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[Blare]

I was supposed to be going to Australia with my students in February and was hoping to purchase an Akubra then. Coronavirus put paid to that. Akubra don’t ship to Japan from their website, but I’ll check out the places you mentioned.
Regarding fur vs wool, my wife and I were both wondering if wool is just from sheep. We both thought “what about alpaca?”, though I’ve yet to come across a hat made from alpaca.

I think in general most ‘wools’ are fibers sheered from the animal while still alive and can continue to grow more. Where as with fur felt the fibers are stripped from the pelt. Unfortunately I suppose those beaver and rabbits don’t tend to sit well for a haircut.

 

[Rmccamey]

Anyone know of a reference document with a history of the bowler or derby hat in the U.S? Yes, I can get to everything on Wiki, etc. I'm looking for something that is more comprehensive and robust. Thanks.

 

[buler]

Our own lounge member Brad Bowers has some info on his website:
http://www.thehattedprofessor.com/derbydeconstruction.html

B

 

[buler]

You can also read thru the issues of American Hatter on google books.

https://www.google.com/books/editio...hUKEwih09aLvOXoAhUBeKwKHbC1AAAQmBYwAHoECAIQBw

B

 

[The Shoe]

Fur and wool again. Thanks for all the answers to my last question. You all confirmed the way I understood things.
Here’s another hat that’s come up for sale over here. A resistol. I’ve asked the seller about the felt - no answer yet. I’m hoping against hope that it’s beaver, but don’t think so somehow. Can you tell/make an educated guess from the photo as to whether it’s fur or wool, or is that impossible from just a photo.

 

[Bamaboots]

View attachment 227218 View attachment 227210 Fur and wool again. Thanks for all the answers to my last question. You all confirmed the way I understood things.
Here’s another hat that’s come up for sale over here. A resistol. I’ve asked the seller about the felt - no answer yet. I’m hoping against hope that it’s beaver, but don’t think so somehow. Can you tell/make an educated guess from the photo as to whether it’s fur or wool, or is that impossible from just a photo.

Shoe, looks like it may be part of the Stagecoach line, a moderately priced line of fur felt (no one knows the exact content but mostly bunny I imagine) hats that came in a lot of different configurations with a lot of ribbon and binding options on different models. Resistols come with a sales and model tag with one half of it often remaining under the sweat. Perhaps the seller will check.

Resident Resistol Stagecoach expert @Joao Encarnado has a link to a site he created cataloguing different models.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

View attachment 227218 View attachment 227210 Fur and wool again. Thanks for all the answers to my last question. You all confirmed the way I understood things.
Here’s another hat that’s come up for sale over here. A resistol. I’ve asked the seller about the felt - no answer yet. I’m hoping against hope that it’s beaver, but don’t think so somehow. Can you tell/make an educated guess from the photo as to whether it’s fur or wool, or is that impossible from just a photo.

The 3X beaver, 4X beaver, and similar are not beaver fur felt hats. There is probably a small amount of beaver in the blend; however, the manufacturers won’t disclose the percentages. It’s primarily a rabbit and/or rabbit and hare blend. The”Xs” are a mystery and what they mean has changed over the years. A 7X hat from the 1950s or earlier could be a 100% beaver hat whereas a 50X from the 1990s might be a 50% beaver hat. However, if it’s a Stetson or Resistol with Xs followed “Beaver” it is a fur felt hat and not a wool blend.

 

[belfastboy]

The 3X beaver, 4X beaver, and similar are not beaver fur felt hats. There is probably a small amount of beaver in the blend; however, the manufacturers won’t disclose the percentages. It’s primarily a rabbit and/or rabbit and hare blend. The”Xs” are a mystery and what they mean has changed over the years. A 7X hat from the 1950s or earlier could be a 100% beaver hat whereas a 50X from the 1990s might be a 50% beaver hat. However, if it’s a Stetson or Resistol with Xs followed “Beaver” it is a fur felt hat and not a wool blend.

As one of my custom hatters put it.....if a live beaver happened to walk through the shop while rabbit fur was being felted they would slap a few XXX's on the batch as surely a few beaver fibres would be in the batch somewhere.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

As one of my custom hatters put it.....if a live beaver happened to walk through the shop while rabbit fur was being felted they would slap a few XXX's on the batch as surely a few beaver fibres would be in the batch somewhere.

That sounds about right. I don’t blame sellers for thinking that their 3X Beaver hats are actually made of beaver. If only it were so.

 

[Robert Seidel]

I'm trying to replace a straw hat. It's a pork pie, with an optimo crown. The logo on the inside is a top hat, umbrella and gloves. Size 55. Can anyone help? Thanks

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I'm trying to replace a straw hat. It's a pork pie, with an optimo crown. The logo on the inside is a top hat, umbrella and gloves. Size 55. Can anyone help? Thanks View attachment 227373 View attachment 227374

That logo belongs to Capas

https://www.capasheadwear.com/

 

[Rmccamey]

I did find Brad's info. Very interesting.

Our own lounge member Brad Bowers has some info on his website:
http://www.thehattedprofessor.com/derbydeconstruction.html

B

 

[The Shoe]

Shoe, looks like it may be part of the Stagecoach line, a moderately priced line of fur felt (no one knows the exact content but mostly bunny I imagine) hats that came in a lot of different configurations with a lot of ribbon and binding options on different models. Resistols come with a sales and model tag with one half of it often remaining under the sweat. Perhaps the seller will check.

Resident Resistol Stagecoach expert @Joao Encarnado has a link to a site he created cataloguing different models.

The 3X beaver, 4X beaver, and similar are not beaver fur felt hats. There is probably a small amount of beaver in the blend; however, the manufacturers won’t disclose the percentages. It’s primarily a rabbit and/or rabbit and hare blend. The”Xs” are a mystery and what they mean has changed over the years. A 7X hat from the 1950s or earlier could be a 100% beaver hat whereas a 50X from the 1990s might be a 50% beaver hat. However, if it’s a Stetson or Resistol with Xs followed “Beaver” it is a fur felt hat and not a wool blend.

As one of my custom hatters put it.....if a live beaver happened to walk through the shop while rabbit fur was being felted they would slap a few XXX's on the batch as surely a few beaver fibres would be in the batch somewhere.

That sounds about right. I don’t blame sellers for thinking that their 3X Beaver hats are actually made of beaver. If only it were so.

Thanks for all your answers. The problem is that there’s no mention of fur and not an X to be seen in any of the photos. No response as yet from the seller. Am I to assume wool?

 

[georgie girl]

I've never seen it as a Dobbs Edge before, did this appear on many hats? Does this help with the dating of the hat?

 

[jlee562]

Thanks for all your answers. The problem is that there’s no mention of fur and not an X to be seen in any of the photos. No response as yet from the seller. Am I to assume wool?

For products sold in the US, they must be labeled as wool if they are wool.

 

[Blare]

I've never seen it as a Dobbs Edge before, did this appear on many hats? Does this help with the dating of the hat?

Oh neat. Haven’t seen that one either

 

[Robert Seidel]

That logo belongs to Capas

Thanks!!

https://www.capasheadwear.com/

 

[The Shoe]

For products sold in the US, they must be labeled as wool if they are wool.

OK, I’ve had a response. The seller received the hat about 10 years ago and really has no ideas about hats. I’ve asked her to look for wool stated anywhere and also to look for the white tag under the sweatband, and if it’s there to post a photo.
We’ll see how it goes.

 

[jlee562]

OK, I’ve had a response. The seller received the hat about 10 years ago and really has no ideas about hats. I’ve asked her to look for wool stated anywhere and also to look for the white tag under the sweatband, and if it’s there to post a photo.
We’ll see how it goes.

It's probably fur felt. Wool felt westerns usually have shorter brims and many wool hats have a welted brim, both because wool is not as good as holding its shape over time.

 

[The Shoe]

It's probably fur felt. Wool felt westerns usually have shorter brims and many wool hats have a welted brim, both because wool is not as good as holding its shape over time.

Here’s the tag. What does this tell you? And how much would you expect to pay for it in the States? Prices aren’t really comparable, but I would be interested to know.