What were Gold Bond stamps?

Gold Bond stamps were given out by certain grocery stores with purchases. They could be redeemed for various goods from the Gold Bond Stamp Company catalog.

The Gold Bond Stamp Company was founded in 1938 by what is now known as Carlson Companies. The stamps were offered as an incentive program through many grocery stores throughout the United States. The stamps were meant to be organized into sets called "books" before redeeming them, which encouraged the trading of duplicates among collectors. Although the company is still in business, these stamps can no longer be redeemed. However, the Quad-City Times explains that they may have some value to collectors.