Progress Vacuum Cleaner Inquiry

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charles~richard

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
3,021
I rec'd the following email --- passing it along for those who may have interest. If you intend to contact the writer, note the email instructions at the end of his message <br
------------------ <br
I'm hoping you might be able to provide me some more information on a Vacuum Cleaner that I recently acquired from my Father

Boxes are in sorry condition due to age, humidity, and some water damage (and from being moved around many times over the years). The vacuum is a "Progress Air Purifier and Cleaner". I have attached photos including the cover for the owners manual, the attachments listing, and 2 of the many "usage" pages. The book has 31 total pages. The book doesn't have a copyright date; the vacuum and attachments are still in their boxes i.e. I haven't removed it yet to see if maybe there is a manufacture date or other information on it.

With your knowledge, maybe you can give me an idea of when this vacuum was manufactured and how rare the item is that has come into my possession

Any information would be greatly appreciated <br
Since I AM interested in selling it, for asking price, I think I woul
probably start by asking $200.00 for a 30's vintage machine, with al
attachments, the original book, two of the original boxes albeit in terrible shape, never used (as I have been told (in fact I didn't even bother to plug it in and try turning it on...maybe I should have), and very minimal damage/weathering from the long years of storage. Its dirty and I didn't wipe it down before taking the pictures but that's after about 60-70 years now; I think the boxes must have been well sealed for many/most of the years it has been in existence. I would probably ask shipping and handling on top of the price depending on where it goes (might even be someone local who is on your list haha) <br
I suspect its actually worth more than that but I did read your treatise on vacuums so if I am insulting your collector friends or yourself, then its through ignorance alone. I could probably put it on ebay with a starting minimum of 200 and see what it does but I'd just as soon go this route first and it will probably be first come - first serve on the 200.00 + S&H asking price (and a done deal) <br
NOTE: If someone has a serious inquiry, they should either go through you or they need to type in CAPITAL LETTERS in subject line on email: PROGRESS VACUUM CLEANER. I've got an auto filter that keeps mails from list of friendly addresses and deletes all others. Your address is now in the "White List". I DO check the deleted items folder before permanent loss of emails so that subject line would clue me in to keep the email and read/respond <br

Thank You
Very Respectfully
Dan Hes
(USN-retired
[email protected] <br

5-7-2007-17-27-26--charles~richard.jpg
 
P.S.

Please don't contact me about this or ask to "go through me" on it -- I don't know the guy and don't really want to get involved in this transaction <br
Again, here is his contact info <br
Dan Hes
[email protected] <br
 
Ads & Info.

Eureka purchased Progress in 1940 (see news blurb).

I was only able to locate newspaper ads from 1936 to 1939 but no magazine ads; so it seems the company was in business only a short time.

1. 1936 Oct 9 ELLENSBURGH CAPITAL - Model 9

2. 1937 Mar 23 BERKELY DAILY GAZETTE - Model 9

2. 1937 Oct 13 BERKELY DAILY GAZETTE

4. 1940 Oct 21 PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE - Eureka acquires Progress

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Progress was last made in Jackson, MI. Emme Hoppe and her husband owned it. When he died, they sold it to Eureka, and started Filtex in California. Filtex was door to door just like Progress, they demonstrated in your home. The Filtex is almost identical to the Progress.
 
Interesting!

This model is considered rare from what I’ve researched. The only commercial not for the specific machine I could find was from the 50s. I didn’t know they were made in the USA since it was a German commercial, I figured they were German machines. Great find!
 
Sounds like this was a small American branch of the larger German company Progress. Kind of like how Sweden’s Electrolux set up an American factory after that horrible disaster at sea when a ship bringing hundreds of Electrolux vacuums to the USA went down at sea.

The German Progress vacuum cleaner company was eventually gobbled up by Sweden’s Electrolux Group sometime in the 1970’s. It’s ironic that Eureka bought the assets of that fledgling factory in Cleveland, because in the 1980’s, Electrolux arranged for Progress to sell some German made canister vacs and stick vacs under the Eureka brand in North America. In Canada, one of the Progress models was sold under the Viking name at Eaton’s department stores.
 
Correction: The Progress vac sold by Electrolux in Canada (through Eureka) was actually sold at the Hudson Bay department stores under the store brand Beaumark….probably in the early 1980’s.
 

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