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

Lefty

Lefty

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portolan said:
what made it go so high? Is that a typical price for one of these? I am trying to learn....thanks, Phil
Click to expand...

GS is right, but quality and condition are other factors. Read over the Open Road Guild and the Stetson Think Tank threads to get an idea of the various and confusing grading systems that Stetson used to denote quality.

One other factor is "Lounge Buzz". Any hat that's popular here tends to go higher on ebay than other great hats. Whippets, Stratoliners, Playboys and others have been heavily discussed at various times, and their prices soar correspondingly. ORs are always popular, but the lesser quality ones are also plentiful. When high quality, large size, and uncommon color come together in one hat, watch out.
 

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Brad Bowers

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Cavanagh Bargain review

My eBay Cavanagh bargain arrived today. The box was waiting on the porch when I arrived home from work. I opened the sturdy shipping carton and surveyed the Cavanagh hat box.

Box.jpg


My first fear came true. The box, while nice, had a plastic strap, not leather, which means it's a newer box. No other markings were on the box itself.

I undid the strap, and gently removed the lid.

InTheBox.jpg


Some dust and other surface dirt was visible around the underside of the brim, but no damage from insects anywhere. But, oh no...the sweatband is 1 5/8 inches, not 2 inches! Another bad sign -- a later hat.

I lifted out the hat and inspected it. Dust and dirt, but no stains and no insect nibbles. Ribbon in good shape with the exception of the Cavanagh fraying had frayed off, down to the stitches. No big deal, though.

LinerSweat.jpg


The sweatband has no markings anywhere on it, other than the "Cavanagh Edge" script at the front. The leather is still very supple. I pulled back the sweatband, hoping to find a paper tag, but all that remains of it is some glue and a bit of paper. The Union label is there, along with an ink stamp on the leather, but I can't make it out. It almost looks like a crest, as I can see a shield, with what looks to be the initials LBC on the shield, with the B being very large. Don't know what to make of that.

And...horrors! The liner is spot-glued in!

So I am left very puzzled by this hat. Box, sweatband, and glued-in liner tell me this is a later hat, best guess mid- to late-Sixties. But... The crown is 5 1/2" tall, and the brim is 2 1/2" wide, with a 22 1/4-ligne (2") ribbon. Very classic Cavanagh styling, what I have termed "Cavanagh Standard." You don't see many hats from the '60s with these dimensions, that's for sure.

The felt, I'm almost certain, is South Norwalk felt. It's thin, lightweight, but very dense and stiff. It's got that Cavanagh thumpability, and makes the "crinkle-pop" sound when you style the crown. The Cavanagh Edge is fantastic, nothing cost-saving about it.

The hat itself looks as if it has been rarely worn, if ever.

Frontview.jpg



Sideview1.jpg


Side.jpg



So, I have a couple of different conclusions I could draw. One, Cavanagh still offered a standard style, even toward the end, even though the Saleskys had implemented cost-cutting measures, and this classic style was not being worn by those men that still wore hats.

Or two, this hat body is actually an older hat that a gentleman had refurbished by Cavanagh or the factory at some late date, which would explain the sweatband and liner.

If it's the first situation, then I'm happy to see the Cavanagh brand remained conservative, even as the end approached. There's something comforting about the unwavering steadfastness of Cavanagh's styles.lol

If it's the second situation, well, then it was a much-loved hat that got a second chance at life.

Either way, it doesn't really matter, for I still own a Cavanagh in a classic style with beautiful felt, and for only $25.93!

Brad
 
Lefty

Lefty

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Looks good, Brad.
Are you sure that the hat has always been with the box? I've sorted through hundreds of hats in all sorts of boxes. Sometimes the brand of the hat matches up to the box, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the brand of the hat and box match, but the newer hat doesn't belong in the old box, or vice versa.
 
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Brad Bowers

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Lefty said:
Looks good, Brad.
Are you sure that the hat has always been with the box? I've sorted through hundreds of hats in all sorts of boxes. Sometimes the brand of the hat matches up to the box, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the brand of the hat and box match, but the newer hat doesn't belong in the old box, or vice versa.
Click to expand...

No, I can't be certain of that, Lefty, but the sweatband and liner evidence support that the box could have/most likely came with the hat.

Brad
 
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