While I was paying homage to and celebrating the birthday of the greatest entertainer of all time, the Godfather of Soul James Brown, my facebook friend Jon Daniels asked if I had a set of Black and Brown Trading Stamps in the Museum Of UnCut Funk collection. At that time I didn’t. But I am now happy to report that I do. I just had to get my hands on this!
The Black and Brown Trading Stamp Corporation was established in 1969 in Oakland, California by former Oakland Raiders football player Art Powell, who saw an opportunity to create and reward loyalty within the Black community through trading stamps featuring Black American icons. The first and only icon featured on these stamps was James Brown, which reflects the fact that James Brown put up most of the money to start the company. The stamps were issued by Black merchants in Downtown Oakland to provide incentives to local patrons in the Black community. A full book of 50 pages of stamps was worth the equivalent of $3.00 in merchandise. During the first year the effort grew to include 1,000 merchants across California and generated over $1 million dollars in business.
Time Magazine Article
Retailing: Soul Stamps
Friday, July 11, 1969
Art Powell, all-star football end of the Oakland Raiders, was mulling over business prospects while recovering from a knee injury. What about trading stamps? Why, Powell asked himself, should a collector have to take the stamps to a redemption center and ex change them for gifts? Instead, Powell figured that a customer should be able to redeem the stamps where he gets them — for an extra loaf of bread at the grocery, or a tank of gas at the filling station. Powell thought that idea would appeal particularly to Negroes, many of whom could use the extra merchandise…
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- The Black and Brown Trading Stamp Corporation page 5
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- The Black and Brown Trading Stamp Corporation page 4
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- The Black and Brown Trading Stamp Corporation page 3
24 Comments
Many thanks for the great background research to this item, Pam. I’m thrilled to have this item in my collection. Deepest respect and admiration to you for all you are doing to preserve our culture and history.
Jon Daniel
would like to know how much is the vajue of James brown black and brown stamp worth?
I have two full book how much are they. Worth
Where can I turn these stamp n
I have a collection
Would you be interested
how much are you asking for them?
What can I get for them
yes I have a set of ten!
Did anyone find out a value on the stamp?
How did people get these stamps in the first place? Where they given out when a certain amount of cash was spent in a store, like some supermarkets do today?
is james brown stamp worth anything today I have 12
How much would 2 stamps in good condition worth today?
I don’t know if they have any monetary value but I have 20 pages of them in excellent condition in my old Black and Brown stamp album. Any collector is welcome to them
Cecile,
Do you still have these? Please email me at baronrok@yahoo.com Thanks! Conor
I remember them, c. Summer ’70, in Berkeley. I may have a few somewhere, and in my place, a search is a search..
please sell me album
I have a book of 42 pages plus three single stamps. No cover page. What would be the worth? Thank you.
Do you still have them?
Did you get your album?
You left out the Black female that was also an owner of this company, Jeannette Tucker. CPA, Fashion Designer, and co-owner.
I have regaled friends with stories of collecting these stamps as a kid. Finally with the help of the internet and the enthusiasm of collectors, I get to see a piece of my personal history.
Amazing! I have one half full of stamps! The empty pages have fun graphics, even has a gold seal on the back for extra savings! What a prudent shopper. 😉
There’s an empty book on ebay w photos so you can see the different images if you like. It’s $650 – ??
– seems too low. What a piece of history. I think of the folks who used mine, imagine them and picture where they kept it, what they bought and their exchanges with various cashiers. I wonder who they were!? A family? How many stores or just a corner shop, how long it took to fill?
Interested to find out if anyone knows the icons considered for another edition… so cool. Only in ♡Oakland ☆☆ Long live The Godfather and the funk! ○
Please contact me at osrsaltmartin@gmail.com I have some stamps and bonus stamps. Good condition.
Lived in East Palo Alto ’50’s thru ’70’s, when the town was renamed Nairobi. Mom got blue chip and black and brown stamps depending on which side of the creek she shopped on