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

[Mobile Vulgus]

NO Way you can compare a modern Whippet to a vintage one, apples & oranges.

See, I have to agree with this. The feel of vintage Stetsons are so much nicer than that of brand new ones. Anything made after say 1970 seem to be so very different than anything made in the 1960s and before. I don't know what happened. for instance I've had Open Roads from the 90s and 80s and they just don't come close to those made in the 50s and earlier. My vintage Stetsonian, Stratoliner, Whippet, and 25 are incredibly better than all my modern 1970s and later Stetsons.

 

[fmw]

I've had a vintage borsalino and it was nice, but not meaningfully better than my modern hats. So I don't have that much experience. I just know that for $239 I could get a custom made hat or at least a good portion of one. I can have any look I want and get outstanding quality. In fact Buckaroo is making one for me at the moment which cost in that neighborhood. It is being made to my specs. If it turns out to be inferior to a 1950's whippet, then I would be surprised. I think a modern day artisan should have no problem outdoing a factory - even a vintage factory.

Honestly, I think it gets down more to collecting than wearing. I'm a wearer, not a collector. And I'm not much of a brand junkie. If I like a hat and I like it on my head then all is well. The age or the collector value or the model name are not important to me. My modern whippets look and feel just fine to me. I suspect my Buckaroo custom will be even nicer.

 

[Canadian Cowboy]

See, I have to agree with this. The feel of vintage Stetsons are so much nicer than that of brand new ones. Anything made after say 1970 seem to be so very different than anything made in the 1960s and before. I don't know what happened. for instance I've had Open Roads from the 90s and 80s and they just don't come close to those made in the 50s and earlier. My vintage Stetsonian, Stratoliner, Whippet, and 25 are incredibly better than all my modern 1970s and later Stetsons.

It is like most items of the past the quality just isn't the same today as it was then it could be or better for that matter.
CC

 

[danofarlington]

IStill stings though... just a bit.

Anj

Until the next auction anyway. At least that's the way it works for me.

 

[fmw]

I really wanted the long hair Optimo that sold this morning. REALLY wanted it. Wanted it badly enough to come in second place. In the end, I just picked a number that would allow me to be happy to win it and happy not to at the price.

Still stings though... just a bit.

Anj

I'm willing to bet Optimo would be willing to build one just for you.

 

[jimmy the lid]

INO Way you can compare a modern Whippet to a vintage one, apples & oranges.

Agreed (from a quality standpoint). Moreover, they are two different hats, made by two different manufacturers, in two different eras.

 

[gtdean48]

I've had a vintage borsalino and it was nice, but not meaningfully better than my modern hats... I think a modern day artisan should have no problem outdoing a factory - even a vintage factory.

I am not a collector by any stretch. I am a hat user more than a hat wearer. They get used regularly. I have a Borsalino Alessandria from the early 1950s, OPS tag, & one that I bought new in Ft Worth in the late 1980s. These 2 hats may well as be from totally different companies they are so different. If you have held a vintage Borso from that period, you know what meaningfully better is!
I have 3 VS customs, a Buckaroo & 2 Western customs & nothing against Art, Mike, Shorty & the others but they strive to match what my vintage factory Borsalino is. Their beaver comes close to this rabbit felt. Outdoing it would be a problem that they will admit to, no doubt.

 

[Ande1964]

I'm willing to bet Optimo would be willing to build one just for you.

True enough! It would set me back quite a bit more than my losing bid, though... I think.

Anj

 

[Lloyd]

I really wanted the long hair Optimo that sold this morning. REALLY wanted it. Wanted it badly enough to come in second place. In the end, I just picked a number that would allow me to be happy to win it and happy not to at the price.

Still stings though... just a bit.

Anj

Sorry Anj, that was me. I thought it would go for more than it did.
I bought the black long hair in his last batch and it' beautiful, I just had to have it

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

So here is a famous hat for sale. Who is going for this one. It will set you back a few bucks.
http://cgi.ebay.com/FRANK-SINATRA-HAT-AUTHENTIC-WORN-STRAW-VANGUARD-MILAN-/370480871912?pt=US_CSA_MC_Shirts&hash=item56426179e8
Fank Sinatra's hat:

 

[fmw]

You would think someone trying to sell a hat for $5000 would go to the trouble of making a decent photograph.

 

[Jedwbpm]

I assume that some of the guys posting here about Stetson's old quality are also going on Fedora Fest. Will anyone of you in a nice and unoffensive way be asking about the quality then and now. I could be that they just can't get the quality fur they used to or it could be a money question. Also why is the new Stratoliner not the same dimensions as the old one.

I am sure these questions can be asked in a non confrontational manor and the answers would be enlightening I am sure.

Jeff

 

[Ande1964]

Sorry Anj, that was me. I thought it would go for more than it did.
I bought the black long hair in his last batch and it' beautiful, I just had to have it

No problem, and good for you. Like I said, I picked a number where I would be happy either way. As previously suggested, I'll just have to kill the pain with a vintage Borsalino or two.

Anj

 

[fmw]

I am not a collector by any stretch. I am a hat user more than a hat wearer. They get used regularly. I have a Borsalino Alessandria from the early 1950s, OPS tag, & one that I bought new in Ft Worth in the late 1980s. These 2 hats may well as be from totally different companies they are so different. If you have held a vintage Borso from that period, you know what meaningfully better is!
I have 3 VS customs, a Buckaroo & 2 Western customs & nothing against Art, Mike, Shorty & the others but they strive to match what my vintage factory Borsalino is. Their beaver comes close to this rabbit felt. Outdoing it would be a problem that they will admit to, no doubt.

I understand. What you are saying is that they made felt better in the old days and the modern day artisans can't get felt that good. I can accept that. I continue to use a waffle iron made in the 1930's that was handed down from my mother in law. Perhaps one day I'll find the right opportunity to experience a mid century hat myself.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

It is being made to my specs. If it turns out to be inferior to a 1950's whippet, then I would be surprised. I think a modern day artisan should have no problem outdoing a factory - even a vintage factory.

Now, see that is another thing entirely. It is also a matter of cash.

I can't afford to buy custom made hats. It's just that simple. I have never paid more than $190 for a fedora and that only thrice. I have only bought one fedora brand new -- my Hatco Strat that isn't even here yet -- and that is one of those at $190.

Still, if I desired specific styles or dimensions made to my order it would be impossible to do this with vintage. With vintage, you get what you get. So, those that are designing their own, well they must do new, modern made hats. And I've handled some of these customs (at Optimo) and they really are exquisite. There is no question that the Indy hat guys, Optimo, and the like are making hats of the highest quality that at the very least rival the best from the vintage era.

I think what many of us are saying is that factory-made fedoras are no longer as good today as factory-made of eras gone by. A factory made, off the shelf fedora from 1990 simply lacks the quality of its counterpart from 1940.

But, I have to admit that there is a certain amount of bias for some people who just like "old stuff" better. I have been a collector of various antiques for decades and I just fancy old stuff, I have to admit. So, if someone was to be holding two fedoras and he told me one was from 1940 and one was from 2011 the first one I'd reach for would be the one from 1940, to be sure. It's just my bias right there!

 

[rlk]

If you think vintage felt is so great, get a hat with sufficient dimensions in the color you want and have it rebuilt custom for a reasonable amount of money.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

If you think vintage felt is so great, get a hat with sufficient dimensions in the color you want and have it rebuilt custom for a reasonable amount of money.

And that is a good idea, too. Get a vintage hat with felt you like and have it remade in whatever style you like. Always a good option.

 

[danofarlington]

And that is a good idea, too. Get a vintage hat with felt you like and have it remade in whatever style you like. Always a good option.

One of the things I like about vintage hats, I forgot to mention, is that they appear in styles that either you forgot about, or diid not expect, that look good. So they jar your idea of styles. The only problem with doing all custom hats, unless you have a visionary hatmaker, is that when you just echo your own thoughts and perfect your own thoughts in the specifications for a custom hat, you easily could get into a sameness and a rut about the kind of hat you're wearing. I do look to vintage hats to show successful styles of the past that might look good, which I did not imagine or couldn't specify to a hatmaker. If left to my own devices, all hats that I would custom-make would gravitate toward the same thing.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

You would think someone trying to sell a hat for $5000 would go to the trouble of making a decent photograph.

Yes I would like a better picture for that amount of money. It's not a hat that I remember Sinatra wearing in a picture. My father in law is a BIG Frank fan.
So I have seen several of Frank's straw porkpie hat pictures I like this hat.

 

[fmw]

Now, see that is another thing entirely. It is also a matter of cash.

I can't afford to buy custom made hats. It's just that simple. I have never paid more than $190 for a fedora and that only thrice. I have only bought one fedora brand new -- my Hatco Strat that isn't even here yet -- and that is one of those at $190.

Still, if I desired specific styles or dimensions made to my order it would be impossible to do this with vintage. With vintage, you get what you get. So, those that are designing their own, well they must do new, modern made hats. And I've handled some of these customs (at Optimo) and they really are exquisite. There is no question that the Indy hat guys, Optimo, and the like are making hats of the highest quality that at the very least rival the best from the vintage era.

I think what many of us are saying is that factory-made fedoras are no longer as good today as factory-made of eras gone by. A factory made, off the shelf fedora from 1990 simply lacks the quality of its counterpart from 1940.

But, I have to admit that there is a certain amount of bias for some people who just like "old stuff" better. I have been a collector of various antiques for decades and I just fancy old stuff, I have to admit. So, if someone was to be holding two fedoras and he told me one was from 1940 and one was from 2011 the first one I'd reach for would be the one from 1940, to be sure. It's just my bias right there!

Thanks for the perpective. While I am not an antiquophile myself I can certainly understand the sentiment. The Whippet in question simply might have been at the high end of the price scale for vintage hats and the custom I have coming might be at the lower end of its price scale. I'm not experienced enough to know. I have had a few "vintage" hats that didn't impress me. I've sold all but two and those two are or are being renovated. One vintage hat I bought - an Akubra - turned out to be brand new and is comparable to my new Dobbs and Stetsons. It's a nice hat but certainly not from mid-century.

I'm probably not competent to find a good candidate for a vintage lid. I wouldn't know a 1940's hat from a 1980's hat and I wouldn't trust an ebay seller to know. I'll look for something like a Stetson 25 in my size and buy it. Then I'll know more than I do now.