At left is a photo of a Christmas card received by Frank Matthews Jr. in 1944. (Photo courtesy of the Negaunee Historical Society)

NEGAUNEE — Wondering what to buy someone for Christmas?

In 1944, Frank Matthews received the card shown here from his son Frank Matthews Jr. when he was stationed at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Ottumwa, Iowa.

It was a primary flight training base in Iowa’s heartland. The verse inside the card reads: I hope you’ll get a lot more stamps to add to these from me ’cause that’s the way we both can help to keep our country free. So save up all your pennies now, buy WAR STAMPS often too, Then every Christmas time will be a merry one for you!

And he included a booklet to put the stamps in and wrote on the spaces provided for stamps, Merry Christmas Dad, buy stamps. War saving stamps were issued by the U.S Treasury department to help fund World War I and World War II

During World War I, 25 cent interest earning Thrift stamps were offered to allow individuals to accumulate enough to purchase the standard $5 War Savings Certificate which was worth five dollars at maturity.

The stamps had to be affixed to an engraved folder called the War Savings Certificate, containing the persons name and had to be redeemed by that individual.

These stamps were issued in order to help pay for the cost of war. The estimated cost for World War I was approximately $32 billion, and by the end of the war, the United States government had issued a total of $26.4 billion for the debt.

The government and society leaders utilized the war savings stamps program to teach the importance of saving and thrift. World War II, was the most costly war in United States history.

In today’s cost it would have been more than $4 trillion dollars. To finance this massive effort the American government used a combination of measures, one of them included the selling of war bonds to the public.

The United States Treasury Department began to issue a series of war saving stamps in late 1944. These bonds covered about 63% of the cost of war.

The United States Postal Department played a major role in promoting and distributing war stamps. The war savings stamps that were introduced during World War II, were sold in denominations of 10 cents, 25 cents 50 cents and one dollar and $5, to encourage all Americans to buy bonds, even those of low income and to encourage children to buy stamps.

These stamps were purchased at face value and earned no interest. Filled collection booklets could later be used to purchase Series E war bonds. A full 25 cent booklet contained 75 stamps and was worth $18.75,

A full 25 cent booklet would be exchanged for a $25 war bond after a maturity time of 10 years. It was both a patriotic duty to support the nations war effort and an investment for ones personal finances. community organizations, banks, schools, politicians and others all promoted these saving programs.

Advertisements appeared as posters on trolley cars, songs on the radio, and movies featuring Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope. The Treasury Department developed classroom material that highlighted the positive impact of war saving stamps while enforcing math skills.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Negaunee Historical Society.