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

[Yeps]

I just noticed this... look at how many pages this thread has. It is officially, to borrow to the internet colloquialism, l33t, in one of its variant spellings. Ebay hat buying is no longer a n00b.

 

[fmw]

I'm not sure what you mean by soft. If you mean the absence of shellac then that is no big deal to me at all. I like the hats a bit stiff to help them keep their shape. If you mean the "furriness of the fur" that might be a little important to me but not as important as the look and fit of the hat.

 

[danofarlington]

I'm not sure what you mean by soft. If you mean the absence of shellac then that is no big deal to me at all. I like the hats a bit stiff to help them keep their shape. If you mean the "furriness of the fur" that might be a little important to me but not as important as the look and fit of the hat.

The upshot of Borsalino Alessandria having softer felt than a vintage Open Road (leaving aside modern OR with lots of shellac content), is that the hat looks different. My Alessandria differs from my vintage OR in that the felt is soft, and that seems to give it a dressier look than the OR, possibly more friendly. An OR can be pretty impersonal and cold as a hat. So the "warmth" of the style seems to be affected by whether the felt is soft or hard. At least that's the way it seems to me.

 

[hatophile]

fmw,

I see you tend to prefer lower crowns. On of the reasons I like the vintage hats, is because they tend to have higher crowns than modern production hats, plus there is little to no taper in most of them. If the look you prefer is a lower, tapered crown, you may not be that thrilled with the vintage hats.

As far as how they feel, that again is personal preference. My OR's tend to be a little more "stiff" than other vintage hats, but that's OK, because they are a more casual hat for me. Some of the others, Dobbs, Knox, etc are usually softer. The Borsos of the 40's and
50's feel very soft and pliable to me.

It all boils down to your preference for what you want your hat to feel and look like. I am like MV, I like antiques, older style clothing and older hats... That's just me.

 

[Hangman]

I investigated a thread on here a few months ago that invited readers to visit a particular ebay item. It turned out to be a Stetson Chatham, I followed it to it's close and won it for $23.50! The hat is in excellent condition and has a retail price of $162... I consider this a VICTORY!!

 

[hatophile]

I investigated a thread on here a few months ago that invited readers to visit a particular ebay item. It turned out to be a Stetson Chatham, I followed it to it's close and won it for $23.50! The hat is in excellent condition and has a retail price of $162... I consider this a VICTORY!!

Congrats, Hangman!

 

[danofarlington]

fmw,

I see you tend to prefer lower crowns. On of the reasons I like the vintage hats, is because they tend to have higher crowns than modern production hats, plus there is little to no taper in most of them. If the look you prefer is a lower, tapered crown, you may not be that thrilled with the vintage hats.

This information almost ought to go on a sticky. I think what you say is true, and it would be good for others to know. Now that you put it that way, I can see that by and large I prefer low and tapered crowns, and vintage hats don't give that. I still like vintage hats, but I guess I like modern hats with their modern styling better, hands down. For newcomers agonizing about "should I start with a vintage or start with a new hat," your observation might come in handy.

 

[Rodkins]

This information almost ought to go on a sticky. I think what you say is true, and it would be good for others to know. Now that you put it that way, I can see that by and large I prefer low and tapered crowns, and vintage hats don't give that. I still like vintage hats, but I guess I like modern hats with their modern styling better, hands down. For newcomers agonizing about "should I start with a vintage or start with a new hat," your observation might come in handy.

I think you can lower most higher crowns with the bash you put in it - but you can't go the other direction. That's my limited experience with higher crowns.

 

[fmw]

I have an old Resistol pork pie that, while being low in the crown, certainly isn't tapered. I think it's just an issue of style. I bought the hat below for $22 and $25 in shipping or $47 total. It came brand new with the tags still attached. It's an Akubra. You can find some amazing deals from time to time on Ebay.

 

[fmw]

I think a high crown can look fine as long as there is enough brim to offset it in the horizontal direction. What I don't like are the high crowns with stingy brims. I have a Stetson western that I bought in the 1960's that has a 7" crown open. Even with a cattleman's crease and a 4" brim it looks a little like a dunce hat. I never wore it much. For me it is a matter of proportion. The modern Whippet in my avatar is a pleasant proportion to me. The crown is 4 3/4" at the high point and the brim is 2 3/8". If the crown got much taller it would appeal less to me.

 

[Rodkins]

I think a high crown can look fine as long as there is enough brim to offset it in the horizontal direction. What I don't like are the high crowns with stingy brims. I have a Stetson western that I bought in the 1960's that has a 7" crown open. Even with a cattleman's crease and a 4" brim it looks a little like a dunce hat. I never wore it much. For me it is a matter of proportion. The modern Whippet in my avatar is a pleasant proportion to me. The crown is 4 3/4" at the high point and the brim is 2 3/8". If the crown got much taller it would appeal less to me.

True if you are putting in a cattleman's crease then you can only lower it so much. You could put in a deep teardrop or double teardrop on a fedora and make a 6 inch crown low.

The stetson in your avatar looks great.

 

[warbird]

True if you are putting in a cattleman's crease then you can only lower it so much. You could put in a deep teardrop or double teardrop on a fedora and make a 6 inch crown low.

The stetson in your avatar looks great.

I have one of those same hats. When you make the crease deep enough to bring the height down to something reasonable the hat resembles Crater Lake. Several gallons would likely accumulate. I am thinking on having mine reblocked with at least an inch of crown taken out of it, then the brim cut back to its original size.

 

[hatophile]

I agree with Rodkins, your avatar hat looks great on you. When I started wearing hats(other than baseball hats) again after about a 5-10 year hiatus, I thought I looked funny in a high-crown, wider brim hat, so I bought some new Stetsons and Dobbs with the smaller dimensions.
After I bought a few vintage hats on Ebay, I got used to wearing the larger dimension hats. Now, a 6-7" crown and 4" brim would look ridiculous on me, since I'm a small frame guy, but I do like the moderate vintage styles.
So, your own personal tastes can change over time.

 

[fmw]

I think most of the people on the board who like old hats like them for the styles, the selection of colors and the more interesting ribbons used at the time. None of the major manufacturers have really gotten the retro styles down pat when they have brought a name back from the past. And for the most part styles today are simply different today, lower more tapered crowns. These fashions come and go. Westerns as well. Look at a cowboy hat from the 70's with the really tall crowns. Today they are much lower and the vast majority of them some version of cattlemen's crease. Even with price increases on vintage hats, they often are still less expensive than a new custom.

As for the felt this has been discussed in great length by Art and Mike Moore and others. The felt made today is just as good, sometimes better than what was made then. Most vintage hats we buy are not all beaver, some are. Art and MIke and others can made a wonderfully soft handed hat, but it still does not feel the same as the vintage hats feel. It is pretty dang close. The reason for the difference is simple. Art calls it felt going dead. Age, weather and temp softens and makes felt more luxuriant. In 40 or 50 years the quality hats made today will feel as good or better than those hats. The hats most here covet didn't feel the same when they were made either than they do today..

The man who runs Winchester Hat facility did an experiment where he took blanks and left them outside for a year. They went through snow, rain, heat , cold and sun. At the end of the year he brought them in, cleaned them up and they were amazingly soft and had a wonderful hand. So if you want your newer hats to be like a vintage, take out the sweat, off the ribbon and hang them outside for a year. Speed up the aging process.

I have seen this process in action myself from a new hat to a buttery soft hat. My Fed is just one example of a hat that comes somewhat stiff and maybe to some somewhat rough feeling. Mine has been through dessert sun, heat and sandstorms, blizzards and monsoons. It is now wonderfully soft. I hastened the process with what I have put it through. And that is a hat made and finished more for the elements and less for dress softness and luxuriant sheen. It is no different than leather. Age breaks it in, softens it up and makes it a thing of beauty.

Something like violins, I guess. The 16th century instruments made in Cremona can't seem to be duplicated today. Some think it is because the weather made differences in the growth rings of trees. Some think it is just age. I don't think anybody knows for sure. I assume the professional hatters know what they are talking about.

The main difference in felts I've been able to glean from this group is that felts were thinner and lighter 1/2 a century ago. I'm told that thinner, while cheaper, causes a higher failure rate and the felters avoid that. I'm not sure of the reason since it appears they make felt on the same equipment they have always used. Nor am I sure that it matters so much to me. The hat in my avatar weighs less than 4 oz., not exactly a burden. Most likely it is a matter of preference. Those who place more value on the historical will have more interest in vintage lids. I'll take some opportunity to find and buy a high quality vintage hat and see for myself. I might be interested in pursuing it further or not. We'll see.

 

[fmw]

So, your own personal tastes can change over time.

....and my life has been long enough that that has happened several times.

 

[hatophile]

I concur whole-heartedly!

 

[gtdean48]

I concur whole-heartedly!

My taste in hat styles hasn't changed in 40 years. The availability to find them or have them produced has gotten better lately.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

I have had my tastes change in a lot of things, but not much in hats. I've pretty much liked what I like for decades.

 

[alanfgag]

My odd Stetson 7X clear beaver homburg arrived today, much better looking than in the ebay pictures... more detail on the new hat thread.

 

[Undertow]

Victory!

In case any of you happened to see those Allen Edmonds I had listed in the classified for $55...

I was able to sell them on eBay for $81!! Very excellent! Best sale I've ever completed on eBay.