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Ebay Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

triple-d

A-List Customer
Messages
420
Location
Arkansas

tommyK

One Too Many
Messages
1,789
Location
Berwick, PA
He does 50% off sales once in a while and I did buy a hat from him then and was happy.
This one;
_DSC1167_zps1276cb62.jpg

It's the payment plan that caught my eye as a new ebay thing.
 

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
This vintage De Looze is my size. But 9 bills US for an admittedly mothy hat, is there something special about the De Looze brand that justifies such a BIN price?

Wow what a price! Well, the name must say it all.....you pay that much and you "De Looze" some money....hahaha!
 

viclip

Practically Family
Messages
571
Location
Canada
Wow what a price! Well, the name must say it all.....you pay that much and you "De Looze" some money....hahaha!

It'll take more than De Looze screws rattling about inside my head, for me to feel compelled to spend that kind of money on a mothy De Looze hat.
 

javadave61

Practically Family
Messages
891
Location
Harrisburg, PA
I placed a $15 bid on this Trimble "Floating Fit" hat on eBay thinking that surely someone else would pick it up.

Woops.

It looks like moths have had a hay day on this thing and the sweat band was torn and pretty much coming apart. So I replaced the sweat, gave it a good brushing, and reshaped it. It's definitely designed to be more western than fedora. It's pretty stiff. It's got a 3" brim and the extra quarter inch (compared to my open road) feels noticable. But from six feet away, it looks pretty darn good. I'm happy given what I paid.

Before:

acd6466d847ed2490314bd8dde8ff1d8.jpg


1a4b1ad59e06eba281529eb450ba0ec1.jpg


fb5e70dcd8b4af1a28bb0b1656b80824.jpg


After:

fe8aca3481c687d59bc3e10078e84701.jpg


8e839b21d9d59fa4f29b9bdd14296781.jpg


f5f248e140e4b4a14e503f39811f8978.jpg
 
Messages
19,413
Location
Funkytown, USA
I noticed the payment plan thing yesterday. It must be a new feature from eBay. A hat I'd been eyeing expired, was relisted, and the new listing had the payment plan. I've seen it a couple of times since then.
 

tommyK

One Too Many
Messages
1,789
Location
Berwick, PA
Looking real good, Java! Nice work! At that price it's a good yard chore hat or hiking hat with no guilt of damaging a pricey collectible.
 
Messages
10,839
Location
vancouver, canada
I shoulda known better.....made a bid on a blue felt fedora on Ebay ($25) that needed work. Was "measured" as a 23" and I figured I could use it as my knockabout hat. It arrived and is closer to 24" and on further inspection there is a size tag under the hat band that marks it as a 7 3/4".....a tad difference. It also has two eyelets in the brim for a leather chin strap that were not listed in the description. It serves me right for buying a fedora from a NON hat person. Caveat emptor! At least I am only out $35....a cheap lesson learned.
 

Cigarband

A-List Customer
I always send this to the seller, it helps: Greetings, I have been buying vintage Fedora hats for a while and here is the info I need to know.
Is there a label under the sweatband, what does it say?
Hats shrink over time, so what is the inside measure from front to back and side to side?
With these measurements I can use the Elipse Calculator here:http://www.csgnetwork.com/circumellipse.html to determine the inside circumference.
Flash photos and computer monitors can distort colors,
so what color would you say the hat is?
Are there any visible moth bites, or noticeable odors about the hat?
Measured from the ribbon to the edge, how wide is the brim?
What color is the sweatband?
What is printed on the sweatband?
Thanks for all your help.
 

tommyK

One Too Many
Messages
1,789
Location
Berwick, PA
Recently saw a common misconception from a non hat person seller. "The inside of the hat measures 7 1/2 from front to back so this is a size 7 1/2". Not!
 

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
Recently saw a common misconception from a non hat person seller. "The inside of the hat measures 7 1/2 from front to back so this is a size 7 1/2". Not!
That happens a lot on eBay.. You have to ask and ask and ask questions to protect your interest on any purchase BEFORE you bid......and not just on the beloved hats, this is a "must do" on anything you would plan to buy. Can you imagine buying a hat only 7 1/2 inches long.....LOL????? The shruken head......cannibal....wah to si tribe.....lol!
 

Guardian Enzo

One of the Regulars
Messages
245
Location
Kobe, Japan
Speaking of "buying from a non-hat person"...

Took a stab at this one and got it dirt cheap - it intrigues me (especially the ribbon work) and I figured because of the no-name, the weird story with the sweatband and the lack of the usual buzzwords it'd go low. It seems legitimately old at the very least, and in generally decent shape. The risk is low, anyway...
 
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Guardian Enzo

One of the Regulars
Messages
245
Location
Kobe, Japan
Has anybody ever heard of Willard Hats, anyway? All I could turn up in my research is that it could be associated with the old Willard Hotel in D.C..

Maybe buying a fur felt named after a giant rat is a mistake... Or maybe it's nutria? :p
 
Messages
17,489
Location
Maryland
Has anybody ever heard of Willard Hats, anyway? All I could turn up in my research is that it could be associated with the old Willard Hotel in D.C..

Maybe buying a fur felt named after a giant rat is a mistake... Or maybe it's nutria? :p

It's the Willard Hat Company of Dallas Texas. If you Goggle "Willard Hat Company of Dallas Texas" you will get some hits.

https://books.google.com/books?id=U_xYAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA9-PA96&lpg=RA9-PA96&dq=willard+hat+company+of+dallas+texas&source=bl&ots=Eqg_aY5p0c&sig=HYoo5ZTHQQny4fipMwtHgr_uxPM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0skgVeWECsLfsASQ-IGIAw&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=willard%20hat%20company%20of%20dallas%20texas&f=false

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/US-OBITS/2006-02/1139178630

Here is a Willard Hat Company OR Clone on Ebay "Buy it Now".

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Willard-Buckskin-Felt-Open-Road-Clone-Tan-Size-6-7-8-Great-Specimen-/141598519095
 
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Guardian Enzo

One of the Regulars
Messages
245
Location
Kobe, Japan

Wow, thanks - interesting. That book is 1921 so we know they've been around a while, though unfortunately there seems to be no way to see the actual excerpts.

Anyone ever seen one of their hats close up?
 

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