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M_Jones said:No pictures but the hat arrived today and as could be plainly seen from the auction photos the liner is shredded and beyond any kind of repair. The sweatband is unreeded making it more susceptible to separation from the felt which is the case with this hat. I can preserve it for reference but it will never serve its intended purpose again.
Under the sweatband I found a rather large length of some type of belt (modern) to help size the hat down. This is one of two things I consider good news about the hat. Without the belt it is my size. The second good thing is that the felt is flawless with no moth damage anywhere.
Sigh, the not so good. The ribbon is not grosgrain or even vintage. It is some modern craft ribbon used to form a bow and sewn down on one side to make it narrow. And the worst of it is that it looks all too apparent that the brim has been hewn down to make it more modern or feminine or something. This wouldn't be too bad except for the fact that there is as much as a 1/8th inch difference in brim length depending on where you measure.
So, RLK clearly got the better deal of the two hats and I must now contemplate if I am going to send this thing to Optimo for work (which it needs to be wearable).
I don't suppose one of you folks has a Peschel liner for sale?
Sorry to hear about the condition and modification (I had a sense of that from the eBay photos) but this is still a very rare piece. This hat was made prior to WWII at the old factory in Czecho-Slovaki (prior to WWI Austria). This is the first one I have seen from the old factory so you are not going to find a liner. The Peschels I have (and have seen) are post WWII and out of Germany (the family was expelled after WWII same with Hückel). The velour felt (this area was known for the best in the World) is worth the price alone IMHO. Hopefully you can make a servicable hat out of it.