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[Lotsahats]

Hey there!

I don't know that there's a definitive answer to your question, I'm afraid. In terms of the value of vintage hats, the market depends on a lot of things, including condition and provenance--the last being those indicators that establish the age and legitimacy of a hat. No band makes it harder to firmly establish the model of the hat; as well, the interior of the sweatband also could have provided details about manufacture. That said, there are other factors that contribute to establishing the age of the hat. When the hat was resized, did the labels under the liner remain in the hat? You can tell a lot about the age of the hat from those factors, too, so if they're still there, you can still establish a general idea about the age of the hat.

I'm sure my better-informed counterparts here can help more. Wear the hat in good health and enjoy it!

A

 

[Landman]

Welcome FiftiesMan,

I'm afraid the hat probably no longer has any value to a true collector now that the original sweatband has been removed and it has been resized. However, now you have a nice hat you can enjoy. Post some pictures of it. I would be interested in seeing what it looks like after upsizing from a 7 to a 7 3/8. That is a big jump in size.

 

[gtdean48]

If you bought the Royal Stetson Stratoliner to wear, then resizing & replacing the sweatband did not devalue the hat to you one bit. It sounds to have made it more valuable since you can wear it now as opposed to being a unwearable size. There is no collect-ability left since you resized & replaced the sweatband & didn't retain the original. Your potential to resell it is now limited to folks of 7 3/8 who want a vintage felt Stratoliner to wear without a care of proving it is a vintage Strat. So limited resale value to limited population.
Bottom line, it is a good felt body renovated & resized to exactly what you want to wear = priceless!

 

[carouselvic]

Hi Guys,I am very new to the hat world and recently acquired a 1940's Stetson Royal Stratoliner in a medium brown, size 7. The headband was stamped from 1224 Chestnut Ave. Philadelphia, PA. Fiftiesman[/QUOTE
The hat was sold from the Stetson factory store and the date of sale probably was stamped on the back of the sweat.

 

[fedoracentric]

... a 1940's Stetson Royal Stratoliner ... re-sizing it to a 7 3/8. ... I did not have Mr. Corvelli retain the old headband...and I was wondering how much this alteration de-valued the hat, if any...
Fiftiesman

Yep, with the sweatband destroyed it is now worthless to collectors. In fact, without its sweatband you can't even call it a Stratoliner as that was the only place that it was marked as such. It is now just a generic hat. But if you are enjoying it, then it is staying useful and is worth what it is worth as a utilitarian hat. But it is no longer a collectable.

 

[TheDane]

FiftiesMan : You have done the only sane thing, you could do - and you haven't lowered the collector's value with half a cent!

The Stratoliner is a great hat - one of my favorite model-named Stetsons - but in the condition, in which you received it, it was not interesting to most collectors. The model is not rare, so the financial value of this hat was small in the first place. The only thing to do was to have it cleaned/blocked and have the sweatband renewed. You have raised the value of the hat - not lowered it. Congratulations with a great hat. Enjoy it

 

[John Galt]

+1 for me. Yes, I prefer a Strat to say Strat, but it's that lightweight, good quality felt from the vintage Strat that really gets me going.

 

[FiftiesMan]

Thanks Guys,
I did buy it to wear and not for the box. Thanks for all the input.

Fiftiesman

 

[fedoracentric]

OK, so the hat is white and covered in mold spots. Is this impossible to clean?

 

[John Galt]

Doubt it. It will probably fade, at least.

 

[viclip]

OK, so the hat is white and covered in mold spots. Is this impossible to clean?
View attachment 16166

Hydrogen Peroxide perhaps?

 

[GregNYC]

Does anyone wear an "Optimo"-style Panama? I don't mean the company but the rollable type of Panama with the crease along the crown... I love those but haven't seen them in the wild yet!!

 

[gtdean48]

OK, so the hat is white and covered in mold spots. Is this impossible to clean?
View attachment 16166

Try blotting with naptha soaked cloth? I got felt tip marker out of a felt hat using Zippo lighter fluid.
Mold is a different monster than just something adding color...

 

[bond]

Block and flange numbers?
I have a nos set of #51 blocks and 561 flanges bought seperately . Is there a particular flange that goes with a 51 block?

 

[fedoracentric]

Thanks for the hints on the cleaning. With as much mess as that hat is in, I decided not to buy it after all.

 

[TheDane]

Block and flange numbers?
I have a nos set of #51 blocks and 561 flanges bought seperately . Is there a particular flange that goes with a 51 block?

No, any flange goes with any block - if the size and oval corresponds.

 

[bond]

Thank you

 

[John Galt]

No, any flange goes with any block - if the size and oval corresponds.

You can also go up a size on a flange and iron out the difference if you have to. I believe Ermatinger mentions this (in the context of buying as little materials as necessary) as a way to save $ when getting started blocking hats.

 

[GregNYC]

Are there any get-togethers?

Seems like there ought to be. I attend the occasional wristwatch gathering and a vintage workwear gathering now and then. But for hats, it would be cool!

 

[Landman]

Greg, in the past there have been events called Fedorafest. I have never been but would like to go to one. Below is a link to the last one.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?64100-FedoraFest-IV&highlight=Fedorafest