Black and Brown Trading Stamp Albums, 1969

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
170 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Special Collections Public Services & Reference Staff
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Preferred citation:

Black and Brown Trading Stamp Albums, MSS 16479, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.13 Cubic Feet This collection contains 2 letter folders.
Creator:
Derringer Books
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Black and Brown Trading Stamp Albums, MSS 16479, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains three empty Black and Brown trading stamp albums, and two filled Black and Brown trading stamp albums. Also included are approximately 75-100 unattached twenty-five cent Black and Brown stamps featuring James Brown.

Biographical / historical:

The Black and Brown Trading Stamp Corporation was founded by former professional football wide receiver Arthur Louise Powell (1937-2015) of the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and the New York Titans. He also played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles.

His goal for establishing the corporation was to increase patronage to black owned businesses in downtown Oakland, California, and promote pride by featuring Black icons.

The first and only icon featured on the stamps was James Brown, who put up most of the money to start the company. A full book of fifty pages was worth the equivalent of three dollars in merchandise.

Instead of redeeming the booklets at a redemption center, Powell's idea was for the customer to be able to redeem the stamps at the business where they were received for extra merchandise. It included around a thousand merchants across California and generated over one million dollars in revenue during the first year.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased by the University of Virginia Special Collections Library on December 4, 2019.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard