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[GuitarGuy99]

Thanks, Jim. I wish Hatco had kept that website up as what I can find for the last couple years is more difficult to navigate.

I do now remember the Premier Whippet. It looks to have the same crown height and brim width as the Premier Strat and it’s just too small for me. I sold my Premier Strats because at my hat size they were just too diminutive for me. Nice hats though and it’s a pity Stetson gave didn’t stay the course with more open crowns and classic styling….are we down to just one open crown offering now?

The one I found is an open-crown Premier Whippet in black size 7 1/4.

 

[GuitarGuy99]

Found the link for Bob Roberts' JPN Whippet. I was wrong, it's Phantom Gray.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/the-hatco-outlet-store-in-garland-tx.24063/post-2275518

That is one beauty of a hat!
Found the link for Bob Roberts' JPN Whippet. I was wrong, it's Phantom Gray.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/the-hatco-outlet-store-in-garland-tx.24063/post-2275518

 

[Granville]

I don't think it's English. If it were I believe a "made in England" on the sweat would be there. It was a selling point back in the day.

Check this thread out:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/brent-vs-warwick-connection.59584/#post-1329931

Seems it was made by Lee of Danbury Ct. That was the theory back in 2011, at least. Sadly, the photos are no longer viewable.

Excellent. Thank you.

 

[Steve1857]

Excellent. Thank you.

You're welcome Granville.

Btw, post photos of the size tag you mentioned.

I have a Lee Homburg. Size tag under the liner looks like this:

Note the 1/8 on the underside of the sweat.

Mine is apparently from November 1980. Yours seems to be somewhat earlier.

Please post all labels and tags. They often help dating and origin.

 

[Granville]

You're welcome Granville.

Btw, post photos of the size tag you mentioned.

I have a Lee Homburg. Size tag under the liner looks like this:

View attachment 419160 Note the 1/8 on the underside of the sweat.

Mine is apparently from November 1980. Yours seems to be somewhat earlier.

Please post all labels and tags. They often help dating and origin.
View attachment 419161

I was looking for hand-written marks on the sweat, but found a "classic" gold tag that was folded up, not like what you've got (stickers) on the inside of the sweat.
Here it is 'unfolded' and peeking back out from the sweat, as is normal. The rear has the union stamp.

My most recent find is a Royal Coachman with similar tag (and union stamp). But it has the green fade/deterioration; I don't know if that means it's older or just was more exposed/worn (the Warwick tag was folded away, after all, perhaps saving it from whatever causes the tag to go green). Otherwise, same type face/rounded corners/gold color and sans serif numerals.
I've been assuming/guessing all along these hats are both from the sixties because of the stingy brims. Now finding the gold tag in the Warwick, and with your info, I think they're both from the same factory and manufacturer, i.e., wherever Dobbs hats were being made (Danbury?) by Hat Corp. I found a thread on Dobbs factory labels, and the Royal Coachman's factory label also indicates sixties.



Here's the factory label from the Coachman:

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Anyone know what model Stetson this is? It looks to have more crown than the West Bound B.

 

[Morgoroth]

I'm looking to make an Indy / outback style hat out of oilcloth. I can't find a good pattern though.

I've checked reddit and etsy and the closest I've gotten are a few leather ones.

Seam allowance etc seems like it would be different for canvas.

Any ideas?

 

[Samson25]

I love seeing and learning from other's great posts here regarding vintage hats.
My question is, who makes hats (new) or why don't we see more hats today made from Nutria? I am a new hat kinda guy and would love to find a hatmaker who works with Nutria, have a hat made of Nutria.
Alone for the fact that it seems to be a rather exotic kind of felt. What happened ?

 

[belfastboy]

I love seeing and learning from other's great posts here regarding vintage hats.
My question is, who makes hats (new) or why don't we see more hats today made from Nutria? I am a new hat kinda guy and would love to find a hatmaker who works with Nutria, have a hat made of Nutria.
Alone for the fact that it seems to be a rather exotic kind of felt. What happened ?

Nutria felts are available from Sunrise Hat Supply. Any custom hatter can buy them direct and make you a hat from it. It is a nice felt, makes up a nice hat. Similar to rabbit and beaver....vintage nutria is superior in feel to the modern stuff. It is a dense and fairly stiff felt (at least the Sunrise version thereof). Overall a nice felt but not a Wow! The upside is, if they have it in stock) their colour selection is great.....lots of colours.

 

[Samson25]

Nutria felts are available from Sunrise Hat Supply. Any custom hatter can buy them direct and make you a hat from it. It is a nice felt, makes up a nice hat. Similar to rabbit and beaver....vintage nutria is superior in feel to the modern stuff. It is a dense and fairly stiff felt (at least the Sunrise version thereof). Overall a nice felt but not a Wow! The upside is, if they have it in stock) their colour selection is great.....lots of colours.

Hey Belfast ! Thanks for the response and for the infos. Nutria is an invasive specie which causing alot of problems as they breed often/ multiply quickly. I am exploring alternatives to Bunnys and Beaver. Thanks Bud !

 

[belfastboy]

Hey Belfast ! Thanks for the response and for the infos. Nutria is an invasive specie which causing alot of problems as they breed often/ multiply quickly. I am exploring alternatives to Bunnys and Beaver. Thanks Bud !

A big water borne rat.....At one point a great many western hats were made from Nutria. A great hard wearing felt......but I suspect some modern folks had resistance to wearing a "Rat Hat". I have a vintage Stetson Nutria and it is wonderful. I have a modern Winchester Nutria that is very nice....comparable to modern beaver but not as nice as the vintage....but then that is par for the course.

 

[jlee562]

Can't tell you why nutria is no longer used in hats. I would speculate that it has something to do with the relative decline in the fur trade as a whole. It doesn't seem to be a nutria conservation thing, as even here in California there are ongoing eradication efforts.

Earlier Stetson literature (1899) proclaimed "Nutria is valued far higher than any other hatters' fur," for its "superior strength, durability, and rich texture..." They go on to say "our position among the world's makers of fine hats may easily be estimated by the fact that we use more Nutria fur than all the other-hat makers in the world combined."

My 1900's-ish nutria Boss Raw Edge is one of my most prized hats.

https://ibb.co/fptxc2R] [/url]
https://ibb.co/SdDX9ZF] [/url]

 

[GuitarGuy99]

They were also made for the US market. I show them as late as the 2018 Dress catalogue.

View attachment 419021

I think the Japanese versions have a pre-set crown and, if I remember correctly, they reincarnated the Whippet liner tip. Bob Roberts scored a black one at the outlet a few years ago and speaks very highly of it.

The Premier Whippet arrived today. The felt is very soft and there doesn't seem to be any stiffener. I'd post pics but iIm not sure if this is the right place for them.

 

[Frunobulax]

The Premier Whippet arrived today. The felt is very soft and there doesn't seem to be any stiffener. I'd post pics but iIm not sure if this is the right place for them.

Post it in the "Post New Hats Here" thread. You got a black one, right?

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/post-new-hats-here.28145/

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I love seeing and learning from other's great posts here regarding vintage hats.
My question is, who makes hats (new) or why don't we see more hats today made from Nutria? I am a new hat kinda guy and would love to find a hatmaker who works with Nutria, have a hat made of Nutria.
Alone for the fact that it seems to be a rather exotic kind of felt. What happened ?

I have vintage and modern nutria fur felt hats, and I too am a proponent of it’s use. There have been a few new sources of nutria felt in the last few years. Unfortunately, the pricing has been more than beaver fur felt, and I think the current nutria felt is slightly inferior to the current beaver felt. It can make a great hat, but the current nutria felt from Sunrise Hat Supplies is more temperamental and inconsistent compared to beaver offered by the big felt makers. That has more to do with the felting and dye process the maker of Sunrise’s felt is using than the qualities of nutria.

Here’s a thread on the largest source of nutria (aka “coypu”) felt in the US:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...y-felt-nutria-and-hatters’-tools.98328/page-2

 

[GuitarGuy99]

Yes. The black one.

Post it in the "Post New Hats Here" thread. You got a black one, right?

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/post-new-hats-here.28145/

Post it in the "Post New Hats Here" thread. You got a black one, right?

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/post-new-hats-here.28145/

 

[GuitarGuy99]

Thanks for the link. I posted a few pics.

 

[ILB Frank]

Can't tell you why nutria is no longer used in hats. I would speculate that it has something to do with the relative decline in the fur trade as a whole. It doesn't seem to be a nutria conservation thing, as even here in California there are ongoing eradication efforts.

Earlier Stetson literature (1899) proclaimed "Nutria is valued far higher than any other hatters' fur," for its "superior strength, durability, and rich texture..." They go on to say "our position among the world's makers of fine hats may easily be estimated by the fact that we use more Nutria fur than all the other-hat makers in the world combined."

My 1900's-ish nutria Boss Raw Edge is one of my most prized hats.

https://ibb.co/fptxc2R] [/url]
https://ibb.co/SdDX9ZF] [/url]

Of all the hats I've seen on this forum, only two or three have really stood out to me. This is one of them. I really do like that hat. I can see why it would be your prized hat. Very nice!

 

[LEOSTARK]

Hey folks, first time posting.
I am new to lid collecting. I am trying to dabble with different colors to see how they fit with others and expand my taste. For those who have and enjoy Silverbelly hats, how loud is the color truly? It seems a tad too bright from the pictures. Like Stetson OR's And Akabura CD's. I should have prefaced all this by saying that I am more of a subtle color type of person, with a wardrobe made mostly of chinos/denim/canvas jackets/leather jackets and mostly dark earthy colors, but some things can be acquired taste. Been trying to look through picture platforms for Silverbellys in the wild, unfortunately, most of the pictures are of solitary unworn lids.
Would you help me like/understand the appeal of Silverbelly color in lids? Thank you kindly.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hey folks, first time posting.
I am new to lid collection. I am trying to dabble with different colors to see how they fit with others and expand my taste. For those who have and enjoy Silverbelly hats, how loud is the color truly? It seems a tad too bright from the pictures. Like Stetson OR's And Akabura CD's. I should have prefaced all this by saying that I am more of a subtle color type of person, with a wardrobe made mostly of chinos/denim/canvas jackets/leather jackets and mostly dark earthy colors, but some things can be acquired taste. Been trying to look through picture platforms for Silverbellys in the wild, unfortunately, most of the pictures are of solitary unworn lids.
Would you help me like/understand the appeal of Silverbelly color in lids? Thank you kindly.

There are a great many shades that go by the name silverbelly. It’s not a single color. Your example of the CD and the OR are good references on how different the color can be between brands and even over time in the same brand.

None of the colors going by silverbelly look “loud” to me. It’s a very neutral color and it’s easy to work into most any wardrobe. It’s a perennial favorite for western hats, but it makes for great dress hats (fedoras etc.) too. Silverbelly has remained popular due to its east to match nature. I think only black is more versatile. Spend a few hours going through the Westerns Anyone thread and you should see why it’s such a well-liked color (really a range of tones).