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

[splintercellsz]

I see! I will post more pictures when it arrives.

 

[splintercellsz]

Here is a photo of the seam (I believe this is what you were talking about). Seems 40s?

 

[rlk]

Re-sized and hand sewn back in? I see a row of tiny holes on the right edge of the left side where original seam was likely sewn and a portion cut.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Those widely spaced stitches in the auction photos looked like a home repair, and in the above photo, neither the seam stitching nor the stitching where the sweat is sewn to the hat look like anything I've ever seen come out of the Hat Corp. of America factory, so I can't explain them, unless they are a repair made by someone's local shop. However, the factory label is a '40s HCA label, so that solidies the decade pretty well.

EDIT: I see Robert's point about the holes on the left. I think he's right, this hat was resized at some point in its life.

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

Note that in this photo, the tip sticker is off rear-center from the sweatband seam. Another indication of a home job.

 

[splintercellsz]

I see! What do you think it would have been resized to? It fits like a 7 1/8 should. Is it possible at some point, the sweat band came out (as is common on some old hats), and was put back in?

 

[splintercellsz]

Any ideas on how old this Penn-Craft might be? I am thinking 30's due to the dimensions. This is has a very straight blocking to it. Also, any info on why Penn-Craft was created? I search, but can't find anything.

 

[splintercellsz]

Bump for help on the penn-craft. Why isn't this thread a sticky?

 

[Joshbru3]

Bump for help on the penn-craft. Why isn't this thread a sticky?

Justin, are there any tags behind the sweatband? Also, is the sweatband reeded or unreeded? Can you also give me the brim and crown measurements. It looks 30's to me, but I will need a couple more clues. I do not know a whole lot about Penn-Craft, but this ad from 1935 lists the Penn-Craft hats at $5 where the Stetson labeled ones are $6 and above (except for the playboy and bantam air-lights). That leads me to believe that Penn-Craft was Stetson's "budget" brand and I use the word budget very loosely because its still a fantastically well made hat from the golden era of hats.

 

[rlk]

Bump for help on the penn-craft. Why isn't this thread a sticky?

First Copyright (and ads) 1934

Trademark wasn't registered until 1941 after which ads seem to end[huh]

http://www.trademarks411.com/marks/71442049-penn-craft

 

[Lefty]

Here's the only one I've got that's exclusively Penn-Craft.
1934

 

[Joshbru3]

I LOVE that ad, Lefty! To me, thats the perfect style of hat. Tall/straight crown, high rear flange, flatter front flange, and wide ribbon.

 

[rlk]

Stetson filed in UK 1955 for Penn-Craft
http://www.trademarkuk.info/tm/745337/penn-craft_penn-craft_hat_company_philadelphia

 

[splintercellsz]

I have only come across a few Penn-Crafts on the internet as well. Is it safe to say the Penn-Craft hats are hard to come across, or are people just holding on to them for good?

Here are pics of what lies behind the sweat, and the reed. The hat also looks allright with the brim up (has some nice brim curl). The blocking gave this hat very straight sides, and some reverse taper. I also think it may be beaver fur, as it has 5 X's, but it may just be part of the store logo.

Measurements are:

Open Crown: about 5½"
Brim: about 2"

Thanky you for the help, Lefty, Josh, and Robert. I really appreciate it!

 

[Lefty]

I forgot to check both photobucket accounts.
1934

I don't remember if this belonged to someone here, or if these are ebay photos.

 

[moontheloon]

Experts....What era are these from ?

..... so a friend of mine pulled these out of his late grandfathers closet and gave them to me knowing that I was a hat collector.

I'm wondering when you guys think they are from

my guess is 1960s? .... but I really don't know

they look unworn to me.... or at least if they were it was very light wearing

the sweat bands are fresh and not dried out at all .... just beautiful

 

[jlee562]

If memory serves, that was the 70s iteration of the Playboy, which really isn't a Playboy in the sense that it has neither of the distinguishing features (narrow ribbon with a particular bow, and a single row of decorative stitching on the brim) of its namesake.

 

[hatsRme]

The red Stetson box looks to be of an earlier decade...?

 

[moontheloon]

The red Stetson box looks to be of an earlier decade...?

the box strikes me as 1940s or '50s

possibly that hat that was in the box is not the hat that came in the box ?

 

[gtdean48]

70's Playboy with more vintage box for sure