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 forty 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.

Thus each consumer is not only insuring himself but also protecting other consumers when he assists a Reliable Manufacturer in upholding his Trade-Mark and all that it stands for. Therefore, we urge all users of our Athletic Goods to assist us in maintaining the Spalding Standard of Excellence, by insisting that our Trade-Mark be plainly stamped on all athletic goods which they buy, because without this precaution our best efforts towards maintaining Standard Quality and preventing fraudulent substitution will be ineffectual.

Manufacturers of Standard Articles invariably suffer the reputation of being high-priced, and this sentiment is fostered and emphasized by makers of “inferior goods,” with whom low prices are the main consideration.

A manufacturer of recognized Standard Goods, with a reputation to uphold and a guarantee to protect must necessarily have higher prices than a manufacturer of cheap goods, whose idea of and basis of a claim for Standard Quality depends principally upon the eloquence of the salesman.

We know from experience that there is no quicksand more unstable than poverty in quality—and we avoid this quicksand by Standard Quality.

A. G. Spalding & Bros.