Green Shield stamps were launched in 1958 and became hugely popular during the 60s and 70s.
You received the stamps when you bought goods at a range of shops, from Tesco to your local butchers, grocery store or petrol station.
Shoppers were given books to stick them in, and when you’d filled enough of those books you could exchange them for a wide variety of gifts, from hairdryers to cars, listed in the Green Shield catalogue.
Each book contained 1,280 stamps, and you got one stamp for every 6d you spent, pre-decimalisation.
People used to hold Green Shield parties, where they stuck the stamps in their books, and completed books would be given as wedding presents or as gifts to new parents.
Some people can still recall the taste of the stamps, after licking thousands of them to fill their books, while others used a wetted sponge to spare their tongues.
As the popularity of Green Shield stamps declined, shoppers were invited to pay using part stamps, part cash, and eventually cash only, with the catalogue and shops rebranding as Argos.
When Tesco stopped giving out stamps in 1977, it marked the beginning of the end, with other retailers following suit.
The distribution of Green Shield stamps was suspended in 1983 and, after a brief revival in 1987, ended for good in 1991.
But many people still have fond memories of the savings scheme and the variety of items they bought using the stamps they collected.
One person recalled: “We had Green Shield parties to stick stamps in the booklets. Many neighbours had the same Green Shield-purchased ashtray, cigarette holder and lighter combo.”
Another remembered wryly: “Church people would paint signs saying ‘Jesus saves’, and others would add ‘Green Stamps’.
One person told how when they got married in the late 70s, their mother gave them a carrier bag ‘stuffed full’ of Green Shield stamps. “We were able to get an electric kettle, a pressure cooker and a toaster,” they added.
When a fourth person recalled how they bought a car using Green Shield stamps, only for their friends with ‘real’ guitars to make fun of it, someone replied: “From one Green Shield guitar kid to another, those were great guitars. Twangy but great.”
Below are nine of the best things you could buy from Green Shield catalogues in the 60s and 70s.
If you’re seeking more 60s and 70s nostalgia, you might like this look back at the things every teenager wanted in their bedroom back then.
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1. Space Hopper
A Space Hopper was listed in a 1972 Green Shield catalogue for two-and-three-quarter books | Getty Images Photo: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive
2. Tiny Tears doll
The Tiny Tears doll, which could shed tears after being given water from a baby bottle, was a popular toy in the 60s and 70s. A Palitoy Tiny Tears doll is listed in the 1974 Green Shield stamps catalogue for seven-and-seven-eighths books. The listing describes how the doll 'drinks, cries and wets' and has washable hair. | Submitted Photo: Submitted
3. Philips TV
A 20" black-and-white Philips TV was listed in a 1960s Green Shield catalogue, costing 90 books. It featured a 'simulated teak finish' cabinet. The model pictured here is a 1966 Philips T-Vette, which had an 11-inch screen. | Getty Images Photo: Keystone
4. Transistor radio
A 1960s Green Shield stamps catalogue features several transistor radios, from an Ajax Serenade model, costing just two-and-a-half books, to an Alba 'De Luxe' radio for 41 books. You could also get a National tape recorder with a microphone for 35 books. | Getty Images Photo: Reg Speller