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

[billyspew]

I'm all for paying top dollar for a high quality vintage hat, but Adam was never anything more than second rate. That's not a criticism, that was their market position. Paying top vintage dollar for an Adam, to me, is like treating a Honda Civic like a collector's item.

Would agree normally, but Long's was part of the Knox etc brand staple and was Adam's top dollar (equivalent of most other brands) line.

60s 7 1/4lo OR (don't see where it says that) 25 -To me, here's where spending bigger bucks makes more sense.

Maybe it's on the only part of the hat not photographed at the front of the sweat?

 

[Lefty]

Would agree normally, but Long's was part of the Knox etc brand staple and was Adam's top dollar (equivalent of most other brands) line.

Maybe it's on the only part of the hat not photographed at the front of the sweat?

I didn't know that about Long's. Comment retracted.

As to the Stetson, it would be on the front of the sweat, but it might also be an OR in spirit (a pretender to the Road).

it's not perfect, but someone got this 7 1/4 Strat for less than any Strat in recent memory - even with the high shipping. - also a pretender to the Road

 

[Tango Yankee]

Congrats to the lounger who sold it.

He also sold a very nice Mallory straw hat at an amazing price.

Not mine, though.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Tango Yankee]

Paying top vintage dollar for an Adam, to me, is like treating a Honda Civic like a collector's item.

Given enough time, a pristine Honda Civic will be a collector's item, just like many of the cars from the past that we drool over now. Many of those cars were the equivilent of the Civic in their time (basic family transportation) and they bring big bucks now.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[fluteplayer07]

I'm all for paying top dollar for a high quality vintage hat, but Adam was never anything more than second rate. That's not a criticism, that was their market position. Paying top vintage dollar for an Adam, to me, is like treating a Honda Civic like a collector's item.

I'd be curious to know how a vintage Adam would be compared to a modern production hat. (Without the whole 'vintage is better than modern' debate that is beat to death around here.) I own a 30's or 40's Adamajestic; the felt feels about the same as a Royal Stetson, although the fur seems a little more 'powdery' if that makes sense. As if the fur is formed out of granules, not fibers of fur. The sweat is the tell-tale, though; it's the crappiest quality leather I've ever felt; feels like cloth on my head, and is thin as all get-out. Still, is bad vintage better than modern production?

 

[Lefty]

Still Tom, a lot of those cars go for less than the cost of a new Civic. Rare (expensive and/or limited run) then + rare now tends to bring the bigger money. I've never understood why a '57 Chevy gets anyone revved up - it's like the Whippet of cars.

This Strat, though smaller and in worse condition than the last one I posted, went for even less. These things seem to be going way down.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Given enough time, a pristine Honda Civic will be a collector's item, just like many of the cars from the past that we drool over now. Many of those cars were the equivilent of the Civic in their time (basic family transportation) and they bring big bucks now.

Cheers,
Tom

I have a neighbor who restores Corvair's of all things. Hey and after rebuilting them he actually does sell them.

 

[Ande1964]

Maybe it's on the only part of the hat not photographed at the front of the sweat?

I used to own a Stetson 25 just like that one. It was an Open Road in all but one respect... no Open Road name or logo anywhere on the hat.

Anj

 

[danofarlington]

I used to own a Stetson 25 just like that one. It was an Open Road in all but one respect... no Open Road name or logo anywhere on the hat.

Anj

You mean you parted with it?

 

[gtdean48]

I used to own a Stetson 25 just like that one. It was an Open Road in all but one respect... no Open Road name or logo anywhere on the hat.

Anj

Same here. Mine was older than this one but no OR labeling anywhere...

 

[alanfgag]

Same here. Mine was older than this one but no OR labeling anywhere...

Same here, though mine does have the Open Road imprint on the front of the sweatband.

 

[Tango Yankee]

Still Tom, a lot of those cars go for less than the cost of a new Civic.

True, Lefty.

I think that the difference between the overall costs is the key here. The difference between what a hat cost new back then and what someone might pay for it today vs what a new hat would cost today, and a new car cost then and what someone might pay for it now vs what new car costs today can be explained by the fact that with a hat you're talking "only" hundreds of dollars. With a car you may be talking many thousands of dollars for the vintage article.

There are probably lots more people with hundreds of dollars they're willing to spend than those with thousands. So the analogy works when you consider that people today are spending lots more for a vintage car of hat than what they cost new, but the scale of the respective costs keeps the ratio down on the car side.

Me, I can afford to buy lots of vintage hats that cost significantly more than they cost when new, but I cannot do the same with vintage cars as much as I might like to.

I know what I mean... but I'm not sure I put it clearly. I hope I made sense!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Lefty]

We're small-time. I understand perfectly.

_______
Stylepark Whippet clone, 7 3/8, $60 shipped

 

[Rodkins]

We're small-time. I understand perfectly.

_______
Stylepark Whippet clone, 7 3/8, $60 shipped

I thought about that whippet clone...

I think if I totalled the present value of my hat collection it would not be that much different than the present value of my car collection. Neither of which are particularly impressive by fedora lounge collection standards...just sayin'

 

[Tango Yankee]

We're small-time. I understand perfectly.

Or, we collect what we can afford and go big in a small way!

 

[Alex]

Alright, did anyone pick up This Mallory Twenty OR Clone 7 3/8?

 

[Rodkins]

Alright, did anyone pick up This Mallory Twenty OR Clone 7 3/8?

Not mine but it sure looks swell.

 

[danofarlington]

Same here, though mine does have the Open Road imprint on the front of the sweatband.

My 25 has Open Road in it. What were we trying to show here again?

 

[Lefty]

very nice, tiny Borso

 

[randooch]

Great proportions on that. It always cracks me up when the wind cord is shown dangling from the hat, like an uncontrollable attribute.