www.californiaperfumecompany.net     Issue 4 - July 2004

In This Issue:

• The Dating Dilemma - Part 2
• Upcoming Events
• Web Site News
• Word of Appreciation

Allow me to begin Part 2 of The Dating Dilemma by saying thank you to Richard and Rick Pardini and to George Gaspar. These folks provided two pictures of the rare 1898 catalogs discussed in the last issue of the CPC Newsletter. I wanted to include them here for everyone's enjoyment:

1898 Catalog (Small Version) 5 1/8 x 4 inches

1898 Catalog (Large Version) 7 x 5 inches

As I sat back and tried to determine a somewhat logical breaking point or division in the historical progression of the CPC catalogs, only one clearly identifiable distinction caught my eye - the catalogs' shape. Each of the extant copies of the CPC catalogs dating from 1896 through 1906 (that I know about or have been pictured in Bud Hastin's Avon Collector's Encyclopedias or the Western World series of Avon Collector's Encyclopedias) are basically square. Clearly in 1908 a second shape was adopted by the California Perfume Company for its catalogs: an elongated rectangle. Thus, the next set of catalogs to be discussed in "The Dating Dilemma" article covers the time period from 1908 through 1915...so let's go!

Some of the California Perfume Catalogs from 1908 through 1915

As was mentioned previously, the first thing that meets the eye when looking at the catalogs of this era is their shape. Again, these appear much more as elongated rectangular than square-ish like the editions of 1896-1906. Please also note that I do not include the 1907 catalog in these discussions because I have no information about that particular catalog.

These catalogs ARE amongst the easiest to date of all the CPC catalogs...well, almost (wink, wink).

Let's begin with the 1908 edition... As you may be able to see in the picture above, this catalog is the largest in terms of physical dimensions (8 1/16 inches in length by 4 1/4 inches in width). Additionally, the phrase, "The CP BOOK" is written in raised letters on the bottom of the front cover. The raised lettering on the 1908 catalog is extremely unique in that there are no other known examples of raised lettering used on the front covers of any CPC catalogs from 1896 through 1939. I will admit, however, I have no examples of the 1909 or the 1910 catalogs to finalize and completely "nail down" that claim. And, as a qualifying statement, the lettering on the hardbound color plate catalogs to be discussed next time have pressed lettering on their covers.

When we examine page 2 of the 1908 catalog, the first indication of its date is the copyright statement:

1908 CPC Catalog Copyright Statement

Short Passage from The C P Story in the 1908 CPC Catalog

A verification of this copyright date can be found on page 6 within the "The C P Story". The paragraph begins with, "Today, after twenty-two years of continuous growth..." Using simple mathematics: 1886 + 22 = 1908. Seems to check out! Also, one other point to make is that page 7 contains the mailing address of the California Perfume Company: 126 Chambers Street New York; Laboratories at Suffern N. Y.; Branches in San Francisco, Cal., Kansas City, Mo., and Luzerne, Pa. The address also checks out for the time period of this catalog. 

1914 CPC Catalog Title Page

I do not want to jump ahead, but I will for the purpose of making a point down the road a little. Though there was no copyright statements found, each of the CPC catalogs from 1912 through 1915 clearly state the edition by year on the bottom of their very first page (see the picture immediately to the right). This helps quite a bit when attempting to date the catalogs and the products pictured inside. However, there is one glitch! We'll get back to that...

The last catalog for our discussion is from 1911 (probably). The reason for the "probably" is that there is no clear indication of date in or on the catalog. Therefore, a little detective work becomes necessary!

First, let's look at the company address recorded on page 5 of this mystery-date catalog. The address is 31 Park Place, New York; Laboratories in Suffern, N.Y.; Branches in San Francisco, Cal., Kansas City, Mo., and Luzerne, Pa. The real clue is that the company moved from 126 Chamber Street to 31 Park Place on 3 May, 1909. The catalog, then, is older than 1909.

The second clue is reviewing the Perfume List as mentioned and performed in "The Dating Dilemma Part I." The mystery-date catalog contains an entry for "Honeysuckle" within the Quadruple Extract portion of its Perfume List on page nine. Honeysuckle perfume was sold by the California Perfume Company from 1910 until 1925. This catalog, then, is at least a 1910 edition.

Also from the Perfume List, the following fragrances were discontinued after 1910: Bouquet Marie, Frangipani, Golf Club, Lou Lillie, Marie Stuart, May Blossom, Stephanotis, and Ylang, Ylang. All of these fragrances are noted in the 1908 CPC catalog, however, in our mystery-date catalog, none of these scents are mentioned. This helps narrow the date of our catalog to 1911.

There is one other clue worthy of mention (and it muddies the water a bit). That's the real fun in collecting!!!!

As first noted in the 1905 catalog (but possibly earlier), The C P Story, now titled "The CPC Ideal" continued to recount the story of David H. McConnell's vision realized: the California Perfume Company. This short, succinct account provided representatives with a continued view of the company's past and the essentials for the company's present and future. For, our purposes however, we need only concentrate on the "number of years of continuous growth" as identified in this passage.

Already discussed was the fact that the 1908 catalog stated that there were "22 years of continuous growth" and that jived with the 1886 company-claimed start date (1886 + 22 = 1908).

Working from 1915 backward, the following short table summarizes "number of years of continuous growth" stated in each of the considered catalogs:

 
With each printing of a new catalog, the company was diligent to update the "number of years of continuous growth." - for a time, at least. In 1914, the statement, "over a quarter century," replaced the actual number of years. The statement was true and it didn't need to be updated from year to year. This was a smart business move, especially if the dates were ever to become "incorrect" - and they apparently did as evidenced by the "number of years of growth" stated in the 1911 through 1913 catalogs. Again simple mathematics state: 1913 - 26 = 1887; 1912 -  25 = 1887; and 1911 - 24 = 1887.

Admittedly, this dating fluke ads validity for the 1911 date on the mystery-date catalog, but it could easily produce a bit of confusion for a novice or non-CPC collector. You know, I would really like to see what numbers are expressed in the 1909 and 1910 catalogs!

Before I close, I would like to share the one hypothesis I have concerning the origin of this dating fluke - barring outright neglect and apathy - especially with the number of years being correct in the 1908 edition. It is only a hypothesis! If the 1911, 1912, and 1913 catalogs were produced in 1910, 1911, and 1912 respectively and quality control was somewhat lax, the "number of years continuous growth" reflected in each of the catalogs may have been correctly calculated from date of publication rather than date of issue. Without firm quality control, this error simply propagated through the years until the alternate "over a quarter century" was used in the passage.

Until next time...

TO BE CONTINUED...

There are two web sites that I wish to highlight this month: Avon Collectors and Avon Antiques.

Both of these sights offer many classic Avon collectibles for sale: primarily from 1960s-1980s thus far. The first site, Avon Collectors (www.avoncollectors.com), is the primary Avon marketplace of the two offering the opportunity to place "Avon For Sale" as well as "Avon Wanted" advertisements. The ads are currently $10.00 for three months. The Avon Collectors website is very clean (not cluttered), can be easily navigated, and provides pictures for many of the items for sale. Their stated mission is, "To help connect people who are seeking items for their Avon Collections and also those who wish to sell part or all of their Avon collections."  

The professed "sister" site, Avon Antiques (www.avonantiques.com), is definitely different! This web site is also clean and extremely simple/easy to use, but it appears to be a single individuals collection being offered for sale, or maybe a store, with every item having a picture display. Some of the links don't work yet, but the appearance of certain link buttons suggest other items will soon be displayed for sale. Avon Antiques offers no vehicle for advertisement submission as in the Avon Collectors website.

Stop by and check out these two web sites. As we all aware by now, you never know where an old Avon or a CPC is likely to pop up!

There is new "stuff" added to the CPC web site all the time. Please come by and check it out often!

www.californiaperfumecompany.net.

If you know of any worth while web site related in some way to CPC and Avon collecting, please let me know and I will include the site in an upcoming CPC Newsletter issue.

I always think it is perfectly in order to express appreciation. For the next moment or two, please allow me to express my deep appreciation and thanks to George Gaspar. My wife, Cindy, and I, along with a very dear friend (Judy), attended the National Association of Avon Collector's convention in St. Louis a few weeks ago. On our trip to the convention, George and Rick opened their home in Joliet, IL., so that we might come in and begin the process of photographing George's vast CPC collection. Cindy, Judy, and I arrived at George and Rick's just before 4:00 PM. Six hours and 300 pictures later, I managed to photograph somewhat less than half of the collection. Though exhausted after those six hours, it was truly a pleasure in every aspect: seeing soooo many CPCs in one place, visiting with George and Rick, and scarfing down some excellent pizza between my photographing sessions. George, I can not thank you enough for allowing us into your home and for the immense help you have provided to the CPC web site. My hat is off you and I hope all the best for you and yours...

George Gaspar Holding a Very Rare 1898 CPC Catalog

Previous CPC Newsletter issues are always available upon request.

Thank you and have an awesome day!

Rusty

I appreciate and welcome any and all feedback!!!!!

Always Looking To Hatch New CPC Stories