Saturday, July 20, 2013

Letterheadings with Jim Jordan: Joe E. Pepper (1940s)




The back of this Pepper advertising card carries a June 10 , 1948  Rome , N.Y. Postmark. It was addressed to a Gloversville, N.Y. Hardware Store. Unfortunately there is no accompanying text.



On the plus side, the front of the card is nicely illustrated with some of Joe E. Pepper's baits. This late 1940s piece does give us some insight into  Pepper Bait Company history. During this time Pepper was offering 50 lures. This was a time when their line consisted almost exclusively of metal and  mother-of-pearl baits. Pepper was still advertising and selling his line from coast to coast. The card also mentions a catalog sheet, which waslikely mailed under a separate cover.  A number of Pepper's best sellers are listed, some with accompanying illustrations. The card does notprovide an address for the Pepper operation, it simply lists , Box 305, Rome, N.Y. This is a trend I see with Pepper paper from the late 1940s and '50s. I am unsure when or why Joe E. Pepper steered away from listing his 104 W. Park St. address. Pepper's ad campaign of this time period must have been pretty successful, as Joe E. Pepper baits turn up fairly often, still on their factory card.

Best Regards,
             
Jim Jordan

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