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Posted By: Robert Lifson

Hi Ryan! I’m not sure if “advertising premium” is easily defined as a technical term but to me they are usually items that are given away separately, as opposed to being packaged with, the product or service being promoted. R313 Fine Pens and R314 Wide Pens have always been called “premiums” because you got them separately from the product being purchased (almost like you were not purchasing them, but you still had to make a purchase to get them). The term “advertising premium” to me suggests an item that is given away that advertises the product or service, but which can only be received when actually purchasing the product or service; OR an item that advertises a product or service that does not require a purchase and would be a strictly pure advertising give-away. Like cards, premiums come in all styles, shapes and sizes. Some are considered cards by some, some are considered cards by no one, and some are considered cards by all. To me a 1947 D302 Bond Bread Robinson with text back that was given away separately (as opposed to packed in loaves of bread) is an example of an advertising premium that is a card, and a 1926 M101-7 Sporting News Supplement is an example of a premium that I do not consider a card.