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

[BanjoMerlin]

But not for new ones(or their original prices for vintage)... Is there a syndicate or price-fixing, a secret agreement? Its way beyond merely supply and demand. Sometimes there are many bidders and still no one bids over $30.00. Only Garrett seems to be willing to pay for an exceptional small hat.[huh]

Smaller hats don't (and didn't) cost less to make so the original prices would be about the same (not counting the really BIG hats).

The average hat size is around 7 1/8 - 7 1/4 but I see at least 10 times as many 7-and-smaller vintage hats as 7 3/8-and-larger vintage hats. Statistically speaking, there should be about the same demand for smaller hats as for larger hats so the bigger supply of smaller hats would tend to keep those prices lower.

It really is supply and demand at work.

 

[Rick Blaine]

>... Is there a syndicate or price-fixing, a secret agreement? Its way beyond merely supply and demand. Sometimes there are many bidders and still no one bids over $30.00. <[huh]

"Today's average adult from an industrialized nation is taller than a comparable adult of a century ago. That increase of stature, likely the result of general improvements of nutrition and health, has been at a rate of more than a centimeter per decade. Available data suggest that these gains have been accompanied by analogous increases of head size..."


~WIKI "Flynn effect"

OR: "Nutritionists and anthropometric historians alike are familiar with the secular trend—height and weight in adults, and the rate of physical development in children, increasing since at least the mid 19th century...The... trend has lasted for 150 years or more, i.e. for six generations, because the rate of catch-up from one generation to the next is biologically constrained to avoid the cost of too rapid catch-up."

-T. J. Cole, Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, London
In Economics & Human Biology
Volume 1, Issue 2, June 2003, Pages 161-168

 

[rlk]

"Today's average adult from an industrialized nation is taller than a comparable adult of a century ago. That increase of stature, likely the result of general improvements of nutrition and health, has been at a rate of more than a centimeter per decade. Available data suggest that these gains have been accompanied by analogous increases of head size..."


~WIKI "Flynn effect"

OR: "Nutritionists and anthropometric historians alike are familiar with the secular trend—height and weight in adults, and the rate of physical development in children, increasing since at least the mid 19th century...The... trend has lasted for 150 years or more, i.e. for six generations, because the rate of catch-up from one generation to the next is biologically constrained to avoid the cost of too rapid catch-up."

-T. J. Cole, Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, London
In Economics & Human Biology
Volume 1, Issue 2, June 2003, Pages 161-168

These are not really relevant to what I was saying. We've been over this and its not nearly enough of a factor to explain this. There are multiple competitive parties on some of the better hats yet they are still unwilling to go anywhere near those of other sizes. The competition exists--they are just less willing to pay. This is largely(sorry) a perception thing like the crazy Whippets(not rare but common), not true S & D. I've heard FLoungers of limited cranial dimensions wish they had bid higher when losing auction with a $25.00 max bid.

 

[BanjoMerlin]

The competition exists--they are just less willing to pay. This is largely(sorry) a perception thing like the crazy Whippets, not true S & D.

They don't have to pay. If they don't win one hat there are several others available to bid on and they all know that.

It most definately is a supply and demand situation. There are so many great small hats on ebay the buyers have their choice.

BTW, this really has nothing to do with human growth over the last 150 years since we are basically talking about hats made 50 - 60 years ago. Average head size was about 7 1/8 and is now about 7 1/4.

 

[rlk]

I'll drop this nonsense since this not an economics forum.
Here's the only Resistol 10X Beaver Kitten Finish I've ever seen and owned by one of two Colonel H.H.Clouds of the Air Force(Sr. and Jr. both were Colonels at some point in their careers). Still couldn't match price with an ordinary late model Royal Stetson Open Road.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370409835242#ht_5218wt_1139

"Beachhead Don": reporting the war from the European Theater, 1942-1945 By Don Whitehead, John Beals Romeiser

 

[RBH]

Very neat info Robert, thanks!

 

[Tango Yankee]

Wow. White Service Dress uniform! That's a rare sight--it's almost impossible to find a reference to that uniform online. The only other time I've seen one is on a manikin at the USAF Enlisted Heritage Heritage Hall museum. They date to the late forties, if I recall correctly.

Thanks for posting that!

Cheers,
Tom

Hmmmm... but he's wearing a Missile badge, and those didn't come out until the '60s. Interesting...

 

[rlk]

Wow. White Service Dress uniform! That's a rare sight--it's almost impossible to find a reference to that uniform online. The only other time I've seen one is on a manikin at the USAF Enlisted Heritage Heritage Hall museum. They date to the late forties, if I recall correctly.

Thanks for posting that!

Cheers,
Tom

Hmmmm... but he's wearing a Missile badge, and those didn't come out until the '60s. Interesting...

Its a retirement photo(1965).^^^

He was in charge of a base in Indiana in 1949.

http://www.atterburybakalarairmuseum.org/2466th.htm

 

[2manyhats]

I won my first Ebay hat! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280537560799&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_3238wt_1139
I'll post better pics when I get it. I just hope there are no stains or moth holes. At least I got it for $29!

Oh yeah, it comes with the box. lol, I forgot.:eusa_doh:

 

[BanjoMerlin]

Hmmmm... but he's wearing a Missile badge, and those didn't come out until the '60s. Interesting...

He's also wearing a moustache!

He passed away in 2004.

Here's another story about him. A remarkable man. http://www.able506.com/440th/article_rescueatremagen.shtml

 

[hatted]

Did Someone here get this Black Knox?

I was mulling over BINing this Knox when it got snapped up. Pretty sure it was worth the money.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Fedora-...Men_s_Women_s_Accessories&hash=item2a08e7efd6

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

Yet another thin ribbon

I fired a low snipe at this problematical Bee strat clone. It will probably wind up being a yard hat, which I need. It will be my first Bee lid.

I wonder how long they got away with marketing this model as "The Strato"?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...8448136&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_548wt_300

 

[BanjoMerlin]

I wonder how long they got away with marketing this model as "The Strato"?

Probably not long. Stetson got the Registered Trademark for "Stratoliner" in 1945 so they may well have sent a Cease and Desist communication fairly quickly. Whether they would have won in court or not would have depended on the court's determination of whether "The Strato" infringed or not.

BTW, Stetson has a NEW application pending for the "Stratoliner" trademark. They have 6 months from April 27, 2010 to start using the mark in commerce. I haven't seen one in any catalogs yet...

 

[Lefty]

I'll drop this nonsense since this not an economics forum.
Here's the only Resistol 10X Beaver Kitten Finish I've ever seen and owned by one of two Colonel H.H.Clouds of the Air Force(Sr. and Jr. both were Colonels at some point in their careers). Still couldn't match price with an ordinary late model Royal Stetson Open Road.

Congrats on getting that one. It's yet another great hat with a great, confirmed history.

 

[Lefty]

BTW, Stetson has a NEW application pending for the "Stratoliner" trademark. They have 6 months from April 27, 2010 to start using the mark in commerce. I haven't seen one in any catalogs yet...

They're certainly listening when it comes to the names, but they probably should pay a little more attention to the hats.

 

[rlk]

Interesting old Dobbs Hats

C. Late 1920's Derby
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...245842&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_1154

C. 1934 Cross Country
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290455882865#ht_631wt_1139

 

[handlebar bart]

They're certainly listening when it comes to the names, but they probably should pay a little more attention to the hats.

Yep, I'm sure the result will be tragic.

 

[BanjoMerlin]

Yep, I'm sure the result will be tragic.

It will probably be the Open Road with a different ribbon and bash. Not a real stretch.

 

[handlebar bart]

It will probably be the Open Road with a different ribbon and bash. Not a real stretch.

Maybe, but don't put it past them to really mess it up.lol At any rate I will be curious to see what, or if, that do with the name.

 

[thebroker]

I'm stalking a beautiful vintage milan hat on eBay right now It already has my initials stamped into it...all three of them...even though it was made decades before my birth. That has to be a sign, right?