If you are not familiar with the Mallo Cups reward program, each time you mail in 500 of these points, they send you back a coupon for $1.00 worth of Mallo Cups.

I didn’t earn all of these. Most of the points are from my old man. He made sure these were always offered in a vending machine at the place he worked- though any vending machine company would’ve been silly to discontinue offering what had to be the most popular item at this machine.

My dad collected these in a desk drawer. When I was 12, he had me empty that drawer. For the next few days, I sorted these points and cut them up for easy transport. I felt rich for the first time as I did this.

Despite my bounty of points, I have never sent in a single claim. I don’t even know if the program is still happening.

A reader may wonder why I have not cashed these points in for the $150.00 of Mallo Cups they are worth: I suppose it is because my old man never really passed anything down to me that might be considered a family heirloom. These Mallo Cup points are just that, a family heirloom, on some level. If I cashed them in, what would I pass on to my son one day?