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Dating Cavanagh Hats by Liner

Brad Bowers

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,187
I've narrowed down some of the dates for earlier Cavanaghs using the addresses on the liner tips, and thought I post them for everyone to use.

The earliest versions would say John Cavanagh, Ltd, and "247 Park Avenue."
This version is from 1928 to 1936, and probably on the earlier side:
Address1.jpg


Here's a similar version, which dates 1935 to 1936:
Address1b.jpg


Sometime in 1936 (I haven't narrowed down the month yet), John Cavanagh, Ltd. expanded the shop at 247 Park Avenue. The block of Park Avenue that they occupied between 46th and 47th Streets seems to be made up of 237, 247, and 257. This placed John Cavanagh, Ltd. squarely in the middle of the block, originally. In 1936, they expanded into 257 Park Avenue as well, giving them 2/3 of the block, all the way up to 47th. They would remain at those two addresses until 1964.

They changed the address references accordingly, to "Park Avenue at 47th Street," which made it easier for the potential customer to identify the location. They would also list the mailing address as "247 Park Avenue at 47th Street."

Here's an example of that address change:
Address2.jpg


At some point in the mid- to late-1940s, the references to "Cavanagh Hats" start showing up, instead of "John Cavanagh, Ltd." This change may be throughout the brand, or it may differentiate hats sold through Cavanagh Associates, rather than at the Park Avenue shop.
Address3.jpg


This example is from 1952:
Cavanaghliner1952.jpg


The final change was to eliminate the address altogether, leaving only "New York." This appears to have occured mid- to late-1950s, and may be related to the Salesky Bros. purchase of Hat Corporation of America in 1956, as perhaps the simplification was a cost-cutting measure. The Salesky Bros. re-evaluated marketing after 1956, making certain changes, and indeed promoted the Cavanagh brand perhaps more than at any other time in the brand's history.

Here's an example of a typical Cavanagh liner tip from late-1950s to the present day:
Address4.jpg


This is my best timeline to date, and as always, subject to further interpretation. However, I stand by the firm date of 1936 for the first liner tip address change.

Brad
 

Brad Bowers

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,187
I've managed to figure out the secret hiding places of documents on the U.S. Trademark site, and have some addenda.

The official divisions break down like this:
1928 to 1936
1936 to 1950
1950 to 1961
1961 to the present

Earliest version, 1928 to 1936:
Address1.jpg

Address1b.jpg


1936 to 1950, approximately.
Address2.jpg


Hat Corporation of America formally made the change from "John Cavanagh, Ltd." to "Cavanagh Hats" on February 28, 1950, when the U.S. Patent Office approved their registration amendment. I don't know the lag time between filing and approval, as I haven't yet found the filing date for the amendment.
This change starts appearing by the late-1940s, so Hat Corp. didn't file immediately. But it's official in 1950.

1950 to 1961
Address3.jpg


This example is from 1952:
Cavanaghliner1952.jpg


The final change was officially amended February 7, 1961 by the U.S. Patent Office, but again, this seems to start showing up by the late-1950s.

1961 to the present
Address4.jpg


So, to sum up, some of the dates are approximate as to when they started to change, but we now have official dates of change to fall back on for dating purposes.



Brad
 

Brad Bowers

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,187
I've been slowly working on a new website, and one of the new pages that's up and running is Dating Cavanagh Hats. The website is obviously a work-in-progress, as I only have a few pages so far with information on them, but I wanted to do a dating guide quickly, and Cavanagh is actually one of the easier ones. The Dobbs one is going to be a beast, because of so many variations in liners. Obviously some of the information on the Cavanagh page will port over to Crofut & Knapp, Dobbs, Knox, and so forth. It's not a comprehensive list for Cavanagh, but I hope it's definitive enough to help folks date their hats to within a few years. Let me know if you think there are important things missing or how it could be improved. I'm afraid I've crammed too much information into it.

Brad
 

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