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[deadlyhandsome]

Greetings, Gentlemen,

I appreciate your comments, and thoughts, very much! When considering the content of my Mallory, I took into account two things: one, was that this hat looks to have been made in the 1940-1950 time period, and the other is that the feel, or "hand" of this hat, when compared to my oldest Stetsons, is the same, which meant "fur felt", to me. I own only one wool Stetson, which I bought in an antique store for very, very little money, and this hat most certainly feels like wool, and not felt. I'll try to post some photos of my Mallory, so you can see what I got. Wore it yesterday, to the Post Office, and the store, and got lots of compliments, which is nice! Please note that, besides the one of me wearing this hat, were all taken before I cleaned and brushed it. So, they do show some dust and dirt. A quick brushing and wiping took care of most of that.

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Thanks for checking out the photos, and I hope they can help in dating the hat, and shining more light on it's contents. In any case, I like it quite a bit, and am very happy to have found it. For $35, I think it is well worth owning and wearing! Thanks, again, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

I’ve seen hats made from Durafelt that had content tags of 90% wool and 10% unspecified fur. Amazon sells new Durafelt hats for under $15 and I’m sure they are not 100% fur felt. Your hat looks to be a completely different breed and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was 100% fur felt. It looks like there is no one answer for what Durafelt is.


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[Doc Mark]

Hi, Frunobulax, deadlyhandsome, and All,

Thank you for your comments, and thoughts on this, Gentlemen. Much appreciated! From some of the reading I've done, whilst casting about on the 'net, I found an interesting article posted on the Bernard Hat Co. site. I also see that they are offering inexpensive wool fedoras, with the "Durafelt" name added. I do think that this hat of mine is of far better quality than what they are selling as "Durafelt". Bernard Co., however, does offer a glimpse into the history of the Mallory Hat Co.:

http://bernardhats.com/hat-companies/mallory-hat-company/

It appears my liner has the earlier date of 1817, which I have read, may mean it's a little later than I thought. Again, I certainly don't know. But, I do love the hat, and look forward to wearing it often.

On the day when I got the Mallory, in the same worn, Resistol hat box, was a black Resistol Fedora, which is the same 7 3/8 size. This one does not feel quite a nice as the Mallory, but it it's still very nice, fits great, and looks good. Inside sweat band is stamped with "Self-Conforming" and "Bonded Edge". In the front of the band is "Kitten Finish XXX Mark III", and the hat was originally sold by the Daytons Men's stores. I bought them both for $35, each, and thought it was a very good deal. Neither hat looks like it was worn much, if any. When time permits, I'll take and post photos of the Resistol, too.

One thing I've learned, in my years of owning and wearing quality hats, is that there is always something more to learn! I very much appreciate The Fedora Lounge for offering us all a great place to continue our learning, through sharing and helping each other get more information, so the learning continues!! Well done, Gentlemen, and much appreciated!!

Oh, one last comment, re: these hats: To me, the Mallory looks older, and of better quality than the Resistol. The seller of the Mallory was Kulstad Bros, in River Falls, WI and Farmington, MN, and the Resistol was sold by Dayton's Men's Store. When we lived in Minneapolis, MN, back in the 1980's, Dayton's was still going strong, but I don't recall the Kulstad Bros. Both stores have/had a long and interesting history, from what I've seen so far! Fun stuff, no matter how you slice it! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

PS - A bit more info: Kulstad Bros Men's store opened up in Farmington, MN, in 1912. Dayton's was opened in 1902. Both of these sellers had very long, and respected histories. I would LOVE to find some old ads from both stores, from the 1940-1950 era!!

 

[Frunobulax]

The 1817 date means it's a Mallory from after Stetson acquired them (1946?). The back bow says early to mid-50s. Today's Durafelt is not yesterday's Durafelt. I say you have yourself a gen-yoo-wine fur felt hat. Estimating fur content is futile - we'll never know.

Stetson also currently sells all-wool Vita Felt hats. They are not the same Vita Felt which was sold in the 40s and 50s, so I think comparing it with today's Durafelt is an error.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[alanfgag]

There are a couple of good threads on Mallory Hats that you will enjoy paging through. The main one, with lots of missing photos early on, unfortunately, is the Mallory Mile. You should add your hat to this venerable collection.

Another thread with some nice Mallory theory is found here.

The 1817/1823 date differentiation is a well respected Fedora Lounge standard for dividing Mallory products between 1946 and earlier and 1947 and later. I like Fruno's assessment above. The back bow, liner protector, brim width and the newer Mallory logo typeface on the sweatband suggest mid 1950s or later to me. Certainly fur felt. Looks like a great hat - enjoy the heck out of it!

 

[Doc Mark]

Good Evening, Gentlemen,

Again, I thank you all, very much, for your kind and informative comments and suggestions! I also appreciate the links to those threads pertaining to Mallory hats, and look forward to reading all the info posted within them!! I have been a member for a while, but due to time constraints, dropped off the map for some time. I've been wearing hats for much of my life, and dearly love to do so, as, I'm sure, the rest of you do, too!!

It's good to be back, and I'll post photos in the proper forums when time permits!! Thank you, once again, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

 

[drmaxtejeda]

I have seen several "The Eagle by Stetson" liners on eBay. I thought it was a Stetson model only, but today I saw a "The Eagle by Disney" liner. The hat also has an eagle printed on the ribbon. If it weren't a straw, I would have bought it.

Does anyone know why both Disney and Stetson had a "The Eagle" model?

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[BobHufford]

Does anyone know why both Disney and Stetson had a "The Eagle" model?

Probably owned by Stetson at this point.

 

[Redfokker]

Probably owned by Stetson at this point.

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I sold a Mallory version of the Eagle (later model, there was an Eagle by Stetson in the golden era) to a lounger a while back. I have seen many of the Stetson and Mallory versions, but this is the first Disney version. Actually kind of cool. The line came out in the 1961 or 62 fashion year I believe.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

I sold a Mallory version of the Eagle (later model, there was an Eagle by Stetson in the golden era) to a lounger a while back. I have seen many of the Stetson and Mallory versions, but this is the first Disney version. Actually kind of cool. The line came out in the 1961 or 62 fashion year I believe.
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Thanks, Mike. From when to when was the golden era?

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[AbbaDatDeHat]

Probably owned by Stetson at this point.

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Same exact Eagle all three!
Sheeze...you’d think they could use a little imagination. No wonder people got bored with hats!
B

 

[Redfokker]

Thanks, Mike. From when to when was the golden era?

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1940s -50s Anthony had a couple excellent examples. I think you could look up my original post when I got my Mallory Eagle back in the day. Anthony showed his vintage one and told a little of the history as I remember.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

I bought several vintage grosgrain ribbons from Etsy some time ago. I asked Ignacio, my hatter, to bind a brim with one of them, and he said that the one I wanted to bind it with was made of "plastic", and that it wrinkled when binding. He showed me how, when he lit the edge of that ribbon it sort of "melted" and got hard when it cooled off, while some other ribbons I had just burned to ash.
All the ribbons I bought were listed as vintage grosgrain. Some said "cotton/rayon".
My question is, how do I know which ones are "plastic" and which aren't? Which are the best ribbons for binding?


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[Frunobulax]

I bought several vintage grosgrain ribbons from Etsy some time ago. I asked Ignacio, my hatter, to bind a brim with one of them, and he said that the one I wanted to bind it with was made of "plastic", and that it wrinkled when binding. He showed me how, when he lit the edge of that ribbon it sort of "melted" and got hard when it cooled off, while some other ribbons I had just burned to ash.
All the ribbons I bought were listed as vintage grossgrain. Some said "cotton/rayon".
My question is, how do I know which ones are "plastic" and which aren't? Which are the best ribbons for binding?


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Caveat emptor, Max. Sometimes the dealers don't know what they have, either.

Learned the same trick shopping for wool items down in your neck of the woods. Real wool smolders; acrylic blends shrivel.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[humanshoes]

I bought several vintage grosgrain ribbons from Etsy some time ago. I asked Ignacio, my hatter, to bind a brim with one of them, and he said that the one I wanted to bind it with was made of "plastic", and that it wrinkled when binding. He showed me how, when he lit the edge of that ribbon it sort of "melted" and got hard when it cooled off, while some other ribbons I had just burned to ash.
All the ribbons I bought were listed as vintage grossgrain. Some said "cotton/rayon".
My question is, how do I know which ones are "plastic" and which aren't? Which are the best ribbons for binding?


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It doesn't do you much good after the fact Max, but cotton/rayon ribbon has a completely different feel than does polyester. It's akin to the difference between the feel of a good fur felt hat and one made of wool. When it's in your hand, the difference becomes obvious. Cotton/rayon is supple and drapes and curls nicely whereas polyester is stiff and difficult to work with. When in doubt, Ignacio's burn test is a sure fire (no pun intended) way to know what you're dealing with. I've used polyester grosgrain in certain circumstances for hat ribbons and even binding with some diligence and it's difficult to tell the difference once it's on the hat, but the good stuff is definitely easier to work with. Unfortunately, the world's supply of good quality cotton/rayon grosgrain ribbon seems to be a finite commodity so when my current stock of cotton/rayon grosgrain runs out I plan to make the switch to pure silk grosgrain ribbon that can be purchased by the roll directly from Shindo of Japan. Pricey, but beautiful.

 

[Hat Masterson]

Considering pulling the trigger on an eBay sale: what's the bare minimum I need to do to avoid any funkiness being transferred to my pate? I'm thinking most old lids will be safe from sheer time, as any nasties will have probsably expired right, but wouldn't mind a tip or two just to be on the safe side of things, if you know what I mean.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

It doesn't do you much good after the fact Max, but cotton/rayon ribbon has a completely different feel than does polyester. It's akin to the difference between the feel of a good fur felt hat and one made of wool. When it's in your hand, the difference becomes obvious. Cotton/rayon is supple and drapes and curls nicely whereas polyester is stiff and difficult to work with. When in doubt, Ignacio's burn test is a sure fire (no pun intended) way to know what you're dealing with. I've used polyester grosgrain in certain circumstances for hat ribbons and even binding with some diligence and it's difficult to tell the difference once it's on the hat, but the good stuff is definitely easier to work with. Unfortunately, the world's supply of good quality cotton/rayon grosgrain ribbon seems to be a finite commodity so when my current stock of cotton/rayon grosgrain runs out I plan to make the switch to pure silk grosgrain ribbon that can be purchased by the roll directly from Shindo of Japan. Pricey, but beautiful.

Thank you, Rick!

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[jlee562]

Considering pulling the trigger on an eBay sale: what's the bare minimum I need to do to avoid any funkiness being transferred to my pate? I'm thinking most old lids will be safe from sheer time, right, but wouldn't mind a tip or two just to be on the safe side of things, if you know what I mean.

You can freeze it for a few days, which should kill any moth larvae, if present.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

Considering pulling the trigger on an eBay sale: what's the bare minimum I need to do to avoid any funkiness being transferred to my pate? I'm thinking most old lids will be safe from sheer time, as any nasties will have probsably expired right, but wouldn't mind a tip or two just to be on the safe side of things, if you know what I mean.

I have been told it is a good idea to freeze the hat for three days. After thawing, I would submerge it in a white gas bath overnight.


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[TheOldFashioned]

Considering pulling the trigger on an eBay sale: what's the bare minimum I need to do to avoid any funkiness being transferred to my pate? I'm thinking most old lids will be safe from sheer time, as any nasties will have probsably expired right, but wouldn't mind a tip or two just to be on the safe side of things, if you know what I mean.

The first few I purchased I didn't do anything because they all seemed on the up and up, and I was probably a bit naive. My last, however, was/is a bit grungier...moth nibbles, some dirt, worn/torn liner, and drier sweatband. I put that one in the freezer for a couple days. Now needing to give it some steam and a good brush.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

^^^^absolutely!!
Whether they look like they need it or not i freeze em for a minimum 24 hrs more likely 72 hrs.
It just gives me so much more confidence there are no bad nastys in the hat!
B