Product Premiums, Advertising Collectables, Etc.

[ChrisMiss]

Seeing the Nescafe creamer and sugar bowl that Good Buddy scored yesterday reminded me of all the different items that various companies gave away so that we would buy their products.  Some of the items are easy to find in thrift stores and others are very hard to find.  Also many items most of us weren't aware that at one time it was a premium from a store or product until we bought it at the thrift store and researched it.  So I thought it would be fun to start a topic on these kind of items.  Do you collect any of them, what have you seen in the thrift stores, what is on your list to find?

I've seen a few of the Nescafe cups, think they are so neat.

I've seen dishes in the Golden Wheat pattern and they were given away in boxes of detergent, maybe other products.

Gas station gave away glasses, cups, etc.  I found some glasses that were from Arizona Blakely Oil.  When I bought the glasses I didn't know that's where they were from.  Pictured in post are those glasses.  Hard to believe they were a give away item but they were.

We've all seen M&M items at the stores I'm sure and items from Disney movies.  Maybe one of these is your favorite.

My favorite that I found in a thrift store was a set of glasses with Charlie the Tuna on them.  They reminded me of the older commercials.  I loved those commercials.  He's like Wiley Coyote, keeps trying and never succeeds.
   

[Other People s Junk]

My mom has a set of dishes that her stepdad picked up for her piece by piece at a gas station.  We ate off it when I was a little, then she switched to a set she got at Safeway, I think it was.  (Also piece by piece, if my memory serves me right.) 

Anyhow, the first set I think is called Regency Rose.  At least that is what my Mom calls it.  Anytime I see a piece in the thrifts I get all excited about it, even though it doesn't match my stuff at all.  (blue willow)  I mostly resist the urge to get them, since my mom still has all her pieces, but I couldn't pass up a creamer at 50 cents or some little butter pat looking things that I paid $1 each for.  (that is what the picture is of, but they are little.)

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

How cool! It makes me think of the Jean Shepherd film "A Summer Story." Mary Steenburgen's character-- Ralphie's Mom-- goes to the movies each week to get her free premium-- an official "dinner service to the stars" pearleen celebrity dinnerware set, featuring a new celebrity picture on each piece... Only each week the only thing they're given is a gravy boat.

Thirty gravy boats later, Mrs. Parker is NOT a happy woman.

I didn't realize the golden wheat came in boxes of detergent-- my mother had some of those at one point.

[Jay2TheRescue]

My mom has a set of dishes that her stepdad picked up for her piece by piece at a gas station.  We ate off it when I was a little, then she switched to a set she got at Safeway, I think it was.  (Also piece by piece, if my memory serves me right.) 

Anyhow, the first set I think is called Regency Rose.  At least that is what my Mom calls it.  Anytime I see a piece in the thrifts I get all excited about it, even though it doesn't match my stuff at all.  (blue willow)  I mostly resist the urge to get them, since my mom still has all her pieces, but I couldn't pass up a creamer at 50 cents or some little butter pat looking things that I paid $1 each for.  (that is what the picture is of, but they are little.)

A lot of that went on in the past.  I remember when I was a kid the glasses we had came from a gas station.  You got a free glass with each fillup.  My mother has some wine glasses that she says were gift items for going to the movies in the 20's & 30's.  They are very nice for something that was given away.

-Jay

[ChrisMiss]

My MIL collected a complete set of dishes from Winn Dixie.  They were Johann Haviland Blue Garland.  After purchasing so many groceries you got a dish free and then you could buy pieces to complete your set.  She had everything including the coasters or butter pats as some used them for.  I stole this picture off of ebay of the pattern.

As a kid I remember some blue willow kind of pattern dishes came in oatmeal boxes and probably other items too. 

Regency Rose is a pretty pattern, I've never seen that pattern before.  I wouldn't have guessed that they were once a give away item.

[nicejewishgirl]

Those little glasses called "swanky swigs" were giveaways and are now highly collectible.  I believe they used to hold Kraft processed cheese.  Also, Seal Test used to put their cottage cheese in little ceramic bowls with tulips on them.  I still see them occasionally at thrift stores.  My favorite give away though are those square shaped coffee mugs made by glasbake in assorted colors.  Those were giveaways by Lipton in the late 60's.  Those can get as high as $20 a piece on ebay. I'm sure these giveaways increased sales, especially the swanky swigs and tulip bowls because those were given away during the Depression.  Made people feel like they were getting a little something extra.

[Mattie]

This is a great topic.  I'm fond of company giveaways that advertise businesses, especially long-gone businesses.

Among my thrifted finds:
* Tape measures advertising Bell motorcycle helmets and the Barnett Tool & Engineering Company ("Serving the Motorcycle Industry Since 1948")

* A letter opener from the Far Eastern Shipping Co. Pacific Line, Vladivostok, U.S.S.R.

* A clear plastic paperweight containing two chips of iron ore from the Eagle Mountain California Mines of the Kaiser Steel Corporation

* A turquoise ceramic ashtray in the shape of the state of Florida, with a gold star identifying the location of every prison in the state, and labeled "Compliments of Florida Division of Corrections"

* A small oval metal picture frame with this printed at the top: "For good things to eat call the SUN DEL GROCERY phone 6957"

[ChrisMiss]

I don't think I've ever seen the square mugs at a thrift store.  I'll have to keep my eyes open for them.  I looked them up on ebay and they are really retro looking.  I like them.  

I do remember processed cheese coming in glasses, I didn't know that these are what's referred to as swanky swigs though.  My husband bought 4 small glasses at the thrift store to drink his wine in.  I knew from the size of the glasses that processed cheese had come in them.  Now I can tell him he's drinking a swanky swig!  

[ChrisMiss]

* A turquoise ceramic ashtray in the shape of the state of Florida, with a gold star identifying the location of every prison in the state, and labeled "Compliments of Florida Division of Corrections

That cracks me up.  I wonder if they gave them to the inmates as they were leaving.  ROFL

[Other People s Junk]

I think it's Red Rose tea that has given out the Wade figurines for so long... I see them in thrifts sometimes, but they always want alot for them. 

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Great topic!  Let's see:

1. Nescafe mugs from 1986--sent for, by saved labels from Nescafe coffe.
2. Morris mug from 1984--sent for, by saved labels from Nine Live cat food.
3. Morris tee-shirt from the 80s--Ditto  (DH and I couldn't afford to buy presents for each other during the 80s)
4. Garfield cups from the 80s--don't remember where we got these--McDonald's?
5. Lisa Simpson doll from the 1990--from Burger King, I believe
6. Fancy Feast Cat Food Ornaments--from 1985 till early 2000s--sent for, by saved Fancy Feast cat food labels (y'all noticing a theme here?)
8.  Bright orange jar openier from the now-defunct Bridgeport Post with a reprint of an 80s front-page with headlines: "Reagan facing major decisions The next few days crucial to future" from, what I can make out, 1981.
9.  Avco-Lycoming (also defunct) credit union fridge magnet, also from 80s.
10.  Thrift shopper tee-shirt for sharing the joys of thrifting: priceless.


For years, we used dishes that we got for shopping at Pathmark and spending a certain amount.

Ciao,
SeSo
 

[SecondhandSophisticate]

PS;  Mattie, I live in Florida, the state of God, guns, guts, glory, and fabulous prisons, home of America's Most Wanted, most frequent site of the filming of "Cops". If you ever list that ashtray for sale on eBay, please let me know. I must have it!!!  I'll be the hit of the gun range!

SeSo from Florida

[nicejewishgirl]

Swanky Swigs are from the 30's and 30's and have pictures of things like flowers on them.  Kraft used a similiar promotion in the 80's, but those glasses were just clear glass.  I have personally never found a square glasbake mug at a thrift store, but my friend Chad's mother found four of them at a thrift store in Greensburg, IN.  (We still talk abou that thriftscore.)

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

I was just thinking how much I'd loved the Welch's Grape Jelly glasses we used to get when I was a kid. We had a whole bunch of Looney Tunes characters. Some of them unfortunately died an untimely death. But they were fun.

I also found an original Star Wars glass that was originally from Burger King in the 70s.

[ChrisMiss]

As a recruiter my husband has gotten some pretty neat promotional items from various companies when he's gone to various career day type of events.  One time I worked for Ferguson and he'd been at a event and brought me a small racing car with Ferguson on it.  They were sponsors for one of the racing cars. 

We have a magnetic letter opener that we got from a bank in MN.  They then joined with another bank and the name doesn't exist anymore.  Lots of places used to give away great stuff and now it's hard to find any that give you anything.  Like rulers, hardware stores used to give them to you for free because of the advertising.  Now there's still advertising on them but you have to buy the ruler.