Do you remember your first vintage hat purchase?

[CRH]

A grey Stetson in the early '80's, with a black ribbon, pulled it off the bottom of a box full of shoes and other assorted clothing. Paid $3.00 at a second hand shop. I remember that the liner was really nasty so I left it in a trash can at the shop.

I took it home and cleaned it under the kitchen faucet with a straw whisk broom. Wore it to a keg party with live music the next night. Wow!.... :cool2:

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Good thread, NY -- and welcome.

Worn brimmed hats in a variety of styles for most of my life but only got around to buying vintage about three years ago. Since then, vintage hats are all I'm truly enthused about. This little Stetson probably from the '60s was my first new old hat. Got it from Ebay. That STETSON pin on the bow doesn't really belong with this hat and is off of it now.

Didn't take long to add more and begin a collection. Also, I soon learned that the proportions of this hat are too sparing for good classic look. Going to higher, more boxy crowns and wider brims seems to be the way things progress for most of us who start out small and safe and then develop a different sense of style with time and experience. I never wear that first little Stetson and plan to include it in a stack of hats I will sell someday.

You are fortunate to be a size 6-7/8. Many fine old fedoras will show up and sell for low prices due to lack of demand for that small size.

 

[rlk]

Stetson Excellent Quality Derby

This was my first vintage hat from an Estate Sale in 1988, unfortunately split since then. I owned other hats before that but none that were truly "vintage".

 

[Seb Lucas]

The good days are long gone

I've owned so many hats, I can't imagine how many - 200 perhaps. First bought them from thrift shops and markets in the mid 1970's. In those days you could get a hat from the 1920's to 1950's in pristine condition for 50 cents to 2 dollars, Aust. Even in the 1980's you could get a brilliant hat for 5 bucks. I spent a lot of my pocket money as a kid on hats. Vintage Stetsons and Akubras mainly, with the odd devastating European masterpiece - Italian, Spanish and Eastern block hats. Don't have any of them any more. But I do have around 10 Akubras and a few Stetsons from the 1980's-2000's.

These days I prefer a wide brim for the sun and I tend to wear Akubra Drover or Campdraft hats. I usually trim the brim by half an inch on the sides to give it the look I like. I'm not keen on the more fancy gentleman's hats as I think they can look affected unless you have the right face...

I have a few Stylemasters but I don't much like them - I think they are too tapered and shallow for a proper Fedora. BTW the early Stylemasters had a better crown size and you had to shape them yourself - even in the mid-1980's. The commercial shape they come as now looks cold and boring to me.

I'd like to get a good Bowler hat (I had one of them from Lock and Co, bought it there in 1977) and I had a folding top hat from 1918. I would never wear one, but they are lovely objects to touch and look at.

 

[Lefty]

It was a Lock, HJ, or 3x OR, though I'm not sure which came first. In any case, they're all gone.

 

[jwalls]

First vintage hat

When I was 17 I was at an antique shop with my Grandfather. I found a Knapp derby from the early 30's, and borrowed $12 from him to buy the hat. The derby was a little small but I wore it anyway. It was a real hit with family and friends.

 

[NY_Confidential]

You gents have all offered me precious advice in here, and reading your stories was pretty cool!

I've narrowed down my choices for my first hat to 3. Maybe I'll buy all 3. Not sure. I figured that, if something don't fit right, I can always make an attempt to pass it along to someone on here in the classifieds, right?



What do some of you gents do regarding mothing on vintage hats? The ones I've seen have very small mothing, difficult to find even once pointed out in the photographs.. I'd imagine most just leave these barely-noticeables alone? or do you guys mess around with the felt?

 

[Phineas Lamour]

I just bought my first a few weeks ago. A Brent from the '50s. Got it on ebay for under 20 bucks with shipping. Also bought my 4 year old son a '40s Royal Stetson on ebay for a little3 over $30 with shipping. Both hats were in excellent condition and both fit us. I plan to buy more when I have enough money. I'm not interested in modern hats as much because they tend to be out of my price range and I've learned from the lounge that they might not be as high quality as the old ones.

 

[NY_Confidential]

I just bought my first a few weeks ago. A Brent from the '50s. Got it on ebay for under 20 bucks with shipping. Also bought my 4 year old son a '40s Royal Stetson on ebay for a little3 over $30 with shipping. Both hats were in excellent condition and both fit us. I plan to buy more when I have enough money. I'm not interested in modern hats as much because they tend to be out of my price range and I've learned from the lounge that they might not be as high quality as the old ones.

so is that the Brent on your head in the avatar? lookin' real Good!!!

 

[Phineas Lamour]

so is that the Brent on your head in the avatar? lookin' real Good!!!

Yes Pete, that's the one. I've heard of people having bad luck on the 'Bay but so far I'm 2 for 2 on hats.

 

[NY_Confidential]

Well, I finally got my first vintage hat.

It's a straw Champ, got it off eBay for about $20.

at first I wasn't sure what green/brown/coconut would really go with.. but i think it matches almost anything...

it's a little bit tight, but I'm not ready to try a 7 yet.. i think my noggin will give it some stretch. The leather sweatband Looks great, but its hard and it seems it might crack if you play with it too much. I have lexol cleaner & conditioner that I use in my car... do you guys think that would help? to massage some of that in there?

 

[ScionPI2005]

I've heard of people having bad luck on the 'Bay but so far I'm 2 for 2 on hats.

I've never had any trouble buying hats on ebay. A few times I've had to adjust the size a little bit by adding foam behind the band, but nothing too serious.

NY Confidential: Your new hat is great! Looks good on you and a nice find.

 

[NY_Confidential]

I've never had any trouble buying hats on ebay. A few times I've had to adjust the size a little bit by adding foam behind the band, but nothing too serious.

NY Confidential: Your new hat is great! Looks good on you and a nice find.

Hey Scion, thanks a lot bud!

My camera is.. "ugh" and I'm not too happy with the photos but.. it does look 5x better in person, that's for sure.

I just got done driving around for bout 45 minutes, had the had on for like an hour and a half.. seems its getting to how I want it to fit. guess it just sat on a shelf too long. I did the lexol thing first.

 

[jonbuilder]

Good thread Pete thank for starting it. Looks like you took the plunge and are looking good. I brought my first hat I April 08 a Stetson rancher. I decide it was not for me, the brim was too big for my face. My first vintage keeper is a Stetson 25. I lean heavly towards the Western / fedora thin ribbon look.

Since that first hat I purchase 24 more hats and have only resold one due to size. I only but vintage hats, which seemed the way to go from the posts I was reading on the lounge. My advise and attitude when I first got started, was to learn about hats but buys some vintage ones off ebay to learn about fit and the numerous other factors that makes a hat feel right while wearing.
What amassed me reading through this post is how much knowledge and or vintage hats some loungers have accumulated with in such a short time span. With you smaller hat size you will find the cost of vintage hats easier on you bank account
Seb Lucas It was interesting hearing about but vintage hats purchases in the70s

Welcome to the Lounge

 

[HatRak]

I've worn hats, as opposed to caps, since I was a kid playing "cowboys and indians." While not all have been purchased as vintage, most of them have become so! My first vintage purchase, however, was an Open Road. The cattleman's crease lasted about 30 seconds after getting it home. I pulled out the stained liner, punched out the crown, and about an hour later had her cleaned and steamed into a nice center dent with front pinch. It's still my go-to, everyday fedora. Just pulled the trigger on a Mallory homburg and a Puerto Fino fedora from the 'bay. Looking forward to their arrival. Actually, I can't imagine what I'm going to do with the homburg. I'll try it on and maybe I'll be shocked at how good it looks, but I doubt it. Still, I think every gentlman needs a homburg . . . that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[PistolPete1969]

My first true "vintage" hat purchase was at a local thrift store. I frequented thrift stores in those days seeking fedoras, and occasionally succeeded. This was @ 1992-1993

Anyway, it was a beautiful tan Portis wide-brim fedora, probably early 40's based on the shape. It had an ugly green cloth ribbon and was a little tight on me. There were no rips, stains, tears, or blemishes. I happily paid $12 for it and immediately took it to Gus @ Batsakes.

He replaced the ribbon and stretched it slightly. I kept that hat & wore it proudly until I lost it in my divorce (LLOOONNNGGG story).

Since then I have purchased several vintage hats. I still go to thrift & antique stores and still occasionally get lucky finding hats.


Pete

 

[NY_Confidential]

I didn't like the pics I showed you guys when I first got my Champ Milan.. so.. here's pics i took an hour ago that i think look great. (if i do say so myself!)

 

[Fredthecat]

Ol' Number One

Ol’ Number One is a 1940's Stetson Open Road in dark tan colour purchased mint in the box for $4 at the Alameda flea market in 1970. I had to borrow the $4. Lots of miles and 4 continents later, it’s not so mint anymore, but still very presentable, and still my everyday favorite. It’s worn well.

“$4 isn’t much when you have it, but it’s a whole lot when you don’t”. Donald Duck 1944.

 

[barrowjh]

First Vintage

My first was a grey Cavanaugh teardrop with a cav edge, and a Cavanaugh oval box, starting price $40. I thought I had really done well, but after it arrived I figured out why many folks do not like stingy brim hats; they are just tacky. I felt really goofy with that hat on; like you're ashamed of it so you buy an understated hat rather than a real hat. An exceptionally well-made hat, great quality, but what a sucker I was. Since then I saw that stingy-brims are cheap; I should have passed on that one as it was overpriced. It sits downstairs in my collection, but doesn't get out of the box very often, maybe once every other year. It took a few learning experiences; ya gotta wade in there to figure out whats happening.

 

[Goose.]

...was curious if some of you guys could tell me about your first hat buying experiences? I'm afraid currently of just 2 things..

1) I'll buy an open-crown hat and not be able to crease it properly myself, but as a hands-on-kinda-guy, I know I'll attempt it and maybe screw it up beyond repair

2) I'll buy something with a brim that is too short or too big.
....

Hey NYC...
To answer your question as it pertains to me; no. I was drunk.

Get an open crown...you can't really mess it up unless it is a cheap hat or you are really drunk.

Welcome.

Seriously, my first real hat was an Akubra Sydney that I bought at an outlet store in Redding, CA over a decade ago. Gave it to my buddy last year or so...he happened to be wearing it yesterday and it looks as good as the one I bought to replace it (my head must've gotten fatter along with my belly )

Edit: actually, I had about a half dozen or so western lids from Stetson and Resistol prior to my Akubra. Have never looked back since.