I like reading ads from what I consider the “Golden Age of Advertising” (1958 - 1965) to get ideas (mostly just soak up rhythms and cadences) for my own copywriting. In an issue of McCall’s from 1964, there was a 10c coupon for Cascade.
The coupon was on a good, stiff piece of paper inserted as a separate page (like the supscription cards) and was new and crisp. Unlike coupons of today, it had no bar code; rather, it had IBM-type punches in it.
It just so happened that we were in need of detergent, so when we went to Target I proffered the coupon. The cashier didn’t immediately know how to process it, so she called over a colleague who said, “Yeah, we can take that.” We had already been rung up, so the colleague handed me a dime.
I wonder how many 40-year-old coupons Proctor and Gamble gets sent in every day. This was definitely the most fun I’ve ever had with a coupon. Do you have any old coupon stories?
I hate to tell you this but I am a vintage coupon collector. That particular coupon of which you speak is particularly rare and valuable and can easily fetch nearly $10,000 at auction.
Heh. That reminds me of the Dave Berg strip in Mad where a couple in a restaurant decide to show their contempt for the lousy service by leaving just one cent as the tip. We see the waiter looking shocked when he sees the tip tray–and then we see him dancing with glee because he’s a coin collector and recognizes that the penny he received is a rare coin worth a fortune.
A whole dime off? In 1964? Why back then I used to put a dime in my pocket, hop in my Studebaker, fill the 50-gallon tank with gas, pick up my girl, go to a drive-in movie, buy popcorn, then finish it the evening off with chocolate malts and a Chub-e-Burger, and still have three cents left to invest in US Bonds. Kids these days, eh? Don’t know the value of anything.
A similar gag was the punchline to the film UHF. A bum is given a penny by someone, I think the president of U62’s rival, yet he’s happy despite the fact that’s he’s been given a paltry sum. It turns out to be a rare coin that’s worth enough to save the station.
I’m a cashier at an A&P in Northern New Jersey (although I’ve never heard my cash register say “Hello, all you happy people!”) and I was once given a coupon from 1984 for Cascade. There was no expiration date, so I accepted it. It was a neat coupon too, but then again, I’m a sucker for any antiquated phrase like “10 cents of each purchase supports the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team!”
I once found an old coupon with no expiration date for a free something-or-other from a mail order catalog (yeah, this was that long ago). I got my order and a handwritten note (I told you it was that long ago) telling me the offer for the free something-or-other had expired. I suppose if I had a lawyer contact them, I would have gotten my free something-or-other, but it didn’t seem worth it.
A friend gave me 4 x 4-day passes for Disneyworld from 1992. He had used one day on them but there were three days remaining and had heard we could still use them.
Disney accepted them at the front gate with no questions asked in 2013 gave us 4 x 3-day Park-Hopper wristbands.
The teller at guest services laughed and commented they should be in a museum. The tickets said something like “unlimited access to all 3 parks for 4 days” and the price… $118!?
It’s likely that they would as long as the corporate entity is the same. In the years since 1968, a lot of companies have filed for bankruptcy and then been reborn under new ownership. E.g. GM, Sears, Sbarro. So if you have a 1968 coupon for 50c off your next purchase of ladies’ hosiery at Sears, it’s probably not legally good anymore because today’s Sears is not the same company and their outstanding debts (including unclaimed coupons) were discharged in bankruptcy. You might still be able to work out some sort of deal though, though of course they wouldn’t be legally obligated to take it.
If the coupon is legally valid but they refuse to take it, what are you going to do? Spend $5,000 on legal fees in order to sue for enforcement of a 50 cent coupon?
Tacked to my bulletin board I’ve got half of one of those split tickets, the part that says “KEEP THIS COUPON”. I’ve had it for about ten years. I’m still waiting for something to happen.
It’s obviously not as impressive, but I remember buying music at a bookstore with a gift certificate that was just a few days shy of being 10 years old. I unearthed it while cleaning up and figured it was worth a try.
But using a 40-year-old coupon is… just… cool.