There is an a vintage item on my want list that has been there for some time and it’s a vintage copy of a Canadian Tire Catalogue. Canadian Tire is a Canadian institution that has been around since 1922. It’s hardware store, meets car parts store, meets a home and garden store and I LOVE IT! Why? I have no clue, but I have been a loyal shopper for years and years and will continue as long as the store remains open.

As mentioned above they used to put out a catalogue of all their goods and services and while the more recent copies (up to 2008 when they discontinued them) were not too exciting, the vintage copies from 1920s to the late 1960’s are  colourful and fun and NOT what you are going to expect.

The Vintage Covers of the Canadian Tire Catalogue

The History of the Catalogue:

In 1926, Canadian Tire introduced their first catalogue / road map which featured a road map of Ontario and area on one side and advertised items for sale on the reverse.

The catalogue business continued to grow and the 1930’s saw Canadian Tire introduce it’s first “Spring and Summer”, “Fall and Winter” and “Radio” catalogues. Many other specialty versions of catalogues were issued over the years and by 1968 over 2.5 million copies were mailed to customers increasing to over 6 million copies by 2007. In 2008, Canadian Tire announced the end of an era, discontinuing their catalogue mailings after more than 80 years, however, 2011 did see the return of an automotive catalogue (Source).

Now without further adieu here are some fantastic examples of vintage covers up to the year 1969:

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

1935 Catalogue Collage. To see inside the full catalogue, visit this link HERE.

1939 Radio Catalogue. Look at that Font?! Totally nerding out on the graphic design right now.

1939 Canadian Tire Spring & Summer Catalog

Source: eBay

The Canadian Tire Catalogue Mascot and the “Cover Theme”:

A white haired old gentleman with a moustache made his debut on the cover of the 1941 “Spring and Summer” catalogue. Although he was never given a name, he was later featured with a young woman and his two sons for almost 30 years until the “Spring and Summer” catalogue of 1969 where they all had their last appearance as head shots only. Subsequent years featured products on the covers.

Note that most of the covers after 1941 also had a theme that was stated typically near the bottom.

Wartime Catalogues: WWII saw some changes to the catalogues including the cover theme and there was no “Spring and Summer” catalogue issued in 1944. Canadian Tire came back with a 100 page catalogue in 1948-49 with a page 3 advertisment stating “Your first full-size C.T.C. catalog in more than five years” (Source).

Fall and Winter, 1941-42. “Need a hand dad?”

Spring/Summer, 1942. It seems that on this cover, one son is in the service and the other is currently not. Do you agree?

1943. Sorry for the blurry image of this next photo but I could not find an alternative. Have both of our Mascots sons enlisted now?

Fall & Winter Supplement, 1947-1948. I love the look inside one of the stores. So modern!

Still Going Strong. Spring and Summer, 1953.

Quick Pick-Ups with Mor-Power Batteries. Fall and Winter, 1953-1954.

Fall Savings. Fall and Winter, 1955-56 (love the saddle shoes!).

Surprising Values. Spring and Summer 1958.

It’s A Pleasure To Serve. Spring and Summer, 1959.

Good Value – And No “Misteak“. Spring and Summer 1961.

Tickling Values. Fall and Winter Catalogue, 1960-1961.

Pleasurable Leisure. Spring and Summer 1963.

A Family Affair. Spring and Summer 1966.

Question Time: Did you have a favourite Cover from this collection? Do any of my readers who their own vintage Canadian Tire Catalogue? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Want your own piece of Canadian History? Some of the items on eBay, Etsy and the CTC Collector were for sale at the time of this blog post, so you might be able to snag your own catalogue.

Further Reading: Vintage Magazines & Catalogs 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)

Liz