Original Vintage Milkman Cap Hat Dixie Dairy Beecher IL Gary IN Eskilson

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

Original Vintage Milkman Cap Hat Dixie Dairy Beecher IL Gary IN Eskilson O.K., so came down with the flu last week, so was a little slow to get my items listed. I’m better, and just back from shopping and have some VERY neat new oldees this week. I think there really is something for everyone! This is one of my favorite items this week - it's old, and it has such a story to tell. What I have is an original vintage milkman's cap from what was Dixie Dairy. It is a gree cloth cap with the Dixie Dairy name embroidered on the front. You can feel a wire frame inside the cap that allows it to keep its round shape, and the bottom of the hat has a black border with 4 snaps going around. Just above the black border, there's two sets of two holes with metal grommets - I'm not sure what they or the snaps would have been used for/connected to. On the inside of the hat is a plastic pocket that holds the original cardstock paper label of the maker of the hat. It reads, "7 1/8, Unitog Company, Kansas City 8, MO." Then there's an oval with the word "Identification," and room above for a name to be written - there is no name written in. At the bottom of the label it reads, "Highest Quality Industrial Uniforms." The cap is in amazingly excellent condition - with very very little wear. There's some light spots on the top of the hat that I'm showing in photo 7 - I'm not sure if that's dirt, or fade or if they will come off, but they are very very minor. The hat is clean and odor free and coming from a smoke free home. Now the story. Dixie Dairy was founded by a man named Christian Eskilson who immigrated to the U.S. in 1895. In 1899, he started 2 horse drawn milk routes in Chicago. It was not long after this that he opened a Dairy in Beecher Illinois. The company was named Dixie Dairy in 1929, and Eskilson grew into the Gary Indiana market as his business grew. Believe it or not, it wasn't until 1939 that the horses were officially retired and motorized vehicles used to deliver to the home. With the changing times, Dixie stopped their home delivery in 1976, and eventually closed their production plant in Gary in 1999. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to snatch this rare item up for you - it is a true American story treasure! Please ask if you have any questions, or feel free to inform me if you have any information about one of my listings. As with any of my items, if you ever need extra pictures, let me know, just make sure that you give me an email address to send them to. Pick up is welcome on all of my items. I’m happy to combine shipments for you, but I do ask that there be no more than 7 days from the purchase of the first item - I will invoice after 7 days, as I cannot hold the items longer than that. Also, many of my items come from local rural estate sales and auctions. They are coming right from the barn or attic to you! I do not take the time to clean and polish before I sell - they are in the condition found, as you see in my photos - and I do my best to photo and describe thoroughly. Please email me before bidding if you do not use Paypal, and we can discuss possible alternatives. Payment is due within 7 business days after close of auction, after that, the sale will be void, and I will relist the item. I only mail via USPS. I have had some trouble with the Ebay shipping calculator giving people bombastic shipping rates (especially after purchase with the Ebay “Pay Now“ invoice on Parcel Post rates). I charge shipping cost, so if you think it’s too high, email me so that I can check it out, before you pay me. That being said, we pack very well, so that will add to the weight. I ship within one business day of receipt of your payment, or I will notify you otherwise. With postage rates going up and up, I am shipping more items Parcel Post. Please realize that this can mean a 2-3 week delivery, sometimes longer. As a matter of fact, this year, I’m finding the “longer” more the norm. Parcel Post travels by land or rail and, at least in this area, packages do not leave the regional post office until they fill u... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.