seat upholstery for 1950

[POC-Admin]

Go,

Those sound like the famous Fingerhut seat covers - Fingerhut sent mail to every new car buyer in the 50's to get them to "protect" the original seats with their product.  They worked quite well - my dad put them on our 57 Ford - he took them off after about six months of hot sweating - Cold stiff ice comfort and decided "I paid for the seats, I am going to enjoy them!"  The Fingerhut covers were very popular but truth is - they really were not comfortable at all.

A HISTORY OF FINGERHUT      

1948 - Manny and William Fingerhut begin making and selling automobile seat covers in Minneapolis.
1949 - Fingerhut begins to market seat covers via mail circulars to new automobile owners.
1952 - Company converts entirely to mail order.      
1962 - Solo mailings and multi-mailers are primary marketing tools.      
1970 - Fingerhut completes its first public stock offering.
1973 - Fingerhut introduces a 36-page general merchandise catalog.
1974 - Ted Deikel is named president/CEO.
1975 - Fingerhut implements sophisticated computer-based credit screening techniques.
1977 - Fingerhut develops computer technology to accumulate and analyze customer purchasing and behavioral data.
1978 - American Can Co., predecessor of Primerica, acquires Fingerhut. Deikel becomes head of its specialty retailing group.      
1981 - New credit offers are introduced, including deferred payment.
1982 - Figi's, a Marshfield, WI-based food gifts cataloger, becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Fingerhut.
1988 - Company reaches $1 billion in revenue.      
1990 - After leaving Primerica in 1984 to start CVN Cos, which he sold to QVC Network in 1989, Deikel returns to Fingerhut and negotiates spin-off from Primerica.
1991 - Fingerhut begins marketing to Spanish-speaking customers.
1995 - Fingerhut launches online presence with Andysgarage.com and Fingerhut.com.
1996 - Fingerhut forms Metris Financial Services subsidiary to grow its credit business.
1998 - Fingerhut spins off Metris as a public company. It buys multititle apparel cataloger Arizona Mail Order and Popular Club, which offers general merchandise on a proprietary credit plan. Will Lansing joins Fingerhut as president.
1999 - Fingerhut begins conversion from closed-end credit to revolving charge and acquires apparel cataloger Bedford Fair. In March, it becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Federated Department Stores.
2000 - Fingerhut purchases the assets of women's apparel catalogs Lew Magram and Brownstone Studio. Lansing departs as president and is replaced by Michael Sherman. Federated announces credit performance issues and plan to restructure the business. Fingerhut launches a Spanish-language site.
2001 - Fingerhut closes call centers in Tampa, FL, and Duluth, MN, and its Mora, MN, print facility. E-commerce division is restructured.
2002 - Federated announces intention to dispose of Fingerhut, through a sale or liquidation.

Fingerhut started in the year I was born in the state I was born in Minneapolis and ended in my home town of Duluth Minnesota 53 years and a lot of seat covers later.

Mark

[Go Fleiter]

Edwin, I have the original protection covers from my 51. They are thick, transparent  plastic foil with kind of wafle  pattern stamped on. I only put it for very high level meetings because I drive sitting  in a pond of own water after 20 minutes. Above all, it had hardened, broke, yellowed, so no longer suited for everyday use.

You better trry other materials than plastic or the like...

Greetings! Go

[furylee]

Here's another set, in blue.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1940-41-42-46-47-48-Plymouth-Auto-Seat-Covers-NOS-NORS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ140727QQihZ017QQitemZ270136299450QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[furylee]

Hi Ed,

I found a set of covers on eBay for my 41 coupe.  I just checked, an this auction is similar to what I purchased.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Old-Stock-Seat-Covers-1953-Plymouth-2-door_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33702QQihZ020QQitemZ300128974705QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

They actually sold and installed these at the dealers in the 40's and 50's. I've even seen them in Mopar boxes.  I think I gave about $50 with shipping for mine.  Lee

[Edwin K.]

I have a '50 club coupe with original upholstery that is dingy and damaged in a few places. I have seen pictures of the fitted vinyl seat covers that were available in the '50's for these cars. Vinyl wouldn't be as comfortable as the original material, but it would look good. Does anyone know a source of original looking covers? This is, of course an alternative to having new cloth upholstery done at great cost.