Remember Chicago Marshall Fields' Stamp Dept. Circa 1950-S

Hi!
In the mid 1950s, I was a young stamp collector living on the NW side of Chicago. Twice, during downtown trips at Christmas time, my Mom brought me to Marshall Fields - mainly to look - not buy.

I recall their wonderful stamp & coin department. It was filled with displays of stamps/coins, and there were many beautiful hardwood cases and cabinets.

The customers (as I recall) were all older "well to do" businessmen dressed in suits/overcoats/hats. To this day, I remember feeling how "real" stamp/coil collectors were wealthy, and the overall experience obviously impressed me greatly.

Has anybody out there ever gone there?

I was born and raised on the NW side of Chicago, what part ?

I was raised around Logan Square, went to Lane Tech (class of 2/62). Made it down to Texas as fast as I could, getting here in '77.

Was this the place? Wow, what a store!
http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/mars..._fields.html

Yes, that is it. For many, many years it was THE store in Chicago. Like Harrods of London, Fields "did it all". Just having a shopping bag from Fields gave one status.

I grew up around Harlem and Kennedy expressway. I do remember going to Marshall Fields with my Grandmother. And do remember the stamp counters there. But this was mid to late 60's. My dad started me into collecting with a minkus album and for a few years my Grandma bought supplements but shortly after that other things vied for my interest.

I grew up in Detroit. We had J. L. Hudson's. Very large and ornate. They too had a stamp and coin counter. My dad had an account for yearly issues of West Germany and West Berlin. I got my first credit card through them. A $300.00 limit student card. Needless to say, first purchase was for a UN set. Good memories!

Taft H.S. here, I went to a few Taft vs Lane football games. Hop on the Addison bus and there in no time. I had quite a few friends that went to Gordon Tech.




Harlem & Higgins area I see. I lived in Edison Park for 30 years, 2 blocks west of Harlem and about half a mile north of Devon.

My wife and I moved to Chicago in 2004 and I am happy to say I must have been one of the last to see this great icon in the basement floor of Fields. It was closed at the time, but I marveled for maybe 20 minutes carefully going around and looking at the displays through the cage. As you said, thousands of stamps easy to see in so many wooden cases and quite a large store. The history of it could be felt even with lights off... But I was a bit depressed when I returned several months later and it was no longer there. Times have changed. The hobby is alive and well, just different.

is there a stamp store at Harlem and Higgins?

Hi

Was the Marshall Fields stamp counter run by Minkus? I know Minkus ran something in Chicago. In New York City it was definitely Gimbels.

Jerry B

WOW -----didn't know that there are so many "northside wimps" on here . I grew up on the SouthSide around 63th and Western .I when to Lindblom High School class of 1967 .Marshall Fields Stamp Shop was for wealth people and not collectors,real collectors would go to John Ross Stamps or Liberty Stamp Shop over in the Derborn Building .
My favorite was to buy stamps at COMPEX shows at the Palmer House .
The STAMP KING stamp shop is still up at Harlem and Higgins and I do not care its present owner ,but it was a neat place when Richard Drews had it and got some fanstatic deals there .

yes Marshal Field did carry and display a full line of Minkus products but it was independenly owned .

I grew up on 16th and S. 58th Avenue in Cicero and remember my parents taking us downtown each year to look at the Christmas displays in the store windows on State Street. As I understand it, Fields began decorating his store windows like miniature theater sets in the 1890s. My Mother occasionally took us shopping in the store but I don't recall ever stopping by the stamp department.

Heavens no. But there is the Har-Hig Pub, :)

I lived near 51st and California, went to Gage Park High School, class of 1968. Moved to Old Town when I was 23, lived North Side since. Still in Lincoln Park neighborhood, one block from lake.

We shopped at Marshall Fields, and mom or gram always bought me something at its stamp store, toy store, and book store. Ate lunch at the Walnut Room.

All men and women were dressed well when they went downtown in those days. Also well dressed when they went to a baseball game. Hat, coat, gloves, shined shoes.

Always bought important clothes (coats, suits, good dresses, winter boots) at Fields. Before it sold out to Macy's I bought a Spring tweed coat that will last for years. Still have some Field's shopping bags. Remember the dress boxes and shopping bags that they attached wooden handles to? Buy a dress and they would wrap it in tissue paper, put it in a large Field's dress box, and attach a round, wood handle on the side where it opened. And who can forget their hat boxes? If one couldn't find the right hat at Fields, one would try Carson's next.