Hanover Shoes

Hanover 1970 Catalog

Below is the content of a vintage Hanover catalog from the beginning of the decade of malaise. As far as shoe catalogs content goes, this is the best one I have seen. Instead of just listing shoe models, this catalog has a number of interesting shoe related articles that provide details on how the shoes were manufactured and sold. The photos and descriptions of the shoe models are excellent as well. Just ignore the goofy catalog cover art.

Hanover was once the largest or one of the largest direct shoe sale companies in the United States. Direct shoes sales worked a bit like buying a pair on Amazon but instead of a computer, a human was your interface and the shipping time was weeks instead of days. This direct sales model was still going strong in 1970 but by the end of the decade, suburban malls had killed door to door sales. Why wait weeks for a pair that might fit when instead I could drive to a nearby store with easy parking, lots of stock and the ability to buy the shoes that day? Hanover couldnā€™t compete with this and in 1978, the company was sold to Clark’s. Clark’s ended direct sales and moved Hanover to a catalog based retail channel. Which, of course, failed as well. Hanover RIP.

Other things to note in the catalog include: exotic leather shoes made in alligator, sharkskin and camel; pairs from Britain; corfam pairs; official NBA basketball shoes (who knew?); a Ripple sole pair; the sweet Dupont Dacron Hanover blazer; and that the Washington state sales tax was once 4.5%. A number of the premium Hanover models used leather from the legendary German Freudenberg tannery. And given the current high prices of Horween Shell Cordovan shoes, it is remarkable to see Hanover selling pairs for $22.95. I assume they were selling them for a profit. But probably not enough profit.

Hanover 1970 Catalog
Hanover Shoes Quality
Hanover Shoes Factory
Hanover ComfortArch
Calfskin Shoes
freudenberg leather
Hanover Shoes Management
Hanover Shoes Policy
Hanover LB Sheppard
Hanover Shoes 2643 2605
Hanover Shoes 2602 3602
Hanover Shoes 2604 2506 3506
Hanover Shoes 2641 3641 2421 Freudenberg leather
Hanover Shoes 3312 2312 2311
Hanover Shoes 2168 3168 2351 3351 Shell Cordovan
Hanover Shoes 2640 3670 2670 3669
Hanover Shoes 2642 3642 7667
Hanover Shoes 7656 7733 7607
Hanover Shoes 7545 7784 7734
Hanover Shoes 7551 7501 7552 7502
Hanover Shoes 7548 3572
Hanover Shoes 2425 3426
Hanover Shoes 3200 1166
Hanover Shoes 2416 3416 3218
Hanover Shoes 2309 3304 2304
Hanover Shoes 2410 3410 2101 3101
Hanover Shoes 3106
Hanover Shoes 3151 3107
Hanover Shoes 2213 3213 2212 3212
Hanover Shoes 2208 3208 3412
Hanover Shoes 3505 2505
Hanover Shoes 3648 2648 3632 2632
Hanover Shoes 3690 2690 7679
Hanover Shoes 7726 7777 5800 5630
Hanover Shoes 2592
Hanover Shoes 2536 3536
Hanover Shoes 2513 2502 3502
Hanover Shoes 2517 2530 2560
Hanover Shoes 2564
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
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Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
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Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Shoes
Hanover Sales Aids
Hanover Sales Aids
Hanover Shoes Blazer
Hanover Shoes Salesman
Hanover Shoes Price List
Hanover Shoes Price List




25 thoughts on “Hanover 1970 Catalog”

  1. Hanover is/was a great brand..

    And the purchase of shoes would have been a good investment..
    The prices appear incredible, even from Swiss point of view. The Dollar was 4.50 Swiss Francs then today its about 1:1.

  2. I’ve bought and sold Hanover, Florsheim, and Nettleton shell shoes and Hanover has been one of my favorites yet.

  3. Very interesting read. Couldnā€™t help but notice my favorite, the Yuma style ā€œCarefreeā€ loafer. Would love to run across a pair of those. Thanks for sharing.

  4. There is one pair of tassel loafers shown I have these but mine are in Shell cordovan I really love them.

  5. Thanks for the memories. When I was a young man there were Hanover, Florsheim, Freeman, Regal, Flag Bros. and Thom Mcan shoe stores here in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood. Now there is only one legitimate shoe store (Sherman Brothers) in the entire city. For those of us who love shoes there is a tremendous sense of loss.

  6. I’ve been searching for “years” trying to find a pair of Hanover “Comforts” one of the most comfortable shoes in the world. The one on Germantown and Lehigh Ave. in North Philly nestled between “father & Sons, Flag Brothers Across from Howards Men Clothes” was my shop. Man those were the day’s, thanks.

  7. Just got my first pair of Hanovers–they’re quite nice. What I love about this catalog (apart from the fact that I want half of what’s in it) is how it jumps from one groovy font to another. Ah, the Seventies.

  8. Concerning LWBs, how, or when did Hanover determine what shoes would have 6 eyelets vs. 5? I notice none pictured in the 70 catalog have 6. Didn’t Bostonian also produce 6 eyelet LWBs at some point? I may be mistaken, but I seem to recall seeing 6 eyelet bluchers on the Alden website c. 2002, but not since.

  9. Dude. Shoe porn. I remember my uncle ordering Hanover shoes from the catalog in the ’70s. There are some serious styles here that need a reboot, or at least, a in my closet boot. Classic lines and quality materials will out. Your posts about the vintage market are spot on from quality and design standings, thank goodness for the intermittent supply which comes from the closets and underbeds of our brethren.
    Totally dig your site. Thank you for your passion and time.

  10. I own a pair of black uppers style 3101 as shown in the catalog. I’m really surprised that the Hanover shoes are so much ahead of their time, today’s famous shoe brands really have taken Hanover as the standard for a “top” western shoe that is being aimed at.

  11. David,
    I see someone finally purchased that pair of Hanover 2312 in 9.5. 1/2 size bigger than my brannock size. Just wondering, in your experience, how does Hanover fit as compared to the benchmark 93602?

  12. David,
    Have you run across any dates stamped inside on the insole of any Hanovers? I have 2 that have very similar date stamps. The one is the 2304 LWB (FEB 4 1967) and the other is 2410 NST (FEB 26 1971). I have 3 other Hanovers that donā€™t have any visible. 2 LB Sheppard line and one imperial line. I have seen one other online but canā€™t remember the model. Thanks for any insight and for all the work on this site.

    1. Yes, Hanover dated their shoes during for a period of time but appears to have stopped in the 1970s. Its nice when you find a pair with a date because you know exactly when it was made.

  13. I recently(2 days ago)purchased a NOS Hanover model 2377. I thought I was buying a leather shoe, but it appears it is Corfam. First I thought it was in such great condition for an unused pair of leather shoes. Then, I read that Sears once sold Hanover Corfam shoes. After reading your piece on Corfam, David, I realised I just spent $90 plus too much on a pair of plastic shoes. Just one question: how do these shoes, which have leather linings and soles only, form to one’s foot? Does this plastic ever change shape to mold to one’s foot? I have yet to wear them, as I was waiting to figure out how to condition them. Haha! Imagine putting Saphire or Venetian Cream on Corfam! I don’t THINK so. – Thanks for your posting on Corfam.

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