Posted 1 year ago
earthandma…
(131 items)
02/17/2025
Hello,
Here is a charge card from Marshall Field's Department Store, based out of Chicago, Illinois. I had the privilege of shopping there a few times, and eating lunch there (with coffee), before the company was acquired by Macy's. I am not sure how old this card is, but I have owned it for 13 years. I am guessing this card is from the early 1970's, but I am not certain. Any information?
Thank you for looking!
Marshall Field was a great store, here in NY we used to get their Christmas catalogs, I still have a snowman sculpture by them I put outside every year
earthandmagneto, Cool. :-)
Yeah, I'd say that the vintage is 1970s or earlier. It looks like it's smaller than the more or less standardized size of modern U.S. credit cards (approximately 3.25" x 2.125").
Here's one about the same size/shape, albeit different color scheme, described as being of 1971 vintage:
https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/213702
Not as old as this one from 1936:
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1461445
*snip*
Charge Plates are an old school term for credit cards. And yes they would place the card in an apparatus, place a 2 or 3 part carbon receipt over the card and run it across. Your name, acccount number and whatever else that was raised would be embossed on the carbon copy. You would get the customer copy of this and a store register reciept.
Some smaller stores will still manually run a credit card - or if the power goes out. Google "credit card manual Imprinter machine" and feast your eyes.
*snip*
https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Charge-Plate/td-p/4544864
Yeah, I recall still seeing that style even into the late 1970s.
Thank you, keramikos!
Thank you, Newfld!