Thursday, July 25, 2013

SSI*

No, not Supplemental Security Income but rather a Sound Selling Idea for the typical retail shop owner circa 1950.  I've covered the Topps Premium Certificates here before and now I have a nice catalog to show what was available to Joe Shopowner.

I suspect this was a 1949 publication as it came with a bunch of Certificates that expired in 1950.  It's an 8 page accordion style flyer, although I have gone with a four page presentation here.


Can you say "whitebread?!"  The eagle eyed among you will note the presence of the original Bazooka Joe on the left front corner of the box:



You would have to sell a lot of Topps product to obtain a toaster and there were so many products available not all could be illustrated:



 2,155 half certificates for a type-writer?!






With one half certificate per box, and say 24 boxes per case, you would need to sell 180 cartons of  Topps products to get the typewriter-yikes!

Considering how extensive the retailer certificate program was and how thin profit margins often were, it's amazing Topps was able to make any money but indeed they did.

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