English Imperial Stetson Homburg...

[Snrbfshn]

With the homburg discussions of late, I figured it was time to dust off one of my more notable brims, wear it to work and shoot a few pictures. It's one of the first vintages I acquired, and in my naivete thought I was buying a snap-brim, much to my disappointment when the homburg arrived. Only after absorbing more knowledge did I realize this English Imperial Stetson was a rare and desirable hat.

The bash is original. The only thing I've done to it is a vacuum-brushing. An English 7 1/4 (US 7 3/8) I was concerned it would be too big, but it fits quite well. It's in terrrific shape, with a 2.5" brim, 5" bashed crown, 1.75" ribbon and 2" sweatband.

It originally sold at the Fa.H.B. Wytman shop in Middenburg, Netherlands.

I assume "Old England" was the model. The man in the Netherlands from whom I acquired it said he got it from the estate of a local man who bought it new, sometime after the war, but didn't know when. I remember reading on the Lounge that the Imperial Stetsons made under license in England were among Stetson's finest examples of hatmaking, with first-quality felts and great attention to detail.

Here's the reorder label. Any idea what the star means? First time I've seen it. Did English Stetson use the year of manufacture on the model number (1947, maybe, in this case)?

And to those who say, "Put it on!" here's a couple:

 

[MattC]

Late 40s, Early 50s

The yellow plastic over the logo on the liner suggests late 40s, early 50s. They didn't do that all that long.

 

[D. Hats]

Looks very sharp !!

 

[John in Covina]

Diplomats and scions of Industry!

Very sharp hat! I always think of Star Trek Next Generation there is a great episode where the holographic "Doctor" is persueded to portray "The President of Earth" for some mischief occurring on the Holo-deck. The President appears in a Homburg.

John in Covina

 

[jamespowers]

That hat was a great find. They were indeed great examples of hat making. Your example looks like a good representative. The brim is wider than one would expect for a homburg of that time but that makes it better in my opinion. I dislike short brimmed hats of any kind for my head.

Regards to all,

J