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Hello all,
My grandmother(rip) had a 1920's and a 1930's Packard. (wish I had one now). When she traded for a Lincoln, she kept what she said was a Packard blanket. My grandmother told me that the blanket was given, as there was no heater.
Brownish black velour with reinforced corners and very heavy for the size. My question-was there such a cover????
Little help
Thanks, Goose
Own a 48 that is a rolling atm machine that withdraws all by itself

What you're refering to as a "blanket" was, in the era, called a lap robe and yes, they were common accessories in the luxury cars in the decades before car heaters became sophisticated and efficient enough to keep people comfortable in the winter. If you check the accessory catalogs for the 20s and the 30s you'll see that several were generally offered. Though they were normally intended to be sold, I suppose a dealer could have "tossed one in" to sweeten the deal, just as is often done today.

PS - the 1929 Accessory Catalog lists several available lap robes at between $25 and $75 each.

Look at the back of the front seat on any car made up to the early 50s. Usually you will see a rope stretching from one side of the seat to the other. This was put there so you would have a place to hang the lap robe.

So yes they were very common in colder climates, before really efficient heaters became standard equipment.

In cars with no heater, you could buy a sort of portable heater. It was a metal box covered in carpet. Inside, you put a hot brick heated in the old wood burning or coal burning kitchen range.

By resting your feet on this heater and covering your legs with the lap robe, you could trap the heat and keep your feet warm for an hour or 2.

The most common lap robes are plaid wool with a fringe. In the real old horse and buggy days, buffalo hide robes were popular.

The heaters turn up in antique shops and on Ebay from time to time.

Car dealers sold robes in their accessory department with the company's logo on them. But they aren't common.

Packards continued to have a robe cord or robe rail right up through 1956 - except for the '56 Caribbean.

Thank you to everyone. Knowledge is indeed a wonderful thing.
Goose

"PS - the 1929 Accessory Catalog lists several available lap robes at between $25 and $75 each."

That was probably EARLY 1929 for the 29 model year. I'd like know if they still offered them 1932'ish or any time 1930 thru 1937 AND THE PRICE. $25 in 1930 - 1937 time period would have been close to a weeks wages for even master craftsmen of any trade. IF they could get a job.

Even at $25 in the 1920's Packard must have been operating on a one thousand percent profit margin with the blankets. GEEZ what a rip off that was!!! No wonder they didn't sell many.

Well paid large corporation skilled workers and low level management were only making about $3.00 to $4.00/hour as late as the early 50's.

The accessory list I quoted from is the one I provided to this website some time ago, and dated March 1, 1929. Lap robes were certainly offered thru 1934 as my 34 has an original one, and I'd guess they were offered at least thru the end of the phaeton era, 1936 for factory-bodied phaetons, if not later. The higher-priced ones were genuine fur on one side and something like mohair on the other, and often monogrammed with the owner's initials. At least the one I have is extremely heavy, perhaps the thickness of 3 or 4 light bed blankets and very elegantly made. Just to put a bit of perspective on the $25-$75 price range, the Tropic Aire hot water heater was $42 and a rear trunk rack, trunk with fitted luggage, 6th wheel carrier with extra tire and wheel, metal covers and sidemount mirrors was about $240 or about 10% over the base cost of an Eight 5-pass sedan. Packard was not a car for skilled hourly workers or low-level management types, at least not until the 120 and 110 came along.

Maybe post a pic of your blamket to this website sometime when u get time. I'd like to see one.

Can u give us more of the story about the blanket that came with your '34. Is it monogramed??? Orginal to the car??? Any story behind it??? Is it an actual 34 blanket??? Did they offer different prints or styles for each year???

Next time I have film in the camera I'll take a few pictures, its black faux fur on one side, brown hogshair or similar on the other side, very heavy. It is not monogrammed though the car is (rear doors). I am the second owner of the car (bought in 1964) and as it came with original everything, tools, owners manual, keys, bulb kit, warrant card, etc. I assume it's original to the car though I don't have an original sales invoice to verify that. Some years back I had a chance meeting with a nephew of the original family chauffeur who indicated it was original, and that's a story in itself; if you're interested send me a PM with your email and I'll forward the story to you. I would guess that the same lap robes were offered over a range of years, but doubt there is any bona fide information to find on such matters. Thanks for your interest.

Several of you expressed interest in Packard lap robes and I'm enclosing two pictures of mine. As my 34 was equipped with just about every factory accessory, I believe this to be original to car, also verified by the nephew of the original chauffeur some years back. I don't know which of the various qualities and prices they were offered at this one represents. It measures about 54" x 66" and over 1/2" thick at the edge hems, and weighs nearly 8 lbs. As you can see, it's no simple blanket. It does not have a monogram, though many did. The maker's label reads "Mianus All Wool Art Co., Made in USA". These were common accessories, both factory and aftermarket, in the Classic era, especially on convertible coupes, convertible sedans, and phaetons. Hope you find this interesting.

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