The owner of one of the country's largest collections of vintage department store charge cards has generously shared images of them with the Department Store Museum. The cards are arranged by state, and more will be added in time.
If you were a customer of one of these stores, this is the item that you personally carried in your wallet or purse, identifying you as their customer. Possessing a certain credit card was also a status symbol of the time as well.
Most of these cards did not have a magnetic strip across the back, mechanical embossers of several different types were used to imprint the raised information on the plastic card onto a duplicate sales slip.
The Department Store Museum is indebted to Scott Nimmo for making this colorful, beautiful, and nostalgic exhibit possible!
ALABAMA
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| Pizitz Birmingham, Alabama |
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| Northern Commercial Anchorage |
ARIZONA
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| Diamond's Phoenix, Arizona |
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| Goldwater's Phoeniz, Arizona |
CALIFORNIA
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| Buffums Long Beach, California |
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| The Broadway Los Angeles, California |
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| Bullock's Los Angeles, California |
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| Capwell's Oakland, California |
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| The Emporium San Francisco, California |
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| Macys San Francisco, California |
COLORADO
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| The Denver Denver, Colorado |
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| Read's Bridgeport, Connecticut |
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| Garfinckel's Washington, DC |
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| Furchgott's Jacksonville, Florida |
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| Richards Miami, Florida |
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| Jordan Marsh Miami, Florida |
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| Maas Brothers Tampa, Florida |
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| Marshall Field & Company Chicago, Illinois |
MASSACHUSETTS
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| Jordan Marsh Boston, Massachusetts |
MICHIGAN
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| Hudson's Detroit, Michigan |
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| Herpolsheimer's Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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| Steketee's Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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| Jacobson's Jackson, Michigan |
MINNESOTA
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| Dayton's Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota |
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| Donaldsons Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota |
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| Powers Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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| Herberger's St. Cloud, Minnesota |
MISSOURI
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| The Jones Store Co. Kansas City, Missouri |
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| Brandeis Omaha, Nebraska |
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| Kilpatick's Omaha, Nebraska |
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| Bamberger's Newark, New Jersey |
NEW YORK
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| AM&A's Buffalo, New York |
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| Bergdorf Goodman New York City, New York |
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| Bonwit Teller New York City, New York |
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| Lord & Taylor New York City, New York |
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| Saks Fifth Avenue New York City, New York (also submitted by Thomas Defeo) |
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| Dey Brothers Syracuse, New York |
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| Polsky's Akron, Ohio |
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| Lazarus Columbus, Ohio |
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| John A. Brown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
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| Lit Brothers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Gimbel Brothers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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| Joseph Horne Co. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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| Pomeroy's Reading/Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
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| The Outlet Co. Providence, Rhode Island |
TENNESSEE
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| Lowenstein's Memphis, Tennessee |
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| Cain-Sloan Nashville, Tennessee |
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| Castner-Knott Co. Nashville, Tennessee |
TEXAS
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| Neiman-Marcus Dallas, Texas |
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| Sanger-Harris Dallas, Texas |
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| Titche-Goettinger Dallas, Texas |
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| Hemphill-Wells Lubbock, Texas |
WASHINGTON
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| The Bon Marche Seattle/Spokane, Washington |
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| Frederick & Nelson Seattle, Washington |
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| The Crescent Spokane, Washington |
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| The Diamond Charleston, West Virginia |
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| Gimbels Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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| Simpsons Toronto, Ontario |
Awesome collection Scott. You have been collecting for a long time and it has totally paid off. Linda Hughes
ReplyDeleteI still have my charge card from 1966 with my maiden name on it.
ReplyDeleteThese are fabulous-and they're all that smaller size they used to use!
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS GREAT! Notice all the cards (except one) were "charge plates" s they were called. Actually, prior to Garfinkels own card, as well as all the DC stores; they had what was named "The Washington Shopping Plate". Once you got an account at one store (be it Garf's, Woodies, Hecht's, Raleigh's or Landsburgh's) the same account number would be used for the other stores, should you decide to open an account with them. So you had the same account number for each store and one card. BTW, the card was ugly...light blue with a dark blue dome of the Capitol and all 5 stores listed.
ReplyDeleteI have the "Washington Shopping Plate" in my collection. I will be sure to include it the next time I send some scans of additional cards for the exhibit. Thanks for your comment. Scott
DeleteOMG...that is a relic! Thanks so much
DeleteKann's and Jelleff's also participated in the Washington Shopping Plate.
DeleteThanks, I forgot about them
DeleteWonderful time for charge cards in department stores. The salespeople would say your name, and actually thank you. I had several Allied cards,
ReplyDeletebut all of them said, " (-) A UNIT OF ALLIED STORES " , no corporation or symbol at the end. I didn't understand why Garfinckels said ALLIED on the back of the card. Also, Ann Taylor & Brooks Brothers said it no where on the card.
I still have my brown/beige Bullocks/Bullocks Wilshire card, along with the I.Magnin card that was beige and brown when Federated owned both companies. The original Bonwit plate (as shape shown above) was actually purple with the pink bouquet. There was NO DOUBT they were going after the female customer just based on the card. Allied was the only one that stuck their name on all charge plates, no other retail corporation did that until May Company in the mid/late 80s. Garfinkels did say Allied on the back until they became independent (and eventually went out of business). They used the same card to the end. BAK, if yo wish, I have an old SFA card with the old logo, prior to 1976, it is a brown and beige (seems too be a theme with most retailers of the mid 70s) I could try and send you if you are interested. It is the free flowing script and not the "nicer script" with name and address on plate.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this and all of your pertinent comments. I would love to publish the Saks Fifth Avenue card. If you can scan it (at a fairly high resolution) you can send it to bakgraphics@comcat.net.
ReplyDeleteI am delighted that you enjoy my effort so much.
Bruce
In the late 70's Allied Stores purchased the 'group' that included Brooks Brothers, Anne Taylor, Catherine's Stout Shoppes, Grafinkels, and Bonwit Tellers. I know this because I was a corporate buyer for Allied Stores from 1980-1985. In 1985 Robert Campeau purchased Allied Stores with the use of leveraged junk bonds (the first major use of this financial instrument on a large scale) just to get the real estate that Allied Stores owned. He proceded to sell off the department stores -- Joskes in Texas, Levys in North Carolina(?), Pomeroy's in Pennsylvania, stores in Indianapolis and the deep south which I cannot remember the names of. It was a sad time for many of us in the retail industry -- Campeau singlehandedly put over 10,000 people out of work in 2 or 3 short years...
ReplyDeleteI have some credit cards at home and will scan them and send them to you....
I have never seen a Catherine's card. What about Jerry Leonards
Deleteor Plymouth shops, weren't those part of the "group" too?
I remember all my Allied bills came from a place in Auburdale,MA....
Thank for your input . . . it was indeed a ad time and remains sofor those of us with memories of these fine stores.
ReplyDeleteBruce
It should be noted, that the time of the "charge plates" (all but Garfinkels)as they were called; Charge cards were considered to be Bank of Americard, Master Charge, American Express and Diners Club; most (not all, but most) store accounts were a 30 day cycle. Meaning, you had to pay your balance in FULL within 30 days, no revolving credit.
ReplyDelete