The Federation Archives (Star Trek mail order company)
See The Federation Archives for similar titles.
| Name: | The Federation Archives |
| Date(s): | 1975-?? |
| Profit/Nonprofit: | profit |
| Country based in: | USA |
| Focus: | Star Trek: TOS |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Federation Archives was a Star Trek fan-run mail order catalog created by John McLaughlin and Randall Cooper. It was produced by the publisher of the same name, and in essence, the publisher and the catalog are the same.
It sold stationary, photos (pre-VCR era fans would have gobbled these up for personal use, and for use as photo references), and other merchandise.
It appears have begun as a part-time outfit around 1973.
Its first catalog was in June 1975.
The two owners of this club went on to run Baycon beginning in 1982.
THE FEDERATION ARCHIVES CATALOG ONE [Formerly the Official Newsletter of the Robert H. Justman Look-Alike Contest and Bartenders Symposium] is published regularly on a rather erratic schedule by THE FEDERATION ARCHIVES.
See List of Fan Run Star Trek Merchandising Companies for similar endeavors.
From the First Catalog
It was published around June 1975 and contains 12 pages.
Apologies for Being Late
Like many fannish endeavors, this company was at the mercy of much enthusiasm, lack of time, and biting off more than could be chewed.
This is the long-awaited FEDERATION ARCHIVES CATALOG ONE. Those who know just how long "long-awaited" has been presumably await an apology. Indeed, you who have sat patiently in unanswered silence have every right to demand one. Extremely grateful for the enthusiasm and interest exhibited, we feel you deserve an apology.
You're not getting one. The most you'll get is an explanation.
On a day now lost in the obscurity of the past, we launched THE FEDERATION ARCHIVES, a spare-time enterprise designed to finance our way to STAR TREK conventions and help defray the cost of various fan-oriented publishing endeavors of ours.
Initially, our work load was light, and things went smoothly. The last con had been good to us, so we decided to put some of our profit into publishing and distributing free a catalog that was more than just a sales inventory. It was around this time that two things happened at the same time...
First, college educations and part/full time jobs began to simultaneously demand a lot more of our time; and secondly, people started writing letters. A lot of letters. We eventually managed to catch up on the mail and get back to work on the catalog; but then, then... the next convention came upon us, and we had to busy ourselves with the necessary preparations.
It took two weeks for us to recooperate from the con and another month to get back into the pattern of normal life. Then we went back to work on the mail and catalog. By the time we caught up again, we found ourselves having to get ready for, yes, another can!
We've finally broken out of that vicious circle, set up business, published our catalog and got ready for still another convention.
All said and done, we think you'll find it was worth the wait. At any rate, thanks again for your interest!
An Open Letter
From the first catalog:
THE FEDERATION ARCHIVES, by original design, was a seasonal, part time endeavor that would pay our way to STAR TREK conventions. We've grown somewhat, since then. Now we're a full time operation: a Mail Order memorabilia outlet with expansion plans that include a retail store in Santa Cruz, California, and some exciting publication ideas.
We've always felt that if it took a little extra time and energy on our part to make things look more professional, it was well worth our expense. Hence, a great deal of care, consideration, and hard work went into the design and publication of this catalog.
There are plenty of people around, passing themselves off as fans, charging redundant prices on what is often cheaply-produced [and cheap-looking] merchandise. To them, a one-page mimeographed listing of their stock is enough.
But we've got a justifiable pride in our endeavors--and besides that, we're FANS. We collect the same things you do, so we know how much a day at a con can cost! And, just like any consumer, we hate to get ripped off. Frankly, we found ourselves unable to just print up a quick listing of what we offer.
So, while we are profit-minded [as any business has to be if it is to survive] we're also doing our damn best to be fair with fan- dom. We've looked around, and, in comparison, we think our prices are fairly competitive [and often a lot lower than other memorabilia dealers would prefer!].
We try to make sure everything we carry is of the highest quality we can possibly offer, for the price. Members of the STAR TREK cast have remarked that our photographs are the best they've seen.
But if you should ever feel we're off base on something, please let us know. We're always willing to listen to what another fan thinks. As time passes, we will add things to our listing. Our next catalog, we see now, will probably have to be twice the size of this one.
And that brings up questions of format. Do you like the general layout of our catalog the way it is now, or would you prefer a tabloid on newsprint? Side-bound like a magazine, or a folded one-sheet?
As we expand our stock of STAR TREK merchandise, so do we intend to move into other areas of the fantasy genre; and begin carrying SF and Fantasy paperbacks, magazines, fanzines, posters, and other collectables. We'll be publishing a lot of this on our own, by the way, and work's already been started on a line of beautiful posters and new STAR TREK, Science Fiction and Fantasy publications!
Welcome, then, to THE FEDERATION ARCHIVES CATALOG ONE!
Sample Pages
from the first catalog
from the first catalog
from the first catalog
