Fedora Fever Fading???

[fedoralover]

Boy, try saying that 3 times real fast.

Has anyone else noticed that the super high prices for fedora's on ebay has come down to a reasonable level? Dusty Rhodes put up some real nice ones and couldn't even pull in $100. for them. I just bought 2 Stetson Playboys from the late 30s to very early 40s,for $45.00 for both. A whooping $22.50 for each. Buyers are happy, sellers are not. But I'm sure, like all things they will swing back up again.

fedoralover

 

[Aaron Hats]

Sometimes it's just a couple buyers who get on a craze and start buying that creates a temporary spike. Once they move on to their next craze the prices come back down. For me, I don't mind paying a little extra for a hat that I'm buying for my collection as long as it's in good condition.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Fat lady ain't sung quite yet...

$177 Penny's Marathon [huh]

here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=104752696366&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

$200 Stetson 100

here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=104752697292&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3APIC&rd=1

...sharp lids to be sure ... but c'mon, already!

 

[Solid Citizen]

Hats are for Wearing

IMO:

1. Buy a vintage 1930's/1940's hat to enjoy wearing it

2. Vintage hat collecting as an "investment" ? [huh]

sc

 

[Lorne]

Fever aint fading

Hello,

I don't think Fedora fever is fading, I think its just that there are two species of Fedora wearing homonids.

Homo Fedoris Fadish Sapiens are motivated by a strong need to conform to the Alpha members of their packs, such as Johnny Depp, or God Forbid, the waste of meat Ms. Spears married. They tend to buy one hat, wear it till the Alpha males stop wearing theirs, and move on. In the field they can be identified by their youth, glassey stares, loud and often unintelligable vocalizations, and tattoos.

Homo Fedoris Fidelus Sapiens are motivated by a strong need to externalize a strong sense of internal identity, refered to by non-academics as "style". They tend to buy a hat of quality, because they intend to wear it no matter what the Alpha male of any pack says. They also tend to buy more then one hat, to match their changing outer garments and to adapt to seasonal changes. In the field this species can be identifed by there more subdued appearance, and the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time.

It is competition between these two species for scarce resources, ie, vintage Fedora's, that has caused those resources to become scarce, and is driving prices up.


Lorne

 

[Aaron Hats]

IMO:

1. Buy a vintage 1930's/1940's hat to enjoy wearing it

2. Vintage hat collecting as an "investment" ?

sc

I'm guessing you're referring to my mention of a collection so I'll respond.

My small collection of hats and hat related items are not investments. I plan on being in the hat business for a long time and I consider it a responsibility to help preserve some items from the history of my chosen profession. These items will be passed on to whoever buys the business someday.

Some of these items include brim cutters, sizing tools, hat stretchers, a trade magazine from 1872, advertising materials, and a few hats. Most of these items are on display in the store.

 

[fedoralover]

Hmmm, I didn't see that Marathon, now the stetson 100 is definitely worth 3 to 4 hundered. So I stand corrected and have to guess that I just got lucky on my buy.
These Playboys are the very early ones as they don't have liners, but just a logo on the felt in the top inside of the crown. I have the original ads from the late 30s showing them this way. However I know that later they put nice liners in them.

fedoralover

 

[Zach R.]

Both of those examples are size 7 1/2 though, haven't we all seen them go for much higher prices even during slumps?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Gentlemen, the season is to blame.

I've noticed that every summer, eBay's selection and sales go down. Potential buyers are going on vacation, spending money on trips, getting away from their computers and the Internet.

For me as a seller, the summer is the best time to buy "cheap" on eBay ... and it's the worst time to sell there.


.

 

[Johnnysan]

Funny you should mention this...I recently listed a number of very nice short brims on eBay. I failed to meet my very modest reserves on all of them and didn't even receive my opening bid of $10 on most of them. These are not crappy old beaters...I don't get it. I'll try again in the fall when cooler climes may bring out the felt wearers. [huh]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Again, sales go down in the summer. They'll go way up again at the end of August - beginning of September.


.

 

[Viola]

Hmm sounds like I need to get on the ball figuring out what I want, my size, what works with my face, etc. so I can swoop in during the summer slump.

 

[Solid Citizen]

In Other Words

Best Buying Time:

1. Vintage fedoras in the Summer

2. Vintage leather jackets in the Summer.

3. Vintage Hawaiian shirts in the Winter.

1+2+3 = Buy Off Season!!!

SC

 

[SinatraStyle]

Now definitely seems like the time to buy felt fedoras. Most areas are too warm this time of year to think about buying felt, so prices are lower. Good for me though...I've scored a couple of nice lids now that there's less competition. On the down side, there also seems to be a smaller selection of felt in the summer.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Some of my vintage hats look like they've never been worn. I bought them to wear, but I feel like a vandal if I get the sweatband all, well, sweaty.

I brought my Cavanagh Homburg to the Gamble House tour in Pasadena, but I wore my Stetson western hat (the one with a Roswell NM store name in it) in the car to and from.

 

[Visigoth]

Just managed to grab a near-mint Knox Twenty on ebay for $16.50. (I like that it was more than that half a century ago...)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=104753027850

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Yes, Fedora Fever is fading.

It's time for everyone to dump all those size 7 1/2 vintage fedoras now!

 

[Magus]

Just managed to grab a near-mint Knox Twenty on ebay for $16.50. (I like that it was more than that half a century ago...)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=104753027850

Ahhh to live in the land of 7 1/4...

lol

Teasing.

I bought a couple of hat lots in "E" in the last month that went VERY well for me. The last one was 5 hats for $24 including shipping. One I walked directly to the trash...one I gave away... and three are NIIIIIICE vintage stingies. Even a woven straw that is just classic So three keepes, in 7 3/8 - 7 1/2 for that ammount....maybe the heat is working its magic after all. ?

 

[Twitch]

I agree with those who say buy the hat to wear and forget the "collectable value" crapola. We all get stung when people enter a hobby category and decide to collect or speculate by outbidding everyone and temporarily send prices up.

Old cars have suffered this because non-car people got involved in the hobby for "investment" purposes. Great for sellers but it is screwing up buyers, especially 1st timers.

Unless one is into pretty full era wardrobes and has already invested a good deal in other clothes a fedora for $100+ is kinda silly. There's tons of them on Ebay daily that go for $20 or less- for vintage ones never worn too! For the casual hat wearer that great. Outbidding "investment collectors" is no good. Don't get carried away and spent $60 outbidding when 3 days from now a quite similar hat will go for $13 in one bid.

A guy like James Powers here has over 100 hats but he actually wears them and never began collecting for the intrinsic value alone that could be made at an unspecified later date.

 

[jake_fink]

Collecting is collecting, whether you're storing them in plastic or putting them on your head. Someone has to take care of the stuff that doesn't fit in a museum, yet.

I think the two biggest factors are the season - unfortunately also the only season I have time to sell on Ebay - and the newbie collector.

The big difference between a collector and a newbie collector is that the new guy wants to go from 0 to 50 ASAP, so he'll buy anything and everything and pay whatever it takes to do so. Once in a while you'll see hat sales spike and one or two names appear in sale after sale. Then their mid-life crisis ends, or they move on to something else like stamps or barbie doll clothing or whatever takes their fancy, and the price of hats gets back into a reasonable range - though still on average a little higher than before the spike.

The funny thing is that the overzealous buyer is now stuck with a pile of hats - some of which undoubtedly don't fit, or don't suit them or are in poor condition (who bats 1,000 on Ebay?) If they want to sell on Ebay they have to accept a loss or try selling at THEIR price, which they're not likely to get, at least until the next volkswagon pulls up and the new clowns pile out.

The traffic on the Fedora Lounge may be helping to create these mini-markets of suckers... and I hope that Loungers have been reaping the benefits. :eusa_clap