Abstract: A system for processing coupons, documents, or the like including the assembling multiple encoding and decoding of coupons, or other documents requiring coding for the purpose of making the coupon uniquely identifiable and traceable. A machine encodes individual coupons or booklets or other documents with a unique code, a subsequent machine reads the encoded coupon or booklet of coupons and applies additional information such as a person's name and address, and another unique code to the coupon, coupon booklet or the like, and records all of this data in a computer master data base. The coupons, coupon booklets, or the like, are then issued to the person whose name appears on the document. After presentation of the coupon it is then decoded and compared to the master data base to validate it or cancel it, and can be stored for demographic or geographic analysis in the master data base.