callinBy Jeanette Michalets

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W HEN DAVID MCCONNELL, a door-to-door book sales-man, began manufacturing perfumes in the1880s in a single room in downtown Manhattan,he had no idea that his California PerfumeCompany would grow into the mega-business now calledAvon Products, Inc. with over 3 billion dollars in sales an-nually. Nor did he realize in 1885 that his first door-to-doorsales representative, Mrs. Peter Foster Eames Albee,would be the start of the Avon Representative as we knowher (and him) to this day. Mrs. Albee, a 50-year-old widow,was the only general agent, or manager, employed by the

LEFT: "Avon Outlook," representatives selling guide, promoting cutleryprize, 1959. BELOW, left. 10th Anniversary plate, 1987, 8 1/2", porcelain,awarded for 10 years' service, value: approx. $10-$15. BELOW, right 20thAnniversary plate, first issued in 1987, 8 1/2", porcelain, awarded for20 years service, value: approx. $15-$20.

A V O N ANNIVERSARY

!* A V O N ANNIVERSARYTHE 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]

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With our fast-paced lives,lengthy home visits fromrepresentatives wearing

gloves and pearls,are a thing of the past,but the unconditional

guarantee offered withAvon Products remains

a strong selling tool

California Perfume Company in its firstsix months of operation. By the time ofMr. McConnell's death in 1937, his com-pany employed over 30,000 agents and to-taled sales in the millions.

Avon Representatives remain thelifeblood of the Avon Company today, al-though things have changed since the com-pany's beginnings. A customer can nowpurchase Avon perfumes, cosmetics andgift items online from their Rep-resentative, or even directly from the com-pany itself. With our fast-paced lives,lengthy home visits from representativeswearing gloves and pearls, are a thing ofthe past, hut the unconditional guaranteeoffered with Avon Products remains astrong selling tool.

As Mr. McConnell himself wrote in 1903,"My ambition was tomanufacture a linegoods that wouldbe consumed, usedup, and to sell itthrough canvass-ing agents, directfrom the factory tothe consumer. Thestarting of the per-fume business was \the result of mostcareful and thor-ough investigation,

March 2011

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guided by the experience of several years'successful operation in the book business.He went on to add, " My ambition was tomanufacture a line of goods superior to anyother, to be moneyed value into the goodsthemselves, and just enough money in thepackage to make them respectable..."

Although Mr. McConnell began his com-pany in New York, he named it theCalifornia Perfume Company because he

ABOVE, \eh.Special editionrepresentatives'guide promotingearning sovingsbonds, 1956.ABOVE, right"Avon Outlook,"Christmas, 1957.BELOW: Avoncatalog pagefeaturing beautifultalcum gifts,Christmas, 1958.

iX-^^ - i - i ^ ^

I von I

SellingAvon is

FUN!

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 AvonSugar Bowl Club sugar bowl, 1960,

awarded to representatives for acquiringnew customers, approx. value: $25.

had "glowing reports ofthe country" from hisformer employer in thebook business who hadmoved to California.McConnell recounted in1903 how he "hadstarted the perfumebusiness in a spacescarcely larger than anordinary kitchen pantry."The first scents he man-ufactured were Violet,White Rose, Heliotrope,Lily of the Valley andHyacinth. According toMcConnell, his "were asfine an odor as the oldtried and true per-

fumes." Thus, the successful CaliforniaPerfume Company was launched.

David McConnell's small CaliforniaPerfume Company grew rapidly from itshumble beginnings. In 1914, a Canadianoffice was opened in Montreal and by 1920,company sales had reached $1,000,000. In1928, the first line of products called"Avon" were introduced. They included atoothbrush, cleaner and talcum. In 1936,cities in the Midwest were divided intoselling "territories." A Representativewould have her own territory to sell in andshe would have a manager who oversawmultiple territories. This later became theway the entire company was structured.

BOWL ClUB

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SPRING/SUMMER 1976

CATALG

Everything from charmbracelets, brooches,

collector plates, tea sets,kitchen ware and clocks

were awarded as prizes formeeting sales goals.A highly desirable

award was theMrs. Albee figurine.

Pins awarded torepresentatives,value: $5 each.

line which included flavoring extracts andhousehold cleaners), soaps and cosmeticsto one that also sells jewelry, toys, clothingand gifts. Jewelry was introduced in theUnited States in 1971 and became verypopular. Avon also became known for theglass decanters that housed the variousfragrances. The first automobile-shapeddecanter appeared in 1968 and became a"collectible" as did many of the decanters ofall types for men and women that followed.

1968 was also the year that selling cam-paigns began running for two weeks, each,making for 26 campaigns per year. Then,as earlier, Avon Representatives employedvarious tools to help sell their wares.Catalogs, brochures, fragrance samplekits, demo items and small samples thatcould be left with the customer were all

selling tools. Some of the older, collectiblepaper items and product demonstrationitems still exist today and turn up atgarage sales, estate sales, flea markets, inantique shops and for sale online. Manywomen valued having their own businessand kept some of the memorabilia from itwhich has now filtered into the col-lectibles market.

Being a Representative was considereda good job for a woman because she couldwork from home, set her own hours anddetermine how much she wanted to earn,based on how hard she was willing towork. The California Perfume Companywas one of the first major companies to

hire women and to help them grow theirbusinesses.

An "Avon Outlook," from 1957 ratherquaintly touted the benefits of being anAvon Representative: "There isn't a womanwho hasn't a project or two tucked away inher mind. Some plan she hopes to carry outwhen family finances permit. It may be col-lege or prep school for a son or daughter.. .afresh coat of paint for the house...or newbedroom curtains."

And then, of course, there were theawards and prizes to be won! A 1956 salesmagazine enticed women with a $50 U. S.Savings Bond. In 1958, during Avon's72nd anniversary celebration, a Rep-resentative could earn prizes for $195 insales. She could choose from a PaulRevere Pitcher, a sauce and gravy server

24 Antiques & Collecting

or an anniversary handbag. In subse-quent years everything from charmbracelets, brooches, collector plates, teasets, kitchen ware and clocks wereawarded as prizes for meeting sales goals.A highly desirable award was the Mrs.Albee figurine. Crafted of porcelain, theAlbee awards began in 1978 in honor ofthe first Avon lady of 1886, Mrs. P.F.E.Albee. Prior to that, other achievementaward figurines were issued, but the 1978figurine was the beginning of a line ofawards that continues into the 2000s,each one different. They are awarded toRepresentatives who have sold enough tobe in the coveted President's Club.According to Bud Hastin, the guru of Avoncollecting who has written many collectorguides, "The Albees are the number oneAvon collectible." All Albees are marked,"Avon" and are dated. Like most Avon col-lectibles, they are most valuable if theyare in mint condition and are in theiroriginal box. There are also miniatureAlbee figurines and Avon Lady DollAwards given for various levels ofachievement.

While Avon decanters and bottles havedeclined in popularity in recent years,Avon representative awards still remainpopular with many collectors, although.Bud Hastin states in his Avon Collector'sEncyclopedia, "most of the avid award col-lectors tell me they are now only inter-ested in awards that are given on a na-tional level."

In today's economy, Avon Collectibles, aswell as collectibles of many kinds, nolonger garner the prices they once did;however, early Avon fragrance bottles andfragrance sets, are still collectible, and thelovely items produced when the companywas The California Perfume Company still

command high prices. Complete soap setsfrom the 1940s and 1950s, mint in theirpretty packaging, still sell at respectableprices. Most Avon jewelry, however, wasmade in huge quantities and is more wear-able than collectible. The same goes for fra-grances manufactured in the 1970s andlater. They were manufactured in suchlarge quantities that they will probablynever be collectible. As always, the best ad-vice is to collect what one loves and lovewhat one collects. Because there are somany Avon collectibles, it is advisable tolearn about the hobby from a reputable col-lector's book, such as Bud Hastin's guides,that are now owned and published byCollector Books. Avid collectors may alsolearn about the hobby by joining a localAvon collectors' club.

Maybe you too, will answer to the sum-mons, "Ding-Dong, Avon Calling."

1982 calendargiven byrepresentativesto customers.

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

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