Crate Label: Doe Brand, Big League Carrots, Joe D. Maggio Inc., Holtville California, 1940s

A soft-eyed doe peers over a baseball stamped "DOE" at the center of a red star, with a bundle of fresh carrots streaking below — one of the more visually clever puns in vintage crate label art.

• Brand: Doe
• Produce: Carrots
• Lithographer: Schwabacher Frey
• Packing House / Grower: Joe D. Maggio, Inc.
• Materials: Lithographed paper
• Dimensions: 7 x 10 in
• Origin: Holtville, California, USA
• Era: 1940s
• Condition: Excellent, New Old Stock — never applied to a crate. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

Warehouse stock, never used: the blue background and orange carrots are vivid, with no fading.

Joe D. Maggio, Inc. shipped carrots out of Holtville, in California's Imperial Valley, under a handful of memorable brand names. This one plays on the grower's own name — "Doe" reading as a phonetic wink at "D. Maggio" — dressed up with a baseball motif and the tagline "Strictly Big League." Despite the obvious association many collectors draw to the DiMaggio baseball family, the pun is coincidental: this label has no connection to Joe DiMaggio the ballplayer, just to Joe D. Maggio the Holtville carrot grower.

Schwabacher-Frey Co. was a prominent stationery, printing, and lithography company based in San Francisco, California.  Founded in 1905 by brothers James H. and Albert E. Schwabacher, it grew to become one of the largest commercial stationers and office supply outfits on the West Coast. In 1974, Schwabacher-Frey was acquired by Jerry Flax, the owner of its competitor, Flax Art Supply Stores. Flax revitalized the historic brand, however, they eventually phased out.

A clever, colorful piece for any collector who appreciates label artists' wordplay, or for a baseball fan looking for an unexpected crossover with agricultural Americana.

Pairs well with our other Holtville and Imperial Valley crate labels.