When did the First Lincoln Enterprises Catalog Appear?

[nasaworm]

When did the first Lincoln Enterprise catalog come out?

In August 1967, AMT began negotiations to produce a kit of the show’s main enemy, the Klingons. On the opposite side of the box art, there was a notice located beneath “As Seen on NBC TV” that mentioned a “FREE OFFER” instructing buyers to “Look inside for details.” When you opened the box, the kit included the model, a simple sheet of decals and instructions. Some kits also may have included an ad for the Scholastic Science Program. All of the first Klingon model kits included a flyer promoting a FREE SPECIAL OFFER! The Free offer was a catalog that you could send for from Star Trek Enterprises, also known as Lincoln Enterprises run by Star Trek’s creator Gene Roddenberry, which allowed you to purchase scripts, bumper stickers, film clips and more from the series.

Memory Alpha states that the first Lincoln Enterprises catalog came out in 1969 but it is clear from the AMT Klingon kit release that LE had catalogs available as early as 1968. Memory Alpha is a great jumping off resource but they sometimes get things wrong. For example, they have the wrong box art showing for the first release of the Klingon model kit

I seem to recall that there were no FREE SPECIAL OFFER for LE catalogs when the first AMT Enterprise model kits began coming out in stores in April 1967. Does anyone else recall seeing an ad for them in the first Enterprise kits?

Do you think my assertion is correct that the first widespread ads for the LE catalogs were those notices that appeared in the first Klingon kits in 1968?

 

[Replica Picard]

I feel like this is the sort of very specific detail that only someone planning to use time travel to make changes would need to know. What are you planning? Also: I'm in.

 

[ChallengerHK]

This is purely from memory, so take it with something of a grain of salt.

As I recall, the company started during the middle of the show's production, as the evidenced from the information you identified in the model kit. Calling this a catalog would be debatable, as it had items for sale, but only what was available without much effort, things like copies of the scripts and film clips. These catalogs were produced like early zines, typed up on a typewriter and mimeographed.

Later they started having things manufactured for the company, things like the patches and uniform accoutrements like the rank braids. Around this time, they started having professionally designed and printed catalogs available.

 

[nasaworm]

What is defined as a "catalog" is tricky. I guess what I am looking for here is when LE first started to really promote themselves to the public outside of limited convention circles. It seems that the "Free Special Offer" ad promoted on the outside of the 1968 AMT Klingon model box was their first real attempt to reach out to consumers in an organized fashion by offering a "catalog." I also find the AMT box offer surprising in that LE was Roddenberry's own private effort and not really sanctioned by the network or studio but here they were printed right on the outside of the box.

 

[ChallengerHK]

In that respect I would definitely call what you found in the model kit box reaching out to the public and beyond convention goers.

 

[alchemist]

I posted the answer to this question elsewhere, but here it is for anyone who's interested:

Star Trek Enterprises catalogs "0," "1A," and "1B" came out between the end of April and the end of May, 1968. Catalog "1C," the 7/68 revision, came out in July, 1968.

 

[Maurice]

And, in summary, it started as Star Trek Enterprises, then Roddeberry rebooted it as Lincoln Enterprises.

 

[Harvey]

And, in summary, it started as Star Trek Enterprises, then Roddeberry rebooted it as Lincoln Enterprises.

Although I think @alchemist has some information showing Lincoln Enterprises being incorporated before the series even started, which complicates that narrative. I'm going from memory here, so I may have the details wrong.

 

[alchemist]

Although I think @alchemist has some information showing Lincoln Enterprises being incorporated before the series even started, which complicates that narrative. I'm going from memory here, so I may have the details wrong.

Your memory continues to be excellent!

I have Roddenberry's Lincoln Enterprises corporate seal embosser and it shows an incorporation date of April 6, 1962.

Star Trek Enterprises changed to Lincoln Enterprises in 1971 or 1972. At the same time, with the release of their catalog #4, they expanded their offerings and began selling non-TOS merchandise from Kung Fu, Questor, Genesis II, Spectre, and Search.

 

[StarCruiser]

I would suspect Roddenberry formed "Lincoln Enterprises" for business reasons related to producing and writing for TV primarily. Many people do that to give themselves a bit of a shield from any odd legal action if they get into trouble...

Later, he used it (alternating with "Star Trek Enterprises") to sell items for personal profit (which is fair, considering it's his work).

 

[Maurice]

Your memory continues to be excellent!

I have Roddenberry's Lincoln Enterprises corporate seal embosser and it shows an incorporation date of April 6, 1962.

Star Trek Enterprises changed to Lincoln Enterprises in 1971 or 1972. At the same time, with the release of their catalog #4, they expanded their offerings and began selling non-TOS merchandise from Kung Fu, Questor, Genesis II, Spectre, and Search.

I knew there was a name change at some point. I assumed Star Trek Enterprises was a DBA for the underlying concern.

 

[Harvey]

I would suspect Roddenberry formed "Lincoln Enterprises" for business reasons related to producing and writing for TV primarily. Many people do that to give themselves a bit of a shield from any odd legal action if they get into trouble...

Later, he used it (alternating with "Star Trek Enterprises") to sell items for personal profit (which is fair, considering it's his work).

Norway Corporation was his loan-out company for producing and writing television — a separate entity from Lincoln/Star Trek Enterprises.

 

[Harvey]

I have Roddenberry's Lincoln Enterprises corporate seal embosser and it shows an incorporation date of April 6, 1962.

My suspicion is that the change from "Star Trek Enterprises" to "Lincoln Enterprises" (the latter of which Majel Barrett once claimed was was a shell company Leonard Maizlish acquired from another client and subsequently gave to her) had something to do with Gene's divorce and an attempt to hide assets from Eileen.

It may be a coincidence, but the April 6, 1962 incorporation date is not long after Gene first met Majel.

But, I'm definitely not a lawyer and don't know all the details, so for now this is just a shot in the dark.

 

[ChallengerHK]

My understanding (can't recall where I read this) is that Lincoln Enterprises came from Roddenberry living on Lincoln Avenue/Road/Street.

I think the name change was Roddenberry trying to hide what he was doing. There were some gray areas involved in selling things like the film clips and scripts.

 

[Christopher]

My understanding (can't recall where I read this) is that Lincoln Enterprises came from Roddenberry living on Lincoln Avenue/Road/Street.

Didn't he claim that Abraham Lincoln was his personal hero, which was why he was Kirk's hero in "The Savage Curtain?" Or is that my memory playing tricks on me? (Come to think of it, he wouldn't have had much involvement in "Curtain," would he?)

And of course there was Roberta Lincoln, who was originally going to be Roberta Hornblower. Come to think of it, GR probably got "Roberta" from the same place he got "Robert" in his Robert Wesley pseudonym/character name. He reused names a lot.

 

[ChallengerHK]

Agreed. If I had a ton of time I'd write a book teasing out all of Roddenberry's...let's call them tall tales :-)

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I have Roddenberry's Lincoln Enterprises corporate seal embosser and it shows an incorporation date of April 6, 1962.

Memory Alpha specifically asserts that the incorporation docs were backdated to April 6, 1962 to throw up a smokescreen. It was an attempt to throw Paramount and GR's first wife off the scent of monetary income. I'd be surprised if that wasn't true.

Furthermore, I would guess that if "Lincoln" did come into legal existence in 1962, then it was just a shell company that Maizlish created, probably along with many other empty shells, intended for his clients when they wanted to conduct business transactions without a paper trail that led right to them.

 

[alchemist]

My suspicion is that the change from "Star Trek Enterprises" to "Lincoln Enterprises" (the latter of which Majel Barrett once claimed was was a shell company Leonard Maizlish acquired from another client and subsequently gave to her) had something to do with Gene's divorce and an attempt to hide assets from Eileen.

It may be a coincidence, but the April 6, 1962 incorporation date is not long after Gene first met Majel.

But, I'm definitely not a lawyer and don't know all the details, so for now this is just a shot in the dark.

Perhaps so. Roddenberry started referring to Star Trek Enterprises as Lincoln Enterprises before the name actually switched. Indeed, he started using the Lincoln name while United Fan Mail Service was still mailing out the "kits."

Didn't he claim that Abraham Lincoln was his personal hero, which was why he was Kirk's hero in "The Savage Curtain?" Or is that my memory playing tricks on me? (Come to think of it, he wouldn't have had much involvement in "Curtain," would he?)

Yes, this is what Bjo Trimble told me. But I take that with a couple of molecules of salt.

Memory Alpha specifically asserts that the incorporation docs were backdated to April 6, 1962 to throw up a smokescreen. It was an attempt to throw Paramount and GR's first wife off the scent of monetary income. I'd be surprised if that wasn't true.

I'm not sure I believe the backdating part. The State of California lists the incorporation date as April 6, 1962. Here's the link to the database search.

 

[Harvey]

My understanding (can't recall where I read this) is that Lincoln Enterprises came from Roddenberry living on Lincoln Avenue/Road/Street.

I think you may be conflating the origin of Norway Productions (Roddenberry lived at 785 Norway Lane at one time) with Lincoln Enterprises here, although I suppose it's possible they share the same genesis.

I'm not sure I believe the backdating part. The State of California lists the incorporation date as April 6, 1962. Here's the link to the database search.

The registration date also contradicts Majel's assertion about the company, unless 1962 was when the name was changed from Lincoln Publishing to Lincoln Enterprises?

Majel (from a 1993 interview): "Lincoln has been in existence for probably almost a hundred years. It was originally Lincoln Publishing and it was owned by another gentleman many, many years before."

 

[Neopeius]

I feel like this is the sort of very specific detail that only someone planning to use time travel to make changes would need to know. What are you planning? Also: I'm in.

Or he's a crazy time traveler who wants to be as perfectly accurate as possible. Also: I'm in.