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This guide is mainly written for dating Penneys & Penneys private label brands of clothing, but may be helpful for other venues.
Background:
James Cash Penney opened his first Golden Rule store in 1902 in a one room wooden building in Kemmerer, WY when he was only 26 years old. He stocked quality products at fair prices, accepted cash only - no credit, no mining company scripts, but also offered good customer service. The business grew and Penney bought out his partners in 1907 to become sole owner of 3 stores. He had expanded to 34 stores by 1912, then incorporated and changed the name to J. C. Penney in 1913.
Penney allowed his store managers a 1/3 partnership. He opened his 1st store East of the Mississippi in 1916, and by 1917 had expanded to 175 stores. Private label brands were a major reason for his success as customers liked the controlled quality and cheaper prices than brand names. It also gave Penney a higher profit margin.
Company owner / managers traded their ownership for equity when J. C. Penney Company went public and listed on the NY Stock Exchange in 1927. The company survived the Great Depression because it was then known for its lower priced offerings in its private brands.
Growth continued and there were 1496 J. C. Penney stores by 1936. The company reached $1 billion in sales in 1951 - 1 year before its 50th Anniversary.
In 1962, Penneys entered the catalog business by buying General Merchandise Co. which was catalog and discount stores. Penneys took over the mail-order business and changed the name of the discount stores to Treasury Stores. The Treasury Stores closed in 1980, but catalog sales were brisk from the start due to the addition of many more private label brands.
James Cash Penney died in 1971 at the age of 95 and the store logo changed for the last time.
Logos: Please remember that you are looking at the logo / font only; overall labels might be somewhat different.
These logos / trademarks introduced in 1922
This logo used from the 1920s until 1945.
This logo used from the 1930s until 1945.
This logo used from 1946 to 1957. Note that all letters are the same height.
Rare specialty logo used from 1951 to 1957,
This logo used from 1958 to 1963. Note that the P is larger than the rest of the letters;
The size of the P is the only difference in this logo and the 1946 logo.
Rare specialty logo used from 1958 to 1963.
This logo is known as the Atomic P and was used from 1964 to 1970.
This logo introduced in 1971 at the death of J. C. Penney and is still in use today.
When using this logo guide, please remember to use other dating criteria such as Fabric Content labels added under the US Textiles Product ID Act in 1960, the International ID for Wool added in 1964, and Garment Care Labels which were added in 1971 as there can be some overlapping of logos.
Some of the J. C. Penney private labels and their first date of use:
1914 Marathon (hats)
1920 Gentry Clothes
1922 Big Mac
1922 Pay Day
1922 Nation Wide
1924 Foremost
1920s Jaciel Cosmetics
1920s Belle Isle
1920s Ramona
1920s Honor Brand
1920s Waverly (hats)
1920s Lady Lyke (lingerie)
1920s Mary Lou, Little Jim (childrens toys & clothes)
1927 Towncraft * please see my Towncraft guide for more info
1927 Compass
1930s Ox Hide
1930s Sterling Outdoor Clothing
1931 Gaymode (hosiery & socks)
1930s Majestic (braces & belts)
1936 Travel Cool
1940 Glenshire (purchased from Aldens in the 70's)
1940s Swimaway (purchased the existing company)
1940s Highland Plain
1941-46 Jim Penney
1946- Ranchcraft (this logo revived in the 60s)
1949 Adonna (from Lady Lyke)
1955 Toddletime (childrens)
1959 Pima Prince (mens underwear)
1961 Hunt Club
1962 Penmere (womens sweaters)
1962 Picket & Post
1962 Carol Evans
1964 Surf Breaker
1962 Fashion Manor (linens)
1964 Penn-Prest (fabric treatment for clothing)
1964-71 Bruce Crumpton
1968 Oxhide (fabrics)
1963 Flexside Luggage
1969 Swing 'N Sew (sewing machines)
1970 Active Legs (pantyhose)
1971 Subtle Shaper (hosiery)
1971 Fox (sport shirts)
1971 Jr Hi Handbags
1972 Flexxtra (yarn made into pantyhose)
1972 Pencron (watches)
1973 Penneypet (boys clothing)
1974 Sheer Gold (hosiery)
1975 Super Cord (cotton/poly fabric for clothing)
1975 Penney Pride (pantyhose)
1975 Super Shaper (pantyhose)
1975 Divine Touch (pantyhose)
1976 Sunbacker Shoes
1976 Plain Pockets (jeans)
1977 Lunada Shirts
1978 Star Flight (boys)
1978 Prep Stop (boys)
1978 Young Gentry
1978 Finish Line
1980 Rio Grande
1980 Suited Separates
1980 Nite Owl (sleepwear)
1980 Par Four
1980 Windsor Bay
1980 Motion Skirt, Motion Pant, Motion Jacket
1981 Action Master Naturals (mens slacks)
1981 Hunt Club
1981 Stafford
1981 Morro Bay
1982 9-2-5 Shoes
1982 St. Johns Bay
1982 Comfort Suited Separates
1982 Liz Baker
1983 Austin Manor
1983 City Streets
1985 Jacqueline Ferrer
1985 Dividends
1985 Towncraft Socks
1987 Mix-It
1987 Weekends
1988 Christie & Jill
1989 Arizona Jean
This guide was written with the help of a staff member of the J. C. Penney Company Museum, the U. S. Government, and the Vintage Clothing & Accessories Board in addition to my own research.
This guide still under construction. Please notify me if you have any additions or corrections.
Background:
James Cash Penney opened his first Golden Rule store in 1902 in a one room wooden building in Kemmerer, WY when he was only 26 years old. He stocked quality products at fair prices, accepted cash only - no credit, no mining company scripts, but also offered good customer service. The business grew and Penney bought out his partners in 1907 to become sole owner of 3 stores. He had expanded to 34 stores by 1912, then incorporated and changed the name to J. C. Penney in 1913.
Penney allowed his store managers a 1/3 partnership. He opened his 1st store East of the Mississippi in 1916, and by 1917 had expanded to 175 stores. Private label brands were a major reason for his success as customers liked the controlled quality and cheaper prices than brand names. It also gave Penney a higher profit margin.
Company owner / managers traded their ownership for equity when J. C. Penney Company went public and listed on the NY Stock Exchange in 1927. The company survived the Great Depression because it was then known for its lower priced offerings in its private brands.
Growth continued and there were 1496 J. C. Penney stores by 1936. The company reached $1 billion in sales in 1951 - 1 year before its 50th Anniversary.
In 1962, Penneys entered the catalog business by buying General Merchandise Co. which was catalog and discount stores. Penneys took over the mail-order business and changed the name of the discount stores to Treasury Stores. The Treasury Stores closed in 1980, but catalog sales were brisk from the start due to the addition of many more private label brands.
James Cash Penney died in 1971 at the age of 95 and the store logo changed for the last time.
Logos: Please remember that you are looking at the logo / font only; overall labels might be somewhat different.
These logos / trademarks introduced in 1922 This logo used from the 1920s until 1945. This logo used from the 1930s until 1945. This logo used from 1946 to 1957. Note that all letters are the same height. Rare specialty logo used from 1951 to 1957, This logo used from 1958 to 1963. Note that the P is larger than the rest of the letters;The size of the P is the only difference in this logo and the 1946 logo.
Rare specialty logo used from 1958 to 1963. This logo is known as the Atomic P and was used from 1964 to 1970. This logo introduced in 1971 at the death of J. C. Penney and is still in use today.When using this logo guide, please remember to use other dating criteria such as Fabric Content labels added under the US Textiles Product ID Act in 1960, the International ID for Wool added in 1964, and Garment Care Labels which were added in 1971 as there can be some overlapping of logos.
Some of the J. C. Penney private labels and their first date of use:
1914 Marathon (hats)
1920 Gentry Clothes
1922 Big Mac
1922 Pay Day
1922 Nation Wide
1924 Foremost
1920s Jaciel Cosmetics
1920s Belle Isle
1920s Ramona
1920s Honor Brand
1920s Waverly (hats)
1920s Lady Lyke (lingerie)
1920s Mary Lou, Little Jim (childrens toys & clothes)
1927 Towncraft * please see my Towncraft guide for more info
1927 Compass
1930s Ox Hide
1930s Sterling Outdoor Clothing
1931 Gaymode (hosiery & socks)
1930s Majestic (braces & belts)
1936 Travel Cool
1940 Glenshire (purchased from Aldens in the 70's)
1940s Swimaway (purchased the existing company)
1940s Highland Plain
1941-46 Jim Penney
1946- Ranchcraft (this logo revived in the 60s)
1949 Adonna (from Lady Lyke)
1955 Toddletime (childrens)
1959 Pima Prince (mens underwear)
1961 Hunt Club
1962 Penmere (womens sweaters)
1962 Picket & Post
1962 Carol Evans
1964 Surf Breaker
1962 Fashion Manor (linens)
1964 Penn-Prest (fabric treatment for clothing)
1964-71 Bruce Crumpton
1968 Oxhide (fabrics)
1963 Flexside Luggage
1969 Swing 'N Sew (sewing machines)
1970 Active Legs (pantyhose)
1971 Subtle Shaper (hosiery)
1971 Fox (sport shirts)
1971 Jr Hi Handbags
1972 Flexxtra (yarn made into pantyhose)
1972 Pencron (watches)
1973 Penneypet (boys clothing)
1974 Sheer Gold (hosiery)
1975 Super Cord (cotton/poly fabric for clothing)
1975 Penney Pride (pantyhose)
1975 Super Shaper (pantyhose)
1975 Divine Touch (pantyhose)
1976 Sunbacker Shoes
1976 Plain Pockets (jeans)
1977 Lunada Shirts
1978 Star Flight (boys)
1978 Prep Stop (boys)
1978 Young Gentry
1978 Finish Line
1980 Rio Grande
1980 Suited Separates
1980 Nite Owl (sleepwear)
1980 Par Four
1980 Windsor Bay
1980 Motion Skirt, Motion Pant, Motion Jacket
1981 Action Master Naturals (mens slacks)
1981 Hunt Club
1981 Stafford
1981 Morro Bay
1982 9-2-5 Shoes
1982 St. Johns Bay
1982 Comfort Suited Separates
1982 Liz Baker
1983 Austin Manor
1983 City Streets
1985 Jacqueline Ferrer
1985 Dividends
1985 Towncraft Socks
1987 Mix-It
1987 Weekends
1988 Christie & Jill
1989 Arizona Jean
This guide was written with the help of a staff member of the J. C. Penney Company Museum, the U. S. Government, and the Vintage Clothing & Accessories Board in addition to my own research.
This guide still under construction. Please notify me if you have any additions or corrections.
Guide created: 08/15/08 (updated 10/30/09)
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