Pendleton Labels: History and How to Date Them

Last reviewed 2026-10-04 by the AntiqueCostume editorial team · Sources · How we research

Pendleton Woolen Mills of Oregon began weaving blankets in 1909 and became famous for wool shirts and the women's 49er jacket. A few documented dates (the 1949 women's line, the 1964 Woolmark and the first non-wool line in 1972) give firm "no earlier than" clues for a Pendleton label.

Company history

The Vintage Fashion Guild (VFG) records that the Pendleton mill opened in 1909 producing Indian blankets. By 1924 it was making its well-known men's wool shirt and by 1929 a full menswear line. In 1949 it began a line of women's sportswear separates, most notably the hip-length '49er jacket with patch pockets and large shell buttons, a date our 1940s and 1950s hubs also give. Pendleton worked only in wool until 1972, when it produced its first spring line.

Label timeline

Label or clue	Approximate dates	What it tells you
Blankets	From 1909	The original product
Men's wool shirt	From 1924	Earliest Pendleton shirts
Full menswear line	By 1929	Wider range
Women's sportswear, '49er jacket	From 1949	No women's Pendleton before this
Woolmark symbol on the label	After 1964	When the symbol was introduced
Non-wool spring line	From 1972	A non-wool Pendleton is 1972 or later

What it helps date

Pendleton wool shirts and the 49er are listed in our 1950s hub; the Woolmark date is also in our vintage label lookup.
Wool labels could carry fibre content from 1941: date by labels, RN and WPL numbers.

Values

The 1950s hub gives Pendleton wool shirt ranges of $10 to $30, $30 to $55 and $55 to $100 by condition. Our vintage workwear values guide puts Pendleton at $45 to $180, with board shirts around $125, 1950s to 1960s loop-collar wool shirts around $140 and lodge coats around $175 (Cluzy). The coat and fur values guide gives a Pendleton wool coat a typical $80 and a clean example $162 (Flipper Vintage). Prices are estimates as of 2026.

check sold prices for pendleton vintage wool shirt on eBay

Sources

Guides that mention Pendleton

1940s Vintage Clothing: How to Date and Value ItDate and value 1940s clothing: L-85 and CC41 wartime rules, rayon and early nylon, side metal zippers, key labels, and 2026 price ranges.

1950s Vintage Clothing: How to Date and Value ItDate and value 1950s clothing: New Look to sack silhouettes, early synthetics, metal zippers, ILGWU and fibre labels, and 2026 price ranges.

Vintage Coat and Fur Values: Mink, Fox, Leather and Flight JacketsWhat vintage fur coats, stoles, wool coats, leather and WWII flight jackets sell for in 2026, why most minks bring $50 to $500, and which bring more.

Vintage Workwear Values: Carhartt, Filson, Stifel and More2026 sold-price ranges for vintage Carhartt, Filson, Stifel, Sweet-Orr, Big Mac, Pendleton, Woolrich and WWII Navy denim, and what moves each.

How to Date Vintage Clothing by the LabelUse the laws, postcodes, fiber names and country names printed on a garment label to work out the earliest year it could have been made.

RN and WPL Numbers: What They Tell You About Vintage ClothingWhat RN and WPL numbers on clothing labels mean, the earliest dates they prove, how to look one up, and why RN-to-year charts are unreliable.

Vintage Label Lookup: Date Clothing by Label, RN and Union TagFree printable vintage label dating cheat sheet with union label versions, RN and WPL numbers, care and fiber law dates, ZIP codes and zipper clues.