The exclusive manufacturer of major league caps since 1993 — and owned in part by the MLB, NFL and NBA, New Era Caps has dominated the cap market since the mid-1970s, when the company ended a private label deal that had them making caps for Wilson. New Era was founded by Ehrhardt Koch in Buffalo, NY, in 1920 as the E. Koch Cap Company. According to New Era, it made its first cap for a major league team, the Indians, in 1934. There is also an example of a WWII era Cubs cap with a New Era label. The oldest one displayed on this site comes from a 1954-55 Reds cap. By the mid-1960s, New Era caps become more common, and many of those from the late '60s have a distinct cross-stiching pattern on their leather bands.