 The Sperry and Hutchinson Company, started in 1896 in Jackson, Michigan, was the first third-party provider of trading stamps for various companies, including dry goods dealers, gas stations and later supermarkets.S&H Green Stamps, as the company was commonly called, opened its first redemption center in 1897.Customers could take their filled booklets of "green stamps" and redeem them for household products, kitchen items, and personal items.