Did Spalding Sell Other Companies' Products?

[Jobu]

For those with Spalding catalogs from the teens through the 30s, do you know if Spalding sold products made by other companies in addition to Spalding goods? Or did they sell 100% Spalding products?

Thanks!

[horzverti]

In the early teens Spalding advertised only their own products in their guides. In the 1930s, both Reach and Spalding advertised each other’s products in their guides.

[Jobu]

Thanks!

[Huysmans]

In the early teens Spalding advertised only their own products in their guides. In the 1930s, both Reach and Spalding advertised each other’s products in their guides.

Despite the Reach name living-on and being continuously used, the company was purchased by Spalding around 1890. This is why you see both names utilized on products found in Spalding guides.

[Chris Counts]

The history of manufacturers can get quite tangled. As a cap collector, I see that Spalding caps practically disappear around 1950 when McAuliffe becomes a big player in the game. It's my understanding that some sort of partnership between Tim McAullffe and the Leslie Company included taking over Spalding's cap business. Yet I have a late 50s Spalding White Sox gamer, and a mid 60s Spalding Astros cap that's probably a salesman sample. You see the same sort of relationship between Goldsmith and MacGregor.

[steve B]

And there's the question of what Spalding stuff was.
For a while they sold bicycles, branded Spalding.
The chances they actually made their own are small compared to them being simply being from one of the big manufacturers, all of them branded bikes for other companies.

I would think that some other products were produced for Spalding by someone else. And that some smaller brands of some items were actually produced by Spalding.

[bigfanNY]

Well Sports geek that I am I know a litte bit about Spaulding bikes. They did in fact make their own bikes ,very well made. They had a contract with the US army to make bikes for troops. The 43rd Mountain more famously know as Buffalo Soldiers were tasked with testing them and determining the value bikes would have in combat. This would be around the time of WW1.
I looked them up because I have a very old Spaulding pin with a bike wheel background.
Hope this helps.
J

[bgar3]

Spalding not only acquired Reach, they also acquired Wright and Ditson.

[steve B]

Well Sports geek that I am I know a litte bit about Spaulding bikes. They did in fact make their own bikes ,very well made. They had a contract with the US army to make bikes for troops. The 43rd Mountain more famously know as Buffalo Soldiers were tasked with testing them and determining the value bikes would have in combat. This would be around the time of WW1.
I looked them up because I have a very old Spaulding pin with a bike wheel background.
Hope this helps.
J

That's interesting.
I wonder what other names they were sold under.

Nearly every major manufacturer has sold bikes branded for other businesses. In some cases they're identical, in others they make a small change so it's not obvious.
Raleigh eventually sold probably close to 20 different brands all produced in the same factory.
Schwinn produced bikes for maybe hundreds of local hardware store chains or even independent stores.

They were rolled into Albert Popes American Bicycle Company, incorporated may 1899 along with 41 other companies. (eventually 75 total. )
https://www.net54baseball.com/picture.php?albumid=123&pictureid=29097

https://www.net54baseball.com/picture.php?albumid=123&pictureid=29098

[bigfanNY]

Here is link to Spaulding bikes. Spaulding also sold Christy saddles so yes Spaulding definitely sold other manufacturers goods.
Also a picture of the 25th infantry and their 41 day bike trip to prove how useful bikes could be to army.
It is my understanding that an original spaulding bike would cost over 10k today.

https://bsamuseum.wordpress.com/1896-spalding-christy-saddle/

[steve B]

Maybe one of the actual military ones.

The regular production models don't really get close to that

https://copakeauction.hibid.com/lot/8266179/spalding-chainless-pneumatic-bicycle/?q=&ref=catalog

[Mark17]

I think there was some sort of tie-in regarding GU jerseys between the manufacturers too. Wilson, Spalding, and Rawlings (not sure about McAuliffe) all used the same Set tags during the 1950s and 1960s. I don't know if they all purchased the tags from the same source, but it's always made me think the manufacturing process of GU flannels by the different companies was in fact connected.

[bigfanNY]

Maybe one of the actual military ones.

The regular production models don't really get close to that

https://copakeauction.hibid.com/lot/8266179/spalding-chainless-pneumatic-bicycle/?q=&ref=catalog

Yes I was referring to a model 1897 military bike. Solid goodyear tires so no flats. Steel frame and rims. And most importantly it answers OP question, That Spaulding did sell other manufacturers products at their stores.
The article also stated that Spaulding was the largest manufacturers of Bikes in the US in the 1890's which surprised me.
J

[steve B]

Yes I was referring to a model 1897 military bike. Solid goodyear tires so no flats. Steel frame and rims. And most importantly it answers OP question, That Spaulding did sell other manufacturers products at their stores.
The article also stated that Spaulding was the largest manufacturers of Bikes in the US in the 1890's which surprised me.
J

That was a surprise to me too.
Looking some stuff up, Spalding actually bought the 40+ brands in 1898 before combining with Pope in 1899. Popes company was huge as well producing cars and motorcycles and some other stuff. It seems like the companies may have been close before that merger. That of course makes me wonder how much of Popes bike stuff was really Spalding, and what if anything Spalding used from Pope.

And this applies to other sporting goods, because there was always a lot of branding etc, like if I could sell enough gloves regionally, I would probably have someone like Spalding make them and put my name on them.

There are some pretty big minimums, but I can still do this today if I want to spend enough.

[coco]

Prior to 1892 Spalding purchased bicycles from numerous manufacturers including Victor, but because of a lawsuit between Spalding and Victor, Spalding claiming that Victor was not honoring the warranties on their bicycles, Spalding purchased a sewing machine factory in Chicopee, Ma in 1893 and started manufacturing bicycles under the Lamb manufacturing Co. name. Victor in turn, in retaliation to the law suit aggressively entered the sporting goods business, but Spalding got a leg up on them as they manufactured the first basketball in the late fall of 1893 or early winter of 1894. The original Victor Sporting Goods division only lasted about 4 years when they were purchased by an employee and Wright and Ditson. Eventually Spalding owned a controlling interest.
Albert Spalding became president of the ABC bicycle company in about 1899 which was a conglomerate consisting of numerous bicycle manufacturing companies in an attempt to streamline, reduce competition and to save the failing bicycle industry. Albert Spalding was only president about one year and shortly after he left the organization went bankrupt as did most of the bicycle industry.
Spalding had a big impact on the bicycle industry in the 1800's just as they did on almost every other American sport.

[Jobu]

Fun and unexpected conversation about bicycles!

Wikipedia says that Spalding bought both AJ Reach and Wright & Ditson in 1892, though I also came across +/- 1 year for both sales. Either way, it was the early 1890s and both brand names continued for some time. Thanks for the tips!

[bigfanNY]

I have a Spaulding 1913 -1914 Basketball guide with a list of Spaulding goods for sale and they also offer other brands through their store. If you would like copies of this let me know..
Happy Holidays
Jonathan