callin

By Jeanette Michalets

HEN DAVID MCCONNELL, a door-to-door book salesman, began manufacturing perfumes in the
1880s in a single room in downtown Manhattan,
he had no idea that his California Perfume
Company would grow into the mega-business now called
Avon Products, Inc. with over 3 billion dollars in sales annually. Nor did he realize in 1885 that his first door-to-door
sales representative, Mrs. Peter Foster Eames Albee,
would be the start of the Avon Representative as we know
her (and him) to this day. Mrs. Albee, a 50-year-old widow,
was the only general agent, or manager, employed by the

^o^^^

LEFT: "Avon Outlook," representatives selling guide, promoting cutlery

prize, 1959. BELOW, left. 10th Anniversary plate, 1987, 8 1/2", porcelain,
awarded for 10 years' service, value: approx. $10-$15. BELOW, right 20th
Anniversary plate, first issued in 1987, 8 1/2", porcelain, awarded for
20 years service, value: approx. $15-$20.

A V O N ANNIVERSARY

!*

A V O N ANNIVERSARY
THE FIRST AVON REPRESENTATIVE
Mrs. P.F.E. AlK-f wa> thv tust
. the ("iiliiornn Pcrtuine Cnm
K-iTiiid rhc ir.ulmon ol opxiriunitY "'
scrvKf thiit Avon Rcprt'somnv
itrej ti>i over 100 ycjirs.

PERFUME COMPANY]

*?:''

With our fast-paced lives,

\[d "' Avon

lengthy home visits from

representatives wearing
gloves and pearls,
are a thing of the past,
but the unconditional
guarantee offered with
Avon Products remains
a strong selling tool
I

' iy/

^^r

California Perfume Company in its first

six months of operation. By the time of
Mr. McConnell's death in 1937, his company employed over 30,000 agents and totaled sales in the millions.
Avon Representatives remain t h e
lifeblood of the Avon Company today, although things have changed since the company's beginnings. A customer can now
purchase Avon perfumes, cosmetics and
gift items online from their Representative, or even directly from the company itself. With our fast-paced lives,
lengthy home visits from representatives
wearing gloves and pearls, are a thing of
the past, hut the unconditional guarantee
offered with Avon Products remains a
strong selling tool.
As Mr. McConnell himself wrote in 1903,
"My ambition was to
manufacture a line
goods that would
-i-i^^
be consumed, used ^
up, and to sell it
through canvass- I
von
I
ing agents, direct
from the factory to
the consumer. The
starting of the perfume business was \
the result of most
careful and thorough investigation,

iX-^

March 2011

,!,, . L , l h .

iLouufia. l.( Kr,,,.MntaLi.T, .h

u. R.l ..a rnin, tU)t!.S.kHi

guided by the experience of several years'

successful operation in the book business.
He went on to add, " My ambition was to
manufacture a line of goods superior to any
other, to be moneyed value into the goods
themselves, and just enough money in the
package to make them respectable..."
Although Mr. McConnell began his company in New York, he named it the
California Perfume Company because he

ABOVE, \eh.
Special edition
representatives'
guide promoting
earning sovings
bonds, 1956.
ABOVE, right
"Avon Outlook,"
Christmas, 1957.
BELOW: Avon
catalog page
featuring beautiful
talcum gifts,
Christmas, 1958.

ABOVE, left. 1958 Sales Brochure.

ABOVE, right-. "Avon Outlook," 1958.
BELOW, left: Mrs. Albee figurine award,
1985, hand painted porcelain, 8th in series,
approx. value: $35-$50. BELOW, rigf)t Avon
Sugar Bowl Club sugar bowl, 1960,
awarded to representatives for acquiring
new customers, approx. value: $25.

had "glowing reports of

the country" from his
former employer in the
book business who had
moved to California.
McConnell recounted in
1903 how he "had
started the perfume
business in a space
scarcely larger than an
ordinary kitchen pantry."
The first scents he manSelling ufactured were Violet,
White Rose, Heliotrope,
Avon is Lily of the Valley and
According to
FUN! Hyacinth.
McConnell, his "were as
fine an odor as the old
tried and true perfumes." Thus, the successful California
Perfume Company was launched.
David McConnell's small California
Perfume Company grew rapidly from its
humble beginnings. In 1914, a Canadian
office was opened in Montreal and by 1920,
company sales had reached $1,000,000. In
1928, the first line of products called
"Avon" were introduced. They included a
toothbrush, cleaner and talcum. In 1936,
cities in the Midwest were divided into
selling "territories." A Representative
would have her own territory to sell in and
she would have a manager who oversaw
multiple territories. This later became the
way the entire company was structured.

BOWL ClUB

Antiques & Collecting

SPRING/SUMMER 1976

CATALG
<*-MAKEUP COUR CHAP

Avon Products, Inc., is celebrating its

125th year in business in 2011. It has
grown to a worldwide company built on the
strength of hard working women and men
selling door to door with quality products.
The change from the name, "The California
Perfume Company" to "Avon Products,
Inc." took place in 1939. McConnell decided
on the name, "Avon," because the town in
which he lived in New York and where he
built his first laboratory in 1897, reminded
him of Stratford-on-Avon in England. By
1949, Avon Products, Inc. boasted plants in
Sufi"ern, New York City, Chicago, Kansas
City, Middletown, and Pasadena.
Many people remember the popular slogan from TV advertising, "Ding-Dong,
Avon Calling," that was adopted in 1954.
In 1958, Representatives were reminded
of the power of television in "Avon
Outlook," a magazine for Representatives
and managers. "9 out of every 10 families
in your own territory will hear the familiar 'Avon Calling' greeting an average of 12
times each week!" the magazine stated.
"No wonder doors open wide...and greetings are warm and cordial when
Representatives call...that's powerful advance publicity!"
The following year, sales brochures were
introduced to aid Representatives in selling and in 1964, the "advance call-back"
brochure was introduced. Representatives
March 2011

.M.
188tol976
Celebrating 9O years
of Avon trodition
and American beauty

ABOVE, left. 1 959 catalog page featuring talcum tins and actual talcums of
the era. ABOVE, right Avon sales catalog, 1976, 90th anniversary of Avon.
BELOW: Red Teddy Bear cookie ar, presented to team leaders at Christmas,
approx. value: $2.5-$50.

would leave a brochure with

customers, then "call back"
in person or by telephone,
to take their order.
Avon Products, Inc., is celebrating its 125th year in
business in 2011. It has
grown to a worldwide company built on the strength of
hard working women
and men selling door
to door with quality
products. Avon Representatives also
peddle their wares
in offices where they
work and to neighbors, family and
friends. The company
has expanded from
one specializing in
perfumes, household
products, (the Perfection

Everything from charm

bracelets, brooches,
collector plates, tea sets,
kitchen ware and clocks
were awarded as prizes for
meeting sales goals.
A highly desirable
award was the
Mrs. Albee figurine.

Pins awarded to
representatives,
value: $5 each.

24

line which included flavoring extracts and

household cleaners), soaps and cosmetics
to one that also sells jewelry, toys, clothing
and gifts. Jewelry was introduced in the
United States in 1971 and became very
popular. Avon also became known for the
glass decanters that housed the various
fragrances. The first automobile-shaped
decanter appeared in 1968 and became a
"collectible" as did many of the decanters of
all types for men and women that followed.
1968 was also the year that selling campaigns began running for two weeks, each,
making for 26 campaigns per year. Then,
as earlier, Avon Representatives employed
various tools to help sell their wares.
Catalogs, brochures, fragrance sample
kits, demo items and small samples that
could be left with the customer were all

selling tools. Some of the older, collectible

paper items and product demonstration
items still exist today and turn up at
garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, in
antique shops and for sale online. Many
women valued having their own business
and kept some of the memorabilia from it
which has now filtered into the collectibles market.
Being a Representative was considered
a good job for a woman because she could
work from home, set her own hours and
determine how much she wanted to earn,
based on how hard she was willing to
work. The California Perfume Company
was one of the first major companies to
hire women and to help them grow their
businesses.
An "Avon Outlook," from 1957 rather
quaintly touted the benefits of being an
Avon Representative: "There isn't a woman
who hasn't a project or two tucked away in
her mind. Some plan she hopes to carry out
when family finances permit. It may be college or prep school for a son or daughter.. .a
fresh coat of paint for the house...or new
bedroom curtains."
And then, of course, there were the
awards and prizes to be won! A 1956 sales
magazine enticed women with a $50 U. S.
Savings Bond. In 1958, during Avon's
72nd anniversary celebration, a Representative could earn prizes for $195 in
sales. She could choose from a Paul
Revere Pitcher, a sauce and gravy server
Antiques & Collecting

or an anniversary handbag. In subsequent years everything from charm

bracelets, brooches, collector plates, tea
sets, kitchen ware and clocks were
awarded as prizes for meeting sales goals.
A highly desirable award was the Mrs.
Albee figurine. Crafted of porcelain, the
Albee awards began in 1978 in honor of
the first Avon lady of 1886, Mrs. P.F.E.
Albee. Prior to that, other achievement
award figurines were issued, but the 1978
figurine was the beginning of a line of
awards that continues into the 2000s,
each one different. They are awarded to
Representatives who have sold enough to
be in the coveted President's Club.
According to Bud Hastin, the guru of Avon
collecting who has written many collector
guides, "The Albees are the number one
Avon collectible." All Albees are marked,
"Avon" and are dated. Like most Avon collectibles, they are most valuable if they
are in mint condition and are in their
original box. There are also miniature
Albee figurines and Avon Lady Doll
Awards given for various levels of
achievement.
While Avon decanters and bottles have
declined in popularity in recent years,
Avon representative awards still remain
popular with many collectors, although.
Bud Hastin states in his Avon Collector's
Encyclopedia, "most of the avid award collectors tell me they are now only interested in awards that are given on a national level."
In today's economy, Avon Collectibles, as
well as collectibles of many kinds, no
longer garner the prices they once did;
however, early Avon fragrance bottles and
fragrance sets, are still collectible, and the
lovely items produced when the company
was The California Perfume Company still

command high prices. Complete soap sets

from the 1940s and 1950s, mint in their
pretty packaging, still sell at respectable
prices. Most Avon jewelry, however, was
made in huge quantities and is more wearable than collectible. The same goes for fragrances manufactured in the 1970s and
later. They were manufactured in such
large quantities that they will probably
never be collectible. As always, the best advice is to collect what one loves and love
what one collects. Because there are so
many Avon collectibles, it is advisable to
learn about the hobby from a reputable collector's book, such as Bud Hastin's guides,
that are now owned and published by
Collector Books. Avid collectors may also
learn about the hobby by joining a local
Avon collectors' club.
Maybe you too, will answer to the summons, "Ding-Dong, Avon Calling."

1982 calendar
given by
representatives
to customers.

Resources
Bud Hastin's Collector's Encyclopedia, 2008, Schroeder Publishing, Co., Paducah, Kentucky
National Association of Avon Collectors, Dept. AT, P.O. Box 7006, Kansas City, Missouri 64113
Website: www.avoncompany.com/aboutavon/history/avonlady.html

March 2011

25

Copyright of Antiques & Collecting Magazine is the property of Lightner Publishing Corp. and its content may
not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written
permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.