Any MLB HAT / CAP experts here???

[xpress34]

Re: KM Pro

Flaco -

I git your eMail and will respond to it later... however, what Lon said is along the right tracks...

I have to find the links I did dig up awhile back that discusses in depth that While KM Pro was the Manufacturer, they did 'Private Labeling' for McAuliffe - meaning that they made the hats but put McAuliffe's label in them.

As far as New Era (and I believe I found this info on New Era's site talking about their history) and it discusses their early days and them becoming a 'Private Labeler' for both McAuliffe and KM Pro before becoming the EXCLUSIVE provider to MLB... remember that during this time, both Wilson (and although rarer) Rawlings were still able to provide caps for MLB teams.

As I said previously, their is one other hat manufacturer - also from Boston (and I believe from the same time period) - called Lindsey who I believe was also part of the KM Pro / McAuliffe grouping as the one Lindsey I own is New Old Stock and still ahs the insert with is very similar in wording and such as my KM Pro Inserts.

I will take some picture in the next day or so of the inserts so you can see what I'm talking about.

Also, the one McAuliffe I own (like all McAuliffe's I have seen) has the KM Pro Logo stamped into the Leather Head Band.

I would love to see - or know what KM Pro / McAuliffe's you have or are watching that has you inquiring as to their background...

- Chris

[xpress34]

Re: KM Pro

Flaco, KM pro was a joint venture ( for lack of a better term) between Tim McAuliffe and Jack Kaufman. Hence the K M. The hats were produced by Kaufman and sold thru McAuliffe. The embroidery on the hats was done by Roman Art who also did the chainstitch NIC- NIT on the McAuliffe jerseys. Roman Art also produced for McAuliffe/ Stall and Dean all of the patches that weren't MLB mandated. In the mid '70's the New Era owner David Couch purchased at a bankruptcy sale, all of the Kaufman cap manufacturing equipment possibly in an attempt to eliminate competition in that area.
Hope this helps.

Lon -

Just wondering where you got that info on KM Pro being a Joint Venture. I've been looking for info on KM Pro, McAuliffe and Leslie (sorry, NOT Lindsey as I stated earlier) and how they are connected, company histories, etc and keep hitting dead ends.

All the best -

Chris

[flaco1801]

Re: KM Pro

chris... i have a dodgers light weight jacket made by km pro... always wondered if it was a gamer... found a s.f giants while researching that was made by km pro and it was proported to be a gamer....

[lon lewis]

Re: KM Pro

Chris, I used the term "joint venture" because I lacked a better description. The original McAuliffe Co. didn't mfr anything- jerseys hats ect were all done by someone else. Starting in the early '50's the jerseys were mfr'd by Stall and Dean. I don't know how far back the relationship with Kaufman goes back but they did the hats. In 1969 the McAuliffe "label" was taken over by Stall and Dean and they continued the relationship with Kaufman until the mid '70's when the Kaufman assets/equipment was bought by the New Era owner.
All of my KM info came from Richard Stall, the former owner of Stall and Dean.

[flaco1801]

Re: KM Pro

lon.. you ever see a km pro (jacket) gamer from the giants? or any other team... thanks, jeff

[xpress34]

Re: KM Pro

Here is a link to New Era's 'timeline':

http://www2.neweracap.com/category/14/About_New_Era/page/119/HISTORY.aspx

Check the 1960's and it talks about the end of their Private Labeling for McAuliffe and Stall and Dean.

What's also interesting is that in the 40's, New Era was making 'Private Label' caps for both Wilson and Spaulding...

As far as clothing Flaco - I'm not sure what KM Pro made... I know McAuliffe made jerseys for quite a few years...

- Chris

P.S.

Lon -

Thanks for the info... I just wish there was more out there about KM, McAuliffe, etc...

[joelsabi]

New Era hats

In 1974, 20 of the 24 team signed up to wear New Era hats.
By the early 80’s, 23 of the 26 teams were signed to wear New Era hats.
What teams did not sign with New Era during these times and what hat company did they use instead?

Any other information you want to add about New Era hats during this period would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance.

[Sincityson]

Re: New Era hats

In the 1970's the Montreal Expos wore PRO KM Caps.. This comapny mighthave made hats for other teams as well.

Example:

[Sincityson]

Re: New Era hats

Roman Pro also made hats for the Expos in the late 1970s:

[xpress34]

Re: New Era hats

NEW ERA History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1920: Erhardt Koch starts his own Cap Company - E Koch Cap Co.

1922: E Koch Cap Co. is officially named "New Era Cap Co." producing a full line of Men's casual and uniform caps, but few sporting goods caps. Newsboy or Flappers caps are created - 8 panel wool cap w/ short bill and loose fitting crown top.

1932: New Era's version of the baseball cap begins development.

1934: New Era's 1st pro baseball caps are produced. The Cleveland Indians Home and Away caps. No exclusive licensing - lots of competition for team's business including Minor League, International League, College and Local League.

Early 1940's: Now providing caps to a large clientèle (local, minor, college and Canadian teams) as well as plain caps for local outlets around the country that would sew on patches or lettering as needed. Also made more MLB and MiLB but the majority were 'Private Labels' for Wilson and Spaulding. (New Era made the cap and Wilson and Spaulding would add their own labels {tags} and sell directly to the teams).

Mid 1940's: Honus Wagner (coaching for Pittsburgh) requests a special cap to fit his unusually large head and New Era obliges.

Late 1940's: New Era debuts it's adjustable cap.

1950: Now supplying Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers as well as other teams under the Wilson and Spaulding 'private labeling'. New Era is now the ONLY independent maker supplying MLB teams.

1954: New Era's 'Pro' cap is modernized and named the 5950 (aka the 'Brooklyn Style' cap).

Early 1960's: New Era calls for an end to it's private labeling for McAuliffe and Stall & Dean brands - a task that took most of the 1960's to meet. To win teams directly, incentives were given including cleaning and reconditioning.

1965: Supplying about 10 MLB teams.

1969: Supplied Special caps for Apollo 11.

1974: 20 of the 24 MLB teams were signed up with New Era.

1978: New Era experiments with 'direct marketing' by running an ad in the Sporting News for Pro Fitted hats for $12.99. Response was overwhelming
and helped shape the fan driven pro licensing boom that hit in the 80's.

Early 80's: Now selling to colleges, local, MiLB, tennis, golf, custom order, military and 23 of the 26 MLB teams.

1986: In conjunction with MLB the 'Diamond Collection' Pro 5950 Cap (same as before) is sanctioned as an Offcial on-field product.

Late 1980's: Wearing "the cap the pro's wear" is now a major baseball fan element.

1993: New Era is granted the 1st EXCLUSIVE license with ALL of MLB to produce 'on-field' pro caps for ALL teams.

1996: Spike Lee personally requests a RED NYY Cap starting a new fashion trend.

1997: The New Era 'Flag' is introduced and has become a fashion statement in its own right.

2005: New Era unveils the "blue box' logo incorporating the 'flag' image and it's new slogan - "Originators of the True Fitted".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This information was all taken directly from the New Era web site.

Based on the information, it appears that beyond Wilson and Spalding, New Era was also making McAuliffe (hence K&M) and Stall & Deans caps up until the late 1960's. Leslie Brand caps are also tied into the McAuliffe / KM Pro brands.

I may be off on this, but I believe I had heard somewhere that Roman Pro was a Wilson brand product as well which would mean their caps were actually New Era caps as well.

Hope this helps some...

- Chris

[sox83cubs84]

Re: New Era hats

In 1974, 20 of the 24 team signed up to wear New Era hats.
By the early 80’s, 23 of the 26 teams were signed to wear New Era hats.
What teams did not sign with New Era during these times and what hat company did they use instead?

Any other information you want to add about New Era hats during this period would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance.

I know that, for the mid-1980s, the Red Sox used caps supplied by Devon.

The Phillies still ordered outside of New Era in the very early 1980s...Wilson and Annco.

Then, beginning in the mid/late '80s, Sports Specialties began making caps for sevral teams, although their caps were not exclusively ordered...Sports Specialties teams also ordered from New Era.

Dave Miedema

[xpress34]

Re: New Era hats

1993: New Era is granted the 1st EXCLUSIVE license with ALL of MLB to produce 'on-field' pro caps for ALL teams.

I forgot to mention that this is also the 1st year that the MLB 'swingman' logo was applied to the cap backs.

In 1994, teams wore the 125th Anniversary MLB 'bronze' pin over the MLB logo on their caps.

- Chris