Dating Your Hat (A Place to Discuss the Age of Your Vintage Hat)

[ipodslinger]

Hello, I was hoping someone could help me date this Stetson "The Sovereign" hat
I don't have the hat in hand yet but one thing i am not sure of also is the hatband. is it original or is it something that was added later.
this is my first Stetson Fedora and just curious.
Thanks

 

[Dinerman]

Hat band is probably original. 1980s would be my guess based on just that pic.

 

[splintercellsz]

Picked this Lembert up. No idea on how old this 'alpine hat'? is. Anyone here know how old? I think 50s-modern, due to the plastic on the liner, but I will let ya'll judge that!

 

[mayserwegener]

I would say late 1960s early 1970s as Manfred mentioned in the German - Austrian thread. Lembert is still in business today although a very small operation.

 

[splintercellsz]

And m any thanks to you. My father is pretty surprised at how accurate ya'll are.

Many thanks, and have a Happy Holidays!

 

[barrowjh]

Dates appear accurate to me -

Ipodslinger, I agree with Dinerman - probably 1980s (maybe 1990's?), recent. Resortes805, I think those would be my best guesses for each of those hats. Same for Mr. Speakeasy. I could not have made any better estimate than your estimates. I agree on the alpine also.

 

[ipodslinger]

Thank You, i got it today and it's nice. nothing inside the sweat band but 112 hand written
it looks fairly new like 80's..love it

 

[tridentine]

I might have asked this before, please excuse my redundancy if I have:

I have this Borsalino at Mr Fawcetts for a new ribbon, could anyone tell me the aproximate age?:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-BOR...ikJwVe0Uy20TcgYfE/IQi64=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[barrowjh]

Tri, I don't frequent this thread often, do not think of myself as a credible expert. My best estimate -

Pre-war, maybe 1930s. Un-reeded sweatband is a MAJOR marker for this, as is the liner and logo. I just sent one identical to yours (as in sweatband and liner) to Optimo for a cleaning and new sweatband, just got it off da 'bay and the sweatband was coming unstitched in the back, which the seller had been honest about, I wanted the felt.

The stingy brim is a mystery, as we generally want to think all 1930s and 40s hats were 2 1/2 in brims or wider, but I have seen from the newspaper ads in some threads here that shorter brims were stylish from time to time, so that alone does not date it to late '50s - or 60s. There is a borsalino thread, I think one dedicated to dating them by liner, and besdor's comments there would also be helpful to you.

 

[alanfgag]

European makers used unreeded sweatbands much later than this, in fact, some contemporary Borsalinos use a sweatband sewn directly to the hat body.

Borsalino used this crown imprint from late 1940s into the 1970s and perhaps early 1980s, though the fabric changed from beige silk to white acetate at some point. The manufacturing label would be needed to narrow down a guess with greater accuracy than late 1950s to 1970s. A pre-war Borsalino is a rare animal. The vast majority that we see are 1950s and later.

ps... I am sure Art will have some thoughts for you on the vintage of your hat.

 

[mayserwegener]

Alan is spot on. The paper label should help assuming it has one.

 

[tridentine]

European makers used unreeded sweatbands much later than this, in fact, some contemporary Borsalinos use a sweatband sewn directly to the hat body.

Borsalino used this crown imprint from late 1940s into the 1970s and perhaps early 1980s, though the fabric changed from beige silk to white acetate at some point. The manufacturing label would be needed to narrow down a guess with greater accuracy than late 1950s to 1970s. A pre-war Borsalino is a rare animal. The vast majority that we see are 1950s and later.

ps... I am sure Art will have some thoughts for you on the vintage of your hat.

Thank you all.
Mr Fawcett just told me he thinks the 1950's.

 

[barrowjh]

Tri, I went back to besdor's comments (Bencraft Hats) and he stated that the cloth size tags began in the late 1950s, so I was wrong about it being pre-war. Based on other's comments above it could be a bit more recent than the 50s, but I would rely on Art if I were you. I learned something new - I thought that the unreeded sweatbands were a reliable marker of 1930s and earlier, but maybe that only works with USA-made hats, or only with certain brands, like Stetson.

 

[alanfgag]

Stetson and competing manufacturers used an unreeded sweatband construction on their low priced lightweights, as seen in this comparison of the c.1940 Stetson Playboy and Dobbs Cross Country.

and these 2 early Stratoliners, c.1942:

Later in the 1940s, a soft and flexible "fabric reed" was used between the sweatband and the hat. You can see one in this comparison of an unreeded Disney Gadabout and a fabric reeded Mallory Nokabout:

and in these photos of an unreeded Borsalino and a fabric reeded Stetson RSD - late 1940s to early 1950s:

 

[Il Cane Mostro]

Dobbs Hunting Season...

movies like this, are responsible for making me a hat lover. i have a mission for now...find the "holly grail" of hats for my head.


[video=youtube;2olNIcyM3y8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2olNIcyM3y8[/video]

 

[hatophile]

Wow, great scene. Davis, Bogie, Cagney, can't go wrong.

 

[Il Cane Mostro]

took me a while to return to my good old habits. wish only i could find my cigars the good old way... cubans illegal imported from foreign sailors, sold in isolated corners at the flea market 20 years ago...

 

[tridentine]

I bought this Stetson for my Dad for ChristMass on the bay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-BRO...DNRD9EpcLj9Fu5VdNJX8sMY=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
Does anyone know the aproximate age?
Thank you.

 

[carouselvic]

late 50's to 1964

 

[tridentine]

Thank you sir.

If you do mind me pique your expertise, can you please tell me when Stetson stopped using the red size and return tags inside their sweatbands?