Positively, nobody, not even officers, managers, salesmen or other employes of A. G. Spalding & Bros., or any of their relatives or personal friends, can buy Spalding Athletic Goods at a discount from the regular catalogue prices.
This, briefly, is the “Spalding Policy,” which has already been in successful operation for the past ten years, and will be indefinitely continued.
In other words, “The Spalding Policy” is a “square deal” for everybody.
A. G. SPALDING & BROS.
Standard Quality
An article that is universally given the appellation “Standard” is thereby conceded to be the Criterion, to which are compared all other things of a similar nature. For instance, the Gold Dollar of the United States is the Standard unit of currency, because it must legally contain a specific proportion of pure gold, and the fact of its being Genuine is guaranteed by the Government Stamp thereon. As a protection to the users of this currency against counterfeiting and other tricks, considerable money is expended in maintaining a Secret Service Bureau of Experts. Under the law, citizen manufacturers must depend to a great extent upon Trade-Marks and similar devices to protect themselves against counterfeit products—without the aid of “Government Detectives” or “Public Opinion” to assist them.
Consequently the “Consumer’s Protection” against misrepresentation and “inferior quality” rests entirely upon the integrity and responsibility of the “Manufacturer.”
A. G. Spalding & Bros. have, by their rigorous attention to “Quality,” for thirty-three years, caused their Trade-Mark to become known throughout the world as a Guarantee of Quality as dependable in their field as the U. S. Currency is in its field.
The necessity of upholding the guarantee of the Spalding Trade-Mark and maintaining the Standard Quality of their Athletic Goods, is, therefore, as obvious as is the necessity of the Government in maintaining a Standard Currency.