Abstract: The Collection of Philadelphia merchants records comprises the papers of major and minor merchant houses in Philadelphia throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and primarily documents trade with major port cities in Western Europe and the West Indies. Included are the papers of merchants Andrew Clow & Co., Dutilh & Wachsmuth, Manuel Eyre, and George Louis de Stockar, along with records of other miscellaneous merchants from the Philadelphia area. The records include correspondence, accounts, bills, orders, invoices and other material that give insight into the rise of capitalism in the Early Republic.

Abstract: Trading stamps were small paper coupons, given to customers by merchants, that had a minimal cash value. Customers could save these coupons and exchange them with the trading stamp company for premiums. The use of these coupons grew with the proliferation of chain gas stations and supermarkets in the early 20th century. Two perforated sheets of "merchant's coupons" (possibly trading stamps) are included, one with fifteen stamps and the other with ten. The coupons in this collection have no markings to determine the merchant or trading stamp company of origin.