Pennant Fever
EXAMINING 20th CENTURY FELT NOVELTY COMPANIES AND THEIR PRODUCTS
Locations: Through the 1960s, several different production sites centered around 427 Douglas Ave. in Ames; then, 532 Luck Ave. in Roanoke, VA where they remain today Founded: 1904 Closed: N/A; they remain in business d/b/a Collegiate Pacific, located in Virginia Maker’s mark: Until the 1960s, sewn labels of varying designs featuring multi-color graphics; made of paper at first, then satin; all made reference to their city of origin; then, paper headers of varying designs were used, with sewn labels re-introduced on select products more recently COMPANY HISTORYCollegiate Mfg. Co. didn’t put the town of Ames, IA “on the map” so to speak. That credit probably belongs to Iowa State University. Nevertheless, for eight decades strong, it was one of the most successful businesses in the state of Iowa. Through the 1980s, they were one of the largest makers of collegiate novelties in the country, including felt pennants and banners. Much like their rivals, Chicago Pennant Co., they too were known for the quality of their products, which were sold nation-wide, and today remain highly sought after by collectors of vintage felt novelty items. But unlike Chicago Pennant Co., however, Collegiate Mfg. Co. remains in business to this day--albeit, under a new name, and not in Ames. We’ll get to all that business later on. First, let’s examine their roots. a. Tilden Mfg. Co. According to the Ames History Museum, in 1869 George G. Tilden founded a dry goods store located at 205 Main St. in downtown Ames, IA. That business existed from 1869-1971 and survived in the same location for more than 100 years. Over the decades it functioned as a general store, then evolved into a department store and generally was known as “The Tilden Store” or simply “Tilden's”. By 1904 the business was run by George’s two sons and d/b/a “Tilden Brothers & Co”. One of these sons, Galen Tilden, saw an opportunity to make and sell felt pennants at the store. Remember now, at the turn of the century, felt pennants had only just become the latest fad in novelty items. And they were especially popular amongst college students--of which there were plenty of in Ames, home of Iowa State University (ne, Iowa State College). Galen took note of these conditions. He quickly saw an opportunity to bring in some new business. According to a 2014 article in The Ames Tribune, here’s how it all started: "The brothers, Lou and Galen, shared management responsibilities until Galen became interested in manufacturing college pennants, utilizing the alteration department for that enterprise. By 1909, the sale of pennants was overwhelming the women in the alteration department with the result that a special sewing room was set up on the second floor of the building across the alley to the north; the fast-growing manufacturing operation was still a Tilden Store Company operation." Not for long. In 1913, “Tilden’s Pennant Factory,” as it had become known, separated from its parent company when it incorporated as Tilden Mfg. Co. (TMC). It then gained a new home on the second floor of the Olsan Building, located just a few blocks west at 400 Main St. In 1927, TMC occupied a brand new three-story structure built for them known today as the Lechner Building (ne, Adams Building), located at 208 5th St. Remember that “special sewing room” they had initially expanded into, across the alley from The Tilden Store? This building, known today as the Octagon Center for the Performing Arts, was known for most of the 20th century as the Masonic Building, located at 427 Douglas Ave. It consists of three stories, and little by little, TMC would come to occupy all but the top floor, including the basement. Moreover, after TMC moved into the Lechner Building, an overhead enclosed walkway was built connecting it with the Masonic Building. This adaptation allowed the two properties to function collectively as the company’s nerve and production center for many decades to come. But the company’s footprint in downtown Ames wasn’t the only thing expanding. 25 years after making his first pennant, Galen Tilden and TMC had grown their product lines to include other collegiate novelty items, including felt pillows, athletic blankets, laundry cases, even band uniforms. In the late 1920s, TMC reorganized. The felt novelty component of the company was sold to a new ownership group consisting of five partners. Two of these partners were Chevalier “Chev” V. Adams and his brother, Clint. Within a year or two, the Adams brothers bought out the other partners, assuming sole ownership of the newly formed company by 1931. With Galen Tilden gone, the brothers renamed the company Collegiate Manufacturing Company (CMC). b. Collegiate Mfg. Co. Chev Adams became CMC’s first president. He held this title until his death in 1960. Under his three decade reign, the company vastly expanded its market share and grew into one of the biggest and most influential felt novelty companies ever to have existed. The Adams family had long been a part of Ames. It all began with the brothers’ father: M. Jay Adams. In 1889, Mr. Adams purchased an undertaking and furniture company located in Ames. By the 1920s, Mr. Adams assumed full control and renamed the company The Adams Funeral Home. That’s when he purchased a grand mansion located at 502 Douglas St. and operated a funeral home there for many decades. After Mr. Adams died in 1943, his sons Clint and Frank would take over for him. Chev, apparently, had no interest in the undertaking business--unlike his two brothers. By the 1940s, Chev was busy running the daily operations of CMC, located across the street in the Masonic and Lechner Buildings. After ten difficult years the company had survived the Great Depression. Many other Ames businesses were not so lucky. In 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the US found itself at war once again. In the blink of an eye felt novelties had little importance. During World War II, CMC proudly manufactured military items for the US Army. With an abundant supply of mostly female seamstresses on hand, the company stood well positioned to manufacture uniforms and other war-time clothing. Most notably, CMC made raincoats and ponchos. These products were made so well, CMC received the coveted Army Navy “E” Award for excellence in 1944, which Chev Adams accepted on the company’s behalf. In recognition of CMC’s contributions to the war effort, representatives from the two branches presented the company with--what else--a fish tail pennant! It had to be one of the biggest honors Chev and his company would ever receive. After the war came to an end, it was back to making collegiate goods for CMC. This 1949 post-war advertisement from “The Ames City Directory” lists all the many products contained in their catalogue, which now included stationery, hats and caps, and stickers. Additionally, “Stuffed Felt Animals and Dolls.” More on that later. Note the snazzy new logo introduced around this time. As it was prominently featured in their maker’s marks on their pennants throughout the 1940s, I feel inclined to discuss it further. The logo featured a collegiate-style font that read “COLLEGIATE MANUFACTURING COMPANY” with Ames, IA identified below. Behind it, a sewing needle appeared. Beneath this stood a diamond, filled with the abbreviation “CMC” spelled in a vertical orientation. Two pennants adorned the wings of the “M”. Not bad, eh? By the 1950s CMC products were being sold nation-wide. They now manufactured felt and other collegiate novelty items for dozens of different institutions of higher education. And, they were still looking to expand. In 1956 CMC acquired another established felt novelty company: Pacific Athletic Co., located at 14501 S. Figueroa Ave., in Gardena, CA--an industrial suburb of Los Angeles. In California, the resulting company continued being known as Pacific Athletic Co., or “PAC” for years to come. Legally, however, it was a California corporation operating under a newly created name: Collegiate-Pacific, Inc. If CMC was doing so well at the time, why the merger? Two reasons seem apparent. First, PAC had been established on the west coast for many years. Consequently, it already had accounts with many of the west coast colleges and universities. CMC wanted to expand into this west coast market; but they arrived a bit too late. Merging with PAC opened these doors somewhat. Now they wouldn’t look like the Iowa outsiders that they in fact were. Second, CMC was looking to expand into the apparel business. With PAC’s added production facility and labor force, they could do this easier. Additionally, Gardena was strategically located a mere 25 miles away from the fastest growing tourist attraction in the country: Disneyland, which had opened a year earlier in Anaheim, CA. Perhaps CMC saw an opportunity to produce a large number of Mickey Mouse shirts? Merging with PAC therefore made perfect sense from a financial point of view. Meanwhile, back in Ames, expansion at CMC occurred, too. With two production centers now online, and a third in the works, a central warehouse was needed to store finished products awaiting shipment to retail customers. In the mid-1950s, the old Ames Canning Company factory closed, thereby creating an opportunity for CMC to acquire such a property. Conveniently located along the Chicago & Northwestern R.R. tracks at 1949 E. 2nd St., this site must have seemed too good to be true! (It was. Read on.) In 1960 CMC President Chev Adams died. His successor was A. W. “Red” Littlefield, of Ridgewood, NJ. Littlefield had been a close personal friend and business partner of Chev’s for many years. Littlefield’s career, however, had centered around books--not pennants. He was a publisher, specializing in college textbooks. In the 1940s, Littlefield served as General Manager at Barnes & Noble in New York. Back then, CMC was Barnes’ Western Depository. Eventually, Littlefield started his own publishing company called Littlefield, Adams & Co. in Patterson, NJ. By the end of the decade CMC, and its off-shoots, would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Littlefield’s publishing enterprise. c. Collegiate-Pacific In 1963 CMC expanded yet again: this time, into Virginia. As they had done seven years earlier in California, the new corporation was, legally speaking, named Collegiate-Pacific. The rationale for this expansion was simple: the company wanted to be closer to its customers--ostensibly, those on the east coast. With production facilities now located on both coasts, and their mid-west nerve center in Ames, they now commanded a transnational presence that their competitors could not match. At 532 Luck Ave. in Roanoke, VA stands a one story, red brick building--complete with a basement. Nothing fancy. It appears that it was acquired to serve as the principal site for production of felt novelty products within the expanding company. That said, it remains possible, for at least a short period of time, that pennants were made at all three sites in the mid-1960s: Gardena, Ames, and Roanoke. From a business point of view, however, this makes little sense. More than likely, each location was tasked with making different products. It appears that Gardena became the apparel division; Roanoke the felt novelty division; and Ames served as company headquarters. With a presence now in three states, each division operated under different names. In Gardena, Pacific Athletic Co. maintained their old name through the end of the decade. In Roanoke, Collegiate of Virginia was born. Back in Ames the company was still referred to as Collegiate Mfg. Co. Within the company these three names were used to better distinguish each site. Externally, however, the company re-branded itself as “Collegiate-Pacific” (C-P). By the mid-1960s, all pennants, apparel, and other products began receiving maker’s marks identifying the company by this name. Remember that Ames warehouse CMC had acquired in the late 1950s? Well, by 1968 it was chocked full of felt pennants, banners, and stuffed animals; plus t-shirts and sweatshirts. In other words, very flammable items! On June 9, 1968 a lightning storm descended upon the town of Ames. The warehouse was struck twice, resulting in a conflagration that quickly spread through the 50 year old structure. By the time the fire was extinguished, the warehouse was a total loss. C-P sustained losses of $0.5M. C-P would rebuild the warehouse. Moreover, with their decentralized production facilities unaffected, the factories in Gardena and Roanoke were able to re-stock the company’s diminished inventory in time for the busy fall season, when orders were due to be delivered to retail customers. No doubt proud of this feat, the C-P marketing department used this experience to illustrate the company’s resiliency, as seen here in the below advertisement: By 1972, Andy Christensen served as President of C-P. His career there started with a summer job in Ames at CMC’s Shipping Department back in the mid-1950s. He went on to be a salesman, and eventually the head of the company. Through the 1970s and early 1980s, C-P continued making collegiate felt products, clothing, and stuffed animals, the latter of which was sold for many years under their “Personality Pets” line--many of which were collegiate-themed. But change was on the horizon. By the 1980s, the world had become a much different place than the one Chev Adams faced when he took over in 1931. Since then, the economy had gone global, and manufacturing jobs that had once existed for decades were moving overseas, where labor costs were significantly cheaper. For many American businesses, the signs were clear: outsource your manufacturing, or risk economic ruin. C-P had changed in many ways, too. For several decades, it had been owned by a New Jersey parent company, with no real ties to Ames. For the board of directors at Littlefield, Adams & Co., it was apparent that C-P could no longer compete in the marketplace and still make their products in the USA. Moreover, around the country, some of their fiercest competitors, such as Chicago Pennant Co., had to close their doors after 70+ years in business. A choice had to be made: move production overseas, or sell off the company’s assets and get out of the felt novelty business. They chose the latter. Being made in America had always been a close part of TMC/CMC/C-P’s identity. Their pride, too. By the late 1980s, most of C-P’s assets had been sold off. By decade’s end, nothing remained of the old operation in Ames. In Roanoke, however, the production facility and name “Collegiate Pacific” were purchased by two former C-P employees: Bill Webster and Chet Atkins. Today, both Littlefield, Adams & Co. and Collegiate Pacific live on. Littlefield is now based in Ohio and, according to Bloomberg.com, “principally engages in the design, imprinting, and distribution of young men's and boys' active wear products under various license agreements.” Basically, they make novelty t-shirts and sweaters. Moreover, 100% of their products are made overseas. Collegiate Pacific is alive and well and still operating out of the same building in Roanoke. In fact, Bill Webster and his brother Dan still run the company. Most importantly: they still make high-end felt pennants and banners using American labor, premium materials, and advanced manufacturing techniques. The only real difference from the past is that the Websters dropped the hyphen in the name “Collegiate Pacific” that their predecessors used for several decades. Today, Collegiate Pacific manufactures felt products for sale in college bookstores located at nearly 200 different campuses across the nation. Additionally, they also manufacture all Major League Baseball felt pennants and banners sold under the Mitchell and Ness brand name. In 2004, Collegiate Pacific celebrated 100 years in business. Now in their 114th year, they’re likely the longest running pennant maker still making pennants today. For more information on CMC, including additional images connected with CMC not featured above, visit the Ames History Museum’s terrific webpage at: http://www.ameshistory.org/content/collegiate-manufacturing-company KEY PRODUCTSIf you’ve read my other posts, you may have noticed there’s a lot in common between TMC/CMC/C-P and another manufacturer covered previously: Chicago Pennant Co. (Chipenco). Both started around the turn of the century, and as an offshoot of an unrelated business. And throughout the 70+ years that they directly competed with each other, the two companies generally sold similar premium quality, retro-style felt products. One felt item CMC sold with great success was the Personality Pet. Nobody else, not even Chipenco, tried to copy it. It started off in the 1950s as a felt animal stuffed with ground cork, made in the school colors of that particular college. Sometimes the animal resembled the school’s mascot at the time, like this depiction of Notre Dame’s sideline Irish Setter, whom they named “Terry.” Personality Pets became so popular, CMC extended production into non-sports stuffed animals. But enough about stuffed animals, right? Let’s get back to pennants and banners. One nice little touch unique to CMC’s pennants was the use of angled tassels. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, their pennants featured two pairs of tassels, all of which were cut at 45 degree angles. To complement this, they used a non-contrasting color for the pennant’s spine, i.e., the spine and the backfelt featured the same color. For an example of both, check out this Dartmouth pennant. Together, these two characteristics created a signature unique to CMC’s pennants during this era. By the mid-1960s, pennants were being made by C-P and in Roanoke. It appears that the company may have stopped using either of these two characteristics consistently, from then on. During the 1950s, CMC also ventured into professional sports. It wouldn’t last very long, nor create a great number of pennants; however, during this brief experiment they managed to create one of the most unique and sought after pennant styles on the vintage market today. Known amongst collectors as “3-D pennants” they were made only for four MLB teams: the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and Boston Red Sox. As the name would indicate, all four designs featured a minor three-dimensional element to the mascot artwork, e.g., Uncle Sam’s plastic bat and puffy beard, the Brooklyn bum’s plastic bat and hanging satchel, etc. During this same time, CMC also manufactured 3-D pennants for a handful of colleges. Nothing against the above products; but, these weren’t even their best work. For my tastes, I will always be a sucker for CMC/C-P’s cartoonish mascot pennants and banners of the 1950s and 1960s. And, while other company’s did make similar products at the time, nobody quite nailed it like CMC/C-P. By the 1940s colleges began introducing mascots along the sidelines of major athletic contests. Many were animals. Sometimes they were live animals. Oftentimes they were a human wearing an animal costume. Some were cute. Most silly looking. Others, ferocious. And, yes, many were mildly offensive in light of contemporary standards. In the late 1940s CMC took notice of this development. At the time, CMC was the selling agent for Angelus-Pacific, a decal company located in Fullerton, CA. Since the 1930s, Angelus-Pacific had been manufacturing collegiate decals sold across the nation. They, much like CMC, staffed an art department responsible for designing the decals they sold. One such artist was Arthur Evans. Allow me to say a few words here about the man…. Arthur Evans has been called by some the most famous artist you’ve never heard of. I don’t disagree. From 1932-77, Evans created illustrations for Angelus-Pacific depicting the mascots of just about every major college or university throughout the country. Oftentimes he would re-use the same image for different schools sharing the same mascot, e.g., eagles, tigers, etc. His work was so popular, others blatantly copied it. This all came in an era that preceded trademarked images and other legal protections for so-called “intellectual property.” Today, images of these vintage mascot illustrations survive on various different mediums. The confusion lies in identifying which designs came from Arthur Evans’ pen--or some copy cat. (Evans never signed his work.) Some people claim Evans’ characters’ eyes all look the same. But for me, the biggest giveaway is the use of a sailor’s cap. In fact, many of Evans’ mascots can be seen wearing a comical sailor’s cap (or, freshman cap/beanie) atop their heads, especially one bearing the initials of their school. Here’s a 1950 dated pennant by CMC featuring two of Evans’ creations: Because Angelus-Pacific did not make felt novelty items, it appears they loaned (or licensed) Evans’ designs to those that did. And, because CMC was already Angelus’ selling agent of their decals, CMC was first in line to receive his artwork. Their pennants notwithstanding, CMC’s felt banners represented the best examples of their mascot artwork. And many of these banners were filled with Arthur Evans’ colorful cast of mascot depictions. Perhaps the easiest way to identify a CMC-made banner from this era is in the layout: they often featured multiple mascots lined up together, each bearing a letter that spells out their school’s name or initials. Here is just a small sample of some of the felt banners CMC produced during the 1950s and 1960s: MAKER'S MARKSAnother difference between CMC/C-P and Chipenco was their consistent use of sewn labels. Whereas Chipenco always affixed a label to their felt novelty items, CMC/C-P did so inconsistently. Still, throughout the 1940s until the mid 1960s, labels were used by CMC, and briefly for C-P. In the mid-1960s, C-P replaced their labels with paper “card headers” or “toppers” that were sewn into their pennants’ spines. Unfortunately, while this identified the maker at the time of purchase, the header was intended to be removed post-purchase; and nearly every time, the consumer did just that. In my research, I have yet to come across a label or maker’s mark identifying a Tilden Mfg. Co. pennant or banner. I know I have to have seen or handled some of their products … but, I cannot recall ever seeing a maker’s mark of any sort for their felt products. Additionally, once the company was renamed Collegiate Mfg. Co. in 1931, it appears that CMC did not immediately begin using labels until the decade’s end. If I am wrong as to either of these beliefs, I hope someone will correct me! Label #1A (ca. 1935-39); 427 Douglas Ave., Ames, IA. This is the earliest CMC label I have come across. It was sewn into the pennant’s spine on the reverse side. Note that it was made of paper. Additionally, it likely pre-dates 1940 because the wool composition disclosure is absent. Finally, the pennant this particular label was affixed to featured painted graphics--not flocked lettering nor sewn letters--which CMC was not known for after 1940. Label #1B (ca. 1940-42); 427 Douglas Ave., Ames, IA. This label was identical to the above; however, CMC sewed the label upside down so that the rear surface was more immediately visible. Stamped on this rear side read “THIS FELT HAS BEEN STERILIZED AND IS 100% WOOL”. Therefore, this particular pennant it was affixed to likely was made in the early 1940s, when newly created federal law had just taken effect. Label #2 (ca. 1943-54); 427 Douglas Ave., Ames, IA. It appears that CMC updated their label in the early 1940s, now including wool composition info. Label #3A (ca. 1955-59); 427 Douglas Ave., Ames, IA. In the 1950s CMC completely re-designed their label. Now it was made of satin, not paper. Additionally, it featured red and blue text, which certainly made it unique among other maker’s marks of that era. Label #3B (ca. 1960-62); 427 Douglas Ave., Ames, IA. Take a second look above at the previous label. Notice those frayed edges? That happens with machine cut satin: it frays, leaving unsightly threads hanging from the cut edges. So, CMC began cutting the labels with pinking shears, to minimize this occurrence. For the last several years that they used these satin labels, the machine cut edges of the label would feature this zig zag pattern. Label #4 (ca. 1963); 427 Douglas Ave., Ames, IA. It’s not entirely clear when the company began re-branding its products under the name Collegiate-Pacific. By 1963 they had incorporated under this name in the states of California (1956) and Virginia (1963). Therefore, I suspect that this label was likely introduced around 1963, and for less than 12 months. Perhaps this was used in Ames to differentiate between their felt products versus those made in Roanoke, where they had just began making the same? Because I don’t believe the company continued making felt products in Ames long after Roanoke came online, that may explain why this label is so scarce today. Maybe this was one of the last felt products to come out of Ames? Note that other than a hyphen and the addition of the word “PACIFIC” this label is otherwise identical to #3B above, including the zig zag pattern on the machine cut edges of the satin label. Label #5 (ca. 1963); 532 Luck Ave., Roanoke, VA. Here we have one of the first pennants to come out of the company’s new facility in Roanoke. Much like the previous label, this one is rather scarce today. Shortly after production ramped up, the company ceased using sewn labels all together. Note that this label too was made of satin; however, the machine cut edges were cut straight, like they were throughout the 1950s, as seen in label #3A earlier. Also note that the tassels on the pennant it is affixed to were cut straight--not angled; and the spine has been replaced with a color contrasting spine that distinguishes it from the backfelt. Header #1 (ca. 1964-1995); 532 Luck Ave., Roanoke, VA. By the mid-1960s, it appears felt products were coming mostly out of Roanoke. Perhaps to avoid confusion amongst their customers, the company re-branded all felt products under one name: Collegiate-Pacific. This header bears evidence of that fact. Note that, for the first time since they began using any sort of makers mark, this header fails to identify where the item was made. This may be no accident. As the company was now making different products in three different cities, omitting the city of origin may have made business sense for a company that was trying to project itself as a transnational corporation. Here’s what this same header looks like after the consumer attempts to remove it….
Header #3A (ca. 1995-Present); 532 Luck Ave., Roanoke, VA. In the mid-1990s the Webster family assumed ownership of Collegiate Pacific. This header reflects that change. Whereas the previous style survived unaltered for several decades, this one is contemporary in every way imaginable. Note how many different colors it uses! Other than the “Since 1904” part, nothing in this marketing would suggest that the company has been making products like this for over a century. Header #3B (ca. 1995-Present); 532 Luck Ave., Roanoke, VA. At some point, perhaps because Collegiate Pacific understood consumers would remove most of the header post-purchase, they added the company name, address, and telephone number to the reverse side of the header--precisely where the stitching runs, to better preserve this information for the ages. They also perforated the header, thereby making it easier for the consumer to remove most of it for easier display. Good thinking, guys! Here’s what this same header looks like after the consumer removes the upper portion of it…. Label #6 (ca. 1995-Present); 532 Luck Ave., Roanoke, VA. In addition to re-designing the headers used on Collegiate Pacific pennants, the Websters also re-introduced sewn labels to their felt banners.
Note: All unquoted material on these pages is © 2019 K.R. Biebesheimer & Son. All rights reserved. Short excerpts may be used after written permission obtained and proper credit is given. ♦♦
15 Comments
Jeffery White
10/12/2018 06:31:10 pm
Having owned and sold pennants for decades I only knew that Collegiate and Chicago Pennant made the best. After reading the information provided here regarding these two companies I have a greater appreciation of their products and a knowledge of their history.
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Jim Harrigan
7/28/2019 02:15:53 pm
Hello,
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Roger Anderson
5/11/2021 04:02:14 pm
I still have a "Poochie the Pooped Pup", made by Collegiate MFG, of Ames, IA, which my parents got for me around 1954. The fur is gone, thanks to my mother washing it incorrectly, when I was a child. But, I still love it.
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Kim Bogesdorfer
5/15/2021 11:59:00 am
Penn State 3 Lions with Mountain Dew Jug 50 1960-62 Oblong Banner -- Cannot find. Middle Lion has a flower in her hat, they are carrying a Penn State Banner and looks like the tag was cut with Pinking Shears.
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Darren
9/20/2021 09:15:23 pm
I LOVE Poochie the pooped pup! My wife and I first discovered this precious and delightful plush a few years back, and have managed to accumulate and restore a number of them. They are an utter delight and I continue to seek out the elusive Blue one...:).
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Janie King
8/20/2022 05:41:39 am
My husband had a poochie growing up in the early 60s. They moved many times and after one move, poochie disappeared. Do you have or know of anyone selling a brown poochie? What does it look like?
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William Rittenhouse
10/14/2021 11:13:34 am
I have an old Stanford felt banner that I am trying to determine how old it is. Could I send you a picture of the front and back label? I’d be grateful for any help you could provide. Thanks, Bill
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Collegiate pacific
10/29/2021 08:34:04 pm
Please send pictures in email provided. Thanks.
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Tom Cotton
5/19/2023 06:56:48 pm
My father was a salesman with CMC in Ames in the 1950s and 60s, and had them make a very large Stanford banner for the Alumni Association for use at alumni conferences w.hen I was a student there in the 1960s. I wasn't aware that CMC made Stanford items normally. I don't know what happened to the large one.
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Karen Mullins
11/16/2021 05:39:39 am
Hi, I recently came across an old wool fraternity? Cap with a skull and moon design with the collegiate label inside. I would appreciate any information you may have as to its age etc. I can send pictures. I live in Roanoke Virginia and was curious if it was made here. Thanks in advance for your help.
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Adam McKenzie
7/13/2022 02:05:58 pm
Looking for information on Hilda the hospital personality pet, made by the Collegiate mfg. Co. I found one at a local antique shop but cannot find out any info on it. Looks like another one we have seen online but not the same. Other was a graduation puppy.
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Roger Knight
10/21/2022 05:08:51 am
Have a South Carolina Gamecock pennant from around 1945 - I have pictures of tag and pennant - any help would be greatly appreciated
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Alex F
8/18/2023 12:39:29 pm
most of these images are lifted from museum websites and uncredited
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-Ed.
8/18/2023 08:25:34 pm
Sorry Alex, I thought it was pretty clear where these images came from....
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James Wolf
11/19/2023 10:12:41 pm
I have an ND pennant from my past. Can you please provide me with more information on it as similar to one illustrated but without the pinking shear cut and is 100% wool
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About me...I collect vintage pennants and banners. Soon after getting into this hobby, I became curious about the companies responsible for their production. I had to look hard, but eventually found a lot of interesting information on many of them, and their products. This site is my repository for that research. Periodically, I will dedicate a post to one of these featured manufacturers. I hope other collectors will find this information useful. Featured Content:
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