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[gtdean48]

Good rule of thumb to use is that if it is made of fur felt, it typically will be marked as such.
It is an important marketing differentiation that it gets stamped to the sweatband.
Wool will be on a tag or sticker that can become detached.
This is NO hard, fast rule though.

Look behind the sweatband. Even if it is wool, you got a good lid for a good price, GREAT price if it is fur felt. HTH

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

Thank you very much, jolly kind of you.

 

[TCMfan25]

Has anybody ever handled a Stetson Diplomat Homburg?

 

[fenris]

What other ribbon color would be nice on a brown (Christy's Adventurer) hat? I'm planning to turn my old Indy hat into a different style and I thought changing the ribbon color would be nice (since the original ribbon flared outwards). I was thinking of going with a lighter ribbon or a multi-color ribbon, like some of Art's hats.

Pics would help a lot. Thanks!

 

[HatsEnough]

These days my first assumption is that any hat I pick up will have been made by a hatter that has long ago colsed its doors and/or sold its name to someone else! There are very few production hatters left still owned and operated by the original owners.

 

[bowlerman]

What is the best way to ship a hat (looking for specifics), and what would be considered a reasonable shipping cost?

I'm considering unloading a few of mine, and USPS flat rate boxes, at first glance, don't seem like the correct dimensions.

(Most of what I'd like to sell are wool, so I imagine there wouldn't be much interest here, but if and when I actually get to it, I will certainly let the lounge know regardless. There will likely be a few fur felts in the mix as well.)

 

[gtdean48]

What is the best way to ship a hat (looking for specifics), and what would be considered a reasonable shipping cost?

I'm considering unloading a few of mine, and USPS flat rate boxes, at first glance, don't seem like the correct dimensions.

(Most of what I'd like to sell are wool, so I imagine there wouldn't be much interest here, but if and when I actually get to it, I will certainly let the lounge know regardless. There will likely be a few fur felts in the mix as well.)

I use UPS since I'm a shareholder & my brother has been there for over 30 years.
Rates go from $9.50 to $14 depending on box dimensions & value of the hat for insurance.
USPS is generally cheaper.
This is of course considering you already have a box suitable for hat shipping...HTH

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

You're probably right, yet for a company that was founded in 1775 I've discovered next to nothing about it.

 

[zetwal]

What is the best way to ship a hat (looking for specifics), and what would be considered a reasonable shipping cost?

Priority Mail 12x12x8 by weight ... Runs about eight to ten with confirmation. Typically, arrives in two days.

 

[HatsEnough]

Also not a surprise. There is very little on the net about any hat company. Invariably I'll get an antique hat and feel lucky if I find even one entry on the company on the Internet. Usually, the only place I can find anything on a hat company is in Google books where they sometimes have city directories. And then all you get is a notation of address and that is about it. I would think that city legal records (for corporate filings), old newspapers (for ads and stories on openings and/or closings), and old city directories -- most all of this info will all be off line -- are the best ways to track a hat company. Lots of leg work and old fashioned research. It won't be something easily done on the Internet. The fact is, info on hat companies is not something that appears much on the web.

 

[zetwal]

Good rule of thumb to use is that if it is made of fur felt, it typically will be marked as such.

I don't agree with this statement. Unless I misunderstand the context in which it is made.

 

[SteveAS]

Indeed, I think recently produced hats will be marked with their material contents (because many countries' laws require it), but old hats generally are not so marked.

Looking at the subject hat, the felt looks smooth and dense. Also, the hat looks like it could be old enough to pre-date material contents labels. For these reasons, I'd guess it's fur felt.

 

[Viper Man]

Vintage Stetson Crown Height?

Can anyone tell me if vintage Stetson Open Roads & Strats all have 5 1/2" crowns or were there 5 3/4" crowns, too? Generally speaking, what is the open crown height of these hats pre 1960s? Thanks in advance.

 

[gtdean48]

Based on the original post = "...he bought it 10 years ago.", most factory hats from the 1990's & 2000's would be marked fur felt, at least the majority of the ones I've seen & purchased have.

 

[HatsEnough]

I have 5 vintage ORs and 2 Strats (all pre 1960) and it seems like they all measure 5-1/2 open crown.

 

[Tango Yankee]

Priority Mail 12x12x8 by weight ... Runs about eight to ten with confirmation. Typically, arrives in two days.

And you can get the boxes from USPS for free! You can even order them online from the USPS web site and they'll send them to you in bulk. The box suggested may seem a little small, but it's the one that most of the hats I've bought have shown up in unless a hat box was included in the deal. The brim might not fit without bending, but that's not an issue most of the time.

I cannot recommend UPS or FedEx or DHL (are they still in the stateside parcel delivery business?) as out of the hundreds of packages I've received at my house in the past five or six years, the ones that were damaged one way or another were delivered by one of those three whereas I have have never received anything damaged via USPS during the same time frame--and most of the packages delivered were by USPS.

My only complaint with USPS is that one of the rural carriers will not get out of her car to put the package in the very large container I have on the porch for that purpose; instead she leaves a package notice. That's offset by the fact that I can ring the back doorbell at the PO before they open and they'll give me my packages. :eusa_clap

Good luck with your sales!

Tom

 

[Viper Man]

Thanks, HE.

 

[T Rick]

I only have one truly vintage OR and one Strat, and happened to be working on both right now (steaming to open crown the OR, and a slight stretch, plus a little flattening of the ribbon on the Strat). Measured both at open, and got 5 1/2 on each. Can't say as they were all like that though.

 

[zetwal]

Not only are the boxes free, you can even get free Priority Mail packing tape.

 

[SteveAS]

Based on the original post = "...he bought it 10 years ago.", most factory hats from the 1990's & 2000's would be marked fur felt, at least the majority of the ones I've seen & purchased have.

Good point. I missed the part about the hat having been bought that recently. Given that, I agree with you (gtdean48).