New Era

New Era

After working for John Miller Cap Company for 18 years, German immigrant Ehrhardt Koch saw an opportunity to take his skills to the next level. In 1920, his dreams came true when he borrowed $1000 to start the New Era Cap Co. making 60,000 Gatsby Caps per year.

In 1932, with professional baseball growing in popularity, New Era Cap Co. saw an opportunity to launch a new item in the marketplace – the baseball cap. The first New Era professional baseball cap was produced in 1934 for the Cleveland Indians’ home and away uniforms.

By 1950, New Era was the only independent cap maker supplying caps to big league baseball teams. Its impressive roster of clients included the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. In 1954 Ehrhardt's son, Harold, redesigned New Era’s fitted cap, giving it a more contemporary look. It was then that the 59FIFTY fitted cap was born. Nowadays New Era produce over 50 million caps per year.