in 1904 and then spreading to other states, it became a legal requirement for the stamps to show a cash trade-in value. The shops got around this by minimising the cash value. Even today (some) shop coupons show a cash value. Thanks for everyone's thoughts. I doubt very much the time period was the 1960s. And not for the area when he grew up, as my dad travel the country as a tree surgeon. His collecting was the heaviest during that time during the depression. He also had a collection of sales tax tokens, also denominate in mills. He was in North East and the deep South USA. My dad never left the country until WWII. He did no collecting during that period. In 1956, dad started giving his duplicate to his three sons, I was the eldest. I guess this will remain a mystery. Thanks again for all your thoughts and comments!
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ameis33
Member
What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet
Posts: 505
What I collect: Poland and Italy Republic
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Post by ameis33 on Jan 17, 2021 22:33:56 GMT
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Post by daniel on Jan 17, 2021 23:30:47 GMT
I agree that it's much earlier than the 1960s but it's difficult to be precise. I cannot trace A Andreatos. A Trading Stamp collector might have a better idea for this particular stamp. As I say, I am sure that it is a trading stamp.
Regarding savings stamps having a value in mills, I think that this is a matter of terminology. I recall that, here in the UK, Green Shield stamps were sometimes called savings stamps but were actually trading stamps aimed at exchanging them for gifts rather than being part of any kind of monetary savings scheme.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,657
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Jan 18, 2021 7:55:04 GMT
Just to be clear, stampguyusa, as I was the one who mentioned the 1960s in this thread, I only mentioned that time period in the context of my youth when I saw other trading stamps that were denominated in "mills". I never said that I thought your stamp was from that time period. Looking at your stamp, it certainly looks to have been printed well earlier than that. daniel mentioned that US trading stamps are known to go back to 1904, and I would imagine that your example could easily go back to the early 20th Century. The trading stamps that I mentioned that I saw in the 1960s were mass-produced and did not have the much more "local" appearance of yours. I also did a search for "A. Andreatos" but it did not turn up anything about your stamp. |
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