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Allison Coupon Company collection

 Collection — Folder: S1958
Identifier: S1958

Scope and Contents

The collection contains an Allison Coupon Company "Improved Credit Coupon Check Book" from the 1890s in the amount of $5.00. There are fifteen pages of coupons in the denominations of: $.25, $.05, $.02, and $.01.

Dates

  • circa 1880-1890s

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Historical Note

Noah Allison founded the Allison Coupon Company in 1888. In 1880, Noah Allison moved his family to Indianapolis, Indiana from South Bend, Indiana. His desire to succeed in the business world led him to own and operate a coupon business. The Allison Coupon Company sold prepaid coupon books that local merchants offered to their customers to ease credit problems that were prevalent in a number of businesses during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Noah Allison’s main customers were coal mine company stores.

With the death of Noah Allison in 1890, his son, James Allison, took control of the family business and expanded their operations to include a variety of local and regional merchants. While operating the coupon company, James Allison began inventing items such as new fountain pens and car headlights. The Allison family retained control of the family business until it was sold in 1962 to Cummins Chicago, a manufacturer of document perforators that could personalize the payment books.

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2004/11/22 by Lucinda Barnhart. EAD finding aid created 2015/08/03 by Laura Eliason.
Title
Allison Coupon Company collection
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671