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

[alanfgag]

I have an educated hunch that these "Wanderer" fedoras were Dunlap's answer to Knox's very popular "Vagabond" hats -- or vice-versa.

Cross Country, Knockabout, Gadabout... everyone had a lightweight light priced traveling' hat.

 

[Mystic]

I had no idea that brown is the kiss of death. Yellow I understand, but brown? I find it a versatile color in a hat.

I also think brown is more versatile and more plentiful.

 

[jlee562]

I had no idea that brown is the kiss of death. Yellow I understand, but brown? I find it a versatile color in a hat.

I find myself sticking to darker felts or greys. I do have two brown hats, and I love my brown Dobbs Gay Prince. But I have my eye on another eBay hat that I want more as well

Speaking of the Gay Prince, somebody got a good deal on this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/330812439137?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I almost bid on this one too, but I prefer my brown one (how's that for irony?)

 

[Brad Bowers]

I have an educated hunch that these "Wanderer" fedoras were Dunlap's answer to Knox's very popular "Vagabond" hats -- or vice-versa. In any case, the font of the lettering embossed on the Wanderer sweatbands is nearly identical to the distinctive lettering on the early Vagabond sweatbands. Coincidence? Don't bet on it.

I wouldn't take that bet, since they came from the same factory as the Vagabonds. lol


Interesting that the sellers had their dates backwards. The brown one listed as '50s is actually a '40s, and the grey one listed as '40s is actually a '50s.



Brad

 

[Chowderhouse]

Cross Country, Knockabout, Gadabout... everyone had a lightweight light priced traveling' hat.

True, but compare the distinctive lettering of the words "Vagabond" and "Wanderer". Pretty much identical. Even the "V" and the "W" could be twins.


Vagabond:

Wanderer:

 

[JonnyO]

Tale of two Wanderers...

Grey Wanderer: sells for decent price

Brown Wanderer: no love whatsoever (well one minimum bid that doesn't meet HE's reserve)

Congrats on the grey one, Alan. It looks to be a super hat. Odd that two of them are for sale and end so close together.

I wish I saw the brown one, I would have definitely bit on that one.

 

[alanfgag]

True, but compare the lettering.

A number of trademarks of Hat Corporation of America use a similar a stylized cursive typeface.

Brad, tell us more how you date these two hats from the auction photos. I guessed both to be within a year or two of 1950. Do not have any examples of the "ovalized sixteenths" mark, which, along with the Wanderer dates back in first use to the early 30s, but seems to appear on size tags mostly in 1950s hats.

 

[Brad Bowers]

A number of trademarks of Hat Corporation of America use a similar a stylized cursive typeface.

Brad, tell us more how you date these two hats from the auction photos. I guessed both to be within a year or two of 1950. Do not have any examples of the "ovalized sixteenths" mark, which, along with the Wanderer dates back in first use to the early 30s, but seems to appear on size tags mostly in 1950s hats.

Oh, they certainly could be within a few years of each other. The '40s hat has the white size tag used for a while in that decade, as well as the '40s factory reorder label. The "Ovalized Sixteenth" size tag also says "Trade Mark," which means it dates after they received the registration in June of 1950. You're right, it really only shows up on size tags in the '50s, even though it had been around since 1933. I'd be interested to see which factory reorder label it carries.

Brad

 

[alanfgag]

A hat for giants? :eusa_doh:

warning... if roller coasters make you queasy, the photos might best be avoided.

 

[casechopper]

Or for people who can't read upside down and aren't familiar with hat sizing...

Sam

A hat for giants? :eusa_doh:

warning... if roller coasters make you queasy, the photos might best be avoided.

 

[bowlerman]

lol and that's a punti 9, too!

 

[alanfgag]

Oh, they certainly could be within a few years of each other. The '40s hat has the white size tag used for a while in that decade, as well as the '40s factory reorder label. The "Ovalized Sixteenth" size tag also says "Trade Mark," which means it dates after they received the registration in June of 1950. You're right, it really only shows up on size tags in the '50s, even though it had been around since 1933. I'd be interested to see which factory reorder label it carries.

Brad

Thanks Brad. Interesting that there was a three year window between filing (1947) and registration (1950) of the ovalized sixteenths mark. To my knowledge of current usage, the TM mark is used for a trademark that is filed but not registered, at which point the ® replaces TM. No idea how this translates to the 1940s.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Thanks Brad. Interesting that there was a three year window between filing (1947) and registration (1950) of the ovalized sixteenths mark. To my knowledge of current usage, the TM mark is used for a trademark that is filed but not registered, at which point the ® replaces TM. No idea how this translates to the 1940s.

Alan, to tell you the truth, I hadn't given any thought to the the different symbols, so this prompted me to dig into trademark law history, and answered some of my questions along the way. The Lanham Trademark Act in 1946 spurred a mad rush to register (or re-register) trademarks after it took affect in 1947, which finally explains to me why Hat Corporation of America filed so many trademarks around that time. I can't find anything in the act itself on the use of the TM symbol using the simple PDF search feature, just the ®, but what you said makes sense. Since it was placed on the Principal Register, I'll have to revise my estimate then to 1947-1950. Need to go through our photo archives here and see if "Ovalized Sixteenths" turns up after 1950 with the ® symbol or "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off."

Brad

 

[casechopper]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170929686735?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 I only made my offer for the one on the left as the other two aren't my size. Any ideas on age or value of this? I haven't seen so much on 10x's before and was wondering if it's possible this is a 100% beaver?

Sam

 

[randooch]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170929686735?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 I only made my offer for the one on the left as the other two aren't my size. Any ideas on age or value of this? I haven't seen so much on 10x's before and was wondering if it's possible this is a 100% beaver?

Sam

That'll be a good score if it cleans up, Sam. My pure speculation says 60’s and not all beaver. The tiny hats keeping it company might fit your offspring soon.

 

[jlee562]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ROY...By3wvfZvelpTWmVAiLOoU5Y=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Just won this Royal Stetson Playboy. Will need a stretch to size 7 and probably a re-flange at least, but the price was right!

Plastic on the liner, so, 60's? What say ye, FL experts?

 

[gtdean48]

...

Plastic on the liner, so, 60's? What say ye, FL experts?

Size tag puts it there....

 

[Mystic]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ROY...By3wvfZvelpTWmVAiLOoU5Y=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Just won this Royal Stetson Playboy. Will need a stretch to size 7 and probably a re-flange at least, but the price was right!

Plastic on the liner, so, 60's? What say ye, FL experts?

Do you stretch and re-flange yourself or do you send it off to someone?

 

[jlee562]

Do you stretch and re-flange yourself or do you send it off to someone?

I've stretched hats out before, but don't have a flange. Luckily for me, I have a hat maker nearby in Paul's Hat Works.

 

[jlee562]

Size tag puts it there....

Thanks Mr. Dean. I was just checking through the Dating Stetsons by size tag thread and it looks like this one might be late 50's/early 60's.