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Julie VognarMark says, a well-cut ZeeNut, no coupon he would grade nearmint; a coupon is a premium over that.
He says he's owned about 110,000 ZeeNuts, and guesses that maybe under 2,000 (NOT all his by any means) have coupons. He owns 650.
Not all oysters will have pearls, he says.
CORRECTION: ONE coupon wouldn't get you a prize. Each year, the company put out a list of premiums, and how many coupons you had to collect to get each.
For 5 cents, you got candy and 1 card, with coupon.
3 types of kids: baseball fans, liked photos. 2) 1919-- early 30s: game: ZeeNut shooting. 3) no interest in gambling or baseball, wanted coupons for prizes.
(all three of these are from different times)
25 coupons--baseball, key chain, toe or heel plate for your shoes, jump rope, collapsable cup, water pistol,
pencil box.
800 coupons: a tool set, a punching bag, a football, tennis racket, soccer ball, catcher's mit, fieldr's glove, wrist watch
500--pepper martin fielder's glove, football.
Of course, what we don't know is what the QUALITY of these things was. We must asssume the 800 coupon football was better than the 500 coupon. But how big, how good a tool set? A leather punching bag? Aregulation football, mit, glove? What kind of tennis racket. 800 coupons--that's $40! You could practically buy a car for that! (Well, not quite...)
It may have just been the trading instinct in kids--whatever you have is better than whatever I have. And of course, no one knew that ZeeNuts with coupons qwould ever be worth anything.