French Hats and makers.

[Daniele Tanto]

Second homburg or diplomatique made in France arrived in the past days.

Quite rare to find a Gelot, even less so of this color. Dark gray with blue highlights.

The shape is the classic one of the "normal shaped" homburgs. Size 58 centimeters or 7 1/4 in the US.

The curled brims are 5 centimeters long, the ribbon, the same color as the felt, is 4 centimeters high and the crown, completely open is 13 centimeters.

The inside reminds me that the hat is almost a hundred years old and is perfect, a little less so on the outside where there are small imperfections that can easily be resolved.

The question is which hat manufacturer made this Gelot?

No information at inside the sweatban and the mystery continues....

 

[steur]

Second homburg or diplomatique made in France arrived in the past days.
View attachment 605605
Quite rare to find a Gelot, even less so of this color. Dark gray with blue highlights.
View attachment 605606
The shape is the classic one of the "normal shaped" homburgs. Size 58 centimeters or 7 1/4 in the US.
View attachment 605607
The curled brims are 5 centimeters long, the ribbon, the same color as the felt, is 4 centimeters high and the crown, completely open is 13 centimeters.
View attachment 605608
The inside reminds me that the hat is almost a hundred years old and is perfect, a little less so on the outside where there are small imperfections that can easily be resolved.
View attachment 605609
The question is which hat manufacturer made this Gelot?
View attachment 605610
No information at inside the sweatban and the mystery continues....

That is an outstanding beauty of a hat! Great find, Daniele.

 

[batankyu]

Hi, I purchased this short brim "Motsch Fils" black fedora at a garage sale for 5 euro along Prado beach in Marseille on Sunday 20 April 2024. I wondered if there was any chance to put some date range on it.

All I know is that Etienne Motsch founded his hat shop in Paris in 1887 and that Hermes bought the shop in 1991. Obviously some son must have taken the succession of his father at some point in the century since the hat is a "Motsch Fils" (Motsch Son) but I have no clue when.

The sweatband is black says "PUR LIÈVRE" (pure hare) on the front and "Motsch Fils - Paris" on the right side. The same label on the black inner lining has worn off and is mostly unreadable now. The ribbon is in the same felt material as the hat, without bow. There's a tag hidden behind the sweatband at the back: it is serrated with 3 cells: the widest one on the left says "135 noir" (black), the middle one says "REF. 98568", the most norrow on the right says "ENTRÉE 5" and maybe "10".

Pictures of the hat on imgur



Front view.

Rear view.

Left side view.

Right side view.

Top view.

Bottom view.

Sweatband, Front view.

Sweatband, right side view.

Inner lining.

Tag behind back of sweatband.

Tag behind back of sweatband.

Owner.

 

[steur]

Hi, I purchased this short brim "Motsch Fils" black fedora at a garage sale for 5 euro along Prado beach in Marseille on Sunday 20 April 2024. I wondered if there was any chance to put some date range on it.

All I know is that Etienne Motsch founded his hat shop in Paris in 1887 and that Hermes bought the shop in 1991. Obviously some son must have taken the succession of his father at some point in the century since the hat is a "Motsch Fils" (Motsch Son) but I have no clue when.

The sweatband is black says "PUR LIÈVRE" (pure hare) on the front and "Motsch Fils - Paris" on the right side. The same label on the black inner lining has worn off and is mostly unreadable now. The ribbon is in the same felt material as the hat, without bow. There's a tag hidden behind the sweatband at the back: it is serrated with 3 cells: the widest one on the left says "135 noir" (black), the middle one says "REF. 98568", the most norrow on the right says "ENTRÉE 5" and maybe "10".

Pictures of the hat on imgur



Front view.

Rear view.

Left side view.

Right side view.

Top view.

Bottom view.

Sweatband, Front view.

Sweatband, right side view.

Inner lining.

Tag behind back of sweatband.

Tag behind back of sweatband.

Owner.

Cool find and for the price you cannot go wrong. The style suggests it's mid sixties to mid seventies.

 

[steur]

Mossant heather looked promising. Turned out to be a size 55 with the overwelt brim at 6cm and the crown at 10cm at the center dent. No labels inside the hat other than a small size label. With some stretching I can just about make it fit, but it still looks too small a hat. Too bad; a nice looking hat, but should have been a size or two bigger (or seven sizes, Brent).

 

[steur]

Mossant for Sools. Turned out a size 56 (just right!) with the stitched brim at 6cm and the crown at 10,5cm. Very thin and lightweight felt designated Castor Hudson. Weighs 84 grams. The colour is called Charcoal. The brim stitching is the special feature on this one: extremely fine and close to the brim edge.

 

[moehawk]

Mossant for Sools. Turned out a size 56 (just right!) with the stitched brim at 6cm and the crown at 10,5cm. Very thin and lightweight felt designated Castor Hudson. Weighs 84 grams. The colour is called Charcoal. The brim stitching is the special feature on this one: extremely fine and close to the brim edge.

Nice score!

 

[steur]

Nice score!

Thank you, John. Sools and Mossant were a good combination back then.