Unbased First Published on 12/02/2015
My brand was Lucky Star. Three ring notebook paper in nickel or quarter packs. Guy Baughman’s store and service station furnished most of them. Wardensville branch of Pendleton County Bank occupies same building now.
I’d run up after school, before second bus which brought me home. Grab a pack, pay my nickle and run back down to school to catch Mr. Warner Orndorff’s bus.
I’d spend time on my ride home reading the wide, bright yellow glued Lucky Star band around my paper. Wonderful little pictures of prizes I could get if only I saved enough wrappers. My eye was always first drawn to the picture of a bicycle. At home, I’d carefully remove that band, then latch new paper into my three ring binder.
If I remember correctly, nickel packs had one point bands. Quarter packs were five points. I liked nickel packs because five little thrills spread over a semester were better than one big thrill. I used to try to give paper away to kids whose notebooks looked a little slim so I could justify dipping into my egg gathering/BB buying fund for price of another pack.
Blue Horse was a competing brand. Blue wrapper with a picture of a horse and again small pictures of prizes. Trading material. Demand and supply. “I’ll trade you two Blue Horse for that Lucky Star you got yesterday.”
Trash cans were another source of bands. Became habit to glance into all school trash cans as I walked past. Occasionally, I’d strike gold when some careless kid had discarded my brand. Blue Horse was almost as good because of the bargaining value. Nothing made me madder than a Lucky Star band ruined with sloppy food on top of it.
I nearly filled a shoe box with Mallo Cup cards. Never sent away for any prizes, but I had enough, I’m sure. My favorite candy is all because of those little cards with play money printed on them. Small cardboard squares, easily sortable into denominations, rubber banded and stored in a box for safe keeping. Mallo Cups are still out there, I think, and perhaps still have coupon cards in them, but I quit saving about sixty years ago.
I do have an old meat carving set from my grandmother. On a visit to Chillicothe, Ohio, her home, we took a trip to the Plaid Stamp redemption store. She had small books of trading stamps she’d received based upon amounts she’d spent at various businesses around town. Stamps came with purchase of everything from gasoline to toilet paper and lettuce.
A large store, like a variety store of its day, shelves and racks of neat gifts with quantity of stamps necessary to purchase each item instead of prices in dollars. For some unknown reason, I passed up everything until I came to that fake bone handle meat carving set. Knife, two prong fork and a steel for straightening knife’s edge. Grandmother was sure I’d want some toy, couldn’t understand I’d watched Grandpa standing at table head, knife “snicking” against steel then slicing and forking over paper thin slices of Thanksgiving turkey she demanded.
Cloverine salve was another source of “prizes” back during school days. Whole classes signed up to sell to friends and family. Small round metal boxes of salve good for every condition from sunburn to chapped hands. I think there were other salves too that smelled better, maybe Rose Bud but Cloverine was most prevalent. Don’t remember what it cost. I know I never did so well at selling it because veterinarian, Pap, always had free samples of salves and liniments and no use for family spending money on things he got for free. Neither do I remember what sorts of prizes, class or individuals received for good sales.
I just came back from Kerr’s store in Wardensville. I bought a Mallo Cup. Two cups for $1.19 or 60¢ each. Used to get them for a nickel, I think. A five point card inside just like a lucky day in the old cards. Twelve times the price I used to pay for same size point card if I was lucky. Times change.
