The Honor Club
Membership:
Retail salesman, employed by a Nash Dealer, and and individual without a financial ownership
in the dealership. [up to 5% financial interest allowed].
Points;
1 point for each used car, 2 points for each new car, "50 Car Club" needs 100 Honor Club
points. Points are only for a calendar year, no carry-over.
Rewards;
Gold lapel pin with a full cut diamond, each year you continue to qualify a diamond will be
added to your Honor Club Emblem [Trading in your previous emblem for another] For
the eleventh year, a "suitable larger diamond will be placed in the emblem and all
smaller diamonds removed."
David Siringer #6052 NCCA Librarian
These two pins are photos of pins submitted by page visitors and not the pins described by the members below.
The honor club is something Nash/ AMC came up with to honor their salesman.
The Honor Club was a way for Nash to recoginize their top salesmen in each
zone. My father sold Nash for Harford Nash Sales in Aberdeen, Maryland
which was in the Washington zone. He was the top salesman for quite a few
years. He had a pin with the '02 Rambler in the center. Each year he met
or exceeded the dealership sales quota as one of the leading salesman, Nash
would add a diamond to the pin. His pin was filled and had an extra
attachment (I believe they refered to it as a bracket) with 4 additional
diamonds. His also had 4 rubies. The rubies were added each time he was
president of the Honor Club. The president was the zone's top overall
salesman.
The bottom card is the 100 car club. The top is a business card
when my father was the second leading salesman in the Washington zone.
The little stars around the outside is where the diamonds and rubies were
set. Nash mounted them when you sent the pin back.
Bob Wilmoth #1383 -
My father was a salesman for William's Motors in Covington KY from 1951 till they closed in 1971 [AMC wanted to move to the suburbs & out of downtown] he went to work for a Ford dealership & took a lot of his repeat customers with him. AMC lost all dealerships in northern KY if you wanted an AMC you had to go to Cin. Oh.
Blaine Boutwell #8376
Very interesting info on the pins. I've not seen the early style before. The later Nash crest style pin does turn up occasionally. Also I have some Nash publications that listed the salesman award winners. One more item, I think that the large silk banners were also given out as sales awards, perhaps these went to the dealerships themselves, I have one from 1948 and another from 1951.
Brent Havekost #3348
Just an additional note regarding Honor Club items:
I have a desk set that includes a wind-up alarm clock and two pen-holders all
mounted together on a felt-padded brass base with the words "'55 Sales Honor
Club" and the Nash name in '50's style script engraved on the base. I found
this piece at a small new & used store in Burlington, Wash. a number of years
ago. Perhaps other members have similar items; I have never seen a pin like
those described in the recent messages regarding the Honor Club, but have
long wondered what else might be out there. Perhaps there were annual awards
like this clock plus the diamonds added to the pins. Does anybody out there
know?
Gerald "Jerry" Knutsen #1559 Seattle, WA
Nash Honor Award
Show 'em and Sell 'em CAMPAIGN
June 11 - August 10 1949
HAROLD KOSTENBADER
I've also attached a photograph of a similar clock I found online..
Please let me know if anybody has further information on these clocks or Mr. Kostenbader.
Sincerely,
Nathan Manning
E-mail: nmanning@wbir.gannett.com