Fedora Find Odds

[hatflick1]

Has any Lounger ever calculated the percentages on walking into a garage sale, flea market or thrift shop and actually spotting a fedora which is in a wearable condition and size? What are those odds?
Yesterday I went to the Fairfax High (Hollywood) flea market, a place I have strolled countless times before over five years, and bingo! there's an Adam Deluxe 'Pliant-Eze' hanging from a mirror frame at the back of a vendor's cluttered display. Perfect condition. Size 7 3/8. (Looks a lot like Art's 'Trackside' custom model.) Price: 25 bucks. Originally asking thirty-five.
What's more...another vendor had a beaut! of an Open Road for sale cheap, twenty bucks, I believe, but I did not have the cash as I never expected to find any fedora let alone two!
If I were a betting man, I think it would be safe to say I could return next Sunday and find no fedoras at all. I mean, what are the odds?

 

[Benny Holiday]

Not sure about the odds in your neck of the woods, Hatflick. Here, it would be approximately 6,572,623,815 to one! This must be your lucky week; hurry out and buy a lottery ticket, quick!

 

[tonyb]

Regret to say that the chances probably aren't appreciably better up this way. But then, that's what ought be expected, now that it's 2007 and the hats many of us are interested in are at least 50 years old and long ago made the transition from "secondhand clothing" to "vintage attire."
And ... while it is indeed true that old hats can last many decades provided they are reasonably well cared for, it is indisputable that they will be worse for the wear if they aren't accorded such treatment. If I were to hazard a guess, it would be that the large majority of the like-new vintage lids we so covet were put into storage a long, long time ago, where they remained until quite recently. For had they seen much of the sort of use hats were typically put to back when most men wore hats, they wouldn't remain in like-new condition.
But then, untold millions of really great hats were made over the first five or six decades of the last century, and if only a small percentage of them survive, well, that's still a heckuva lot of hats. No?
So yeah, they still show up in thrift shops every now and then, but nowhere near as frequently as they once did. They can still be found somewhat more readily in antique and vintage shops, where the asking prices are generally much steeper.

 

[tonyb]

And ...

I've found my most reliable hunting ground for vintage hats right here, in the FL classifieds. I just did a quick inventory and counted 11 old hats I've acquired through purchase or trade with fellow Loungers. While none of those acquisitions rank among the screamingest bargains I've ever made, I've come away happy from each exchange nonetheless.

 

[mingoslim]

Talk to Dinerman . . .

It would seem that great vintage hats literally spring from the earth whenever he walks into a flea-market . . . Dangdest thing I ever see'd.

 

[Nashoba]

I saw a lovely fedora at the TN state fairgrounds flea market last weekend and I thought of you gents. It was in great condition too. But being a gal with a hubby who would laugh if I bought him such a hat, I picked it up, smiled, thought of y'all put it down and kept a walkin'....

 

[warbird]

Oh nooooo.... Seems i have to get down there for a look see.

 

[nobodyspecial]

I walked into a goodwill once and found three vintage hats by Dobbs (all in my size) for $1.99each - instant hat collection. Once out of a couple of thousand thrift shop trips you will get lucky.

 

[AlanC]

Yes, my one hit in a thrift store was a Disney and a Knox, both in my size. About $5 for both.

 

[WideBrimm]

Serendipity

Finding hats at Thrifts, Antique Stores, and Flea Markets is pure serendipity! There's no rhyme or reason to it. I've found nice hats on any day and at any time morning to night. It's all in the hunt. The more often you are out and about, the more likely you'll find something. At the Thrifts I find men's hats in the women's dept, and women's hats in the men's dept. Look everywhere. At antique stores I'm constantly telling myself to "look up" to the top of shelves and furniture items. Some nice finds that way!

 

[besdor]

Hat Finds

Finding good vintage hats are not easy today , but sometimes you can be lucky. I was in San Fransisco a few weeks ago . I wandered around the Haight area and found D'Rosas vintage store. They had had a nice selection of vintage hats but they were priced high. So I walked around and found a store called "Buffalo Exchange" that buys and sells clothing. Mostly junk , but on a top shelf was a Dobbs box that caught my eye. I took it down and found a beautiful Dobbs twenty that was in great shape for 25.00 .

You never know what you will find.

 

[hatflick1]

Availability is indeed fickle. As I said, I have haunted the that same flea market for years and came up fedora-zip!
What seems particularly odd about that is this is Hollywood and you'd think the number of fedoras eminating from wardrobe departments would find there way to the thrift shops, flea markets and vintage shows.
Another thought...ever buy a hat off a head? There's a vintage cowboy shop in Taos where the owner used to talk about doing just that to maintain an array of used western hats. I have had offers on some fedoras I have worn around town.

 

[woodsie]

good post

Availability is indeed fickle. As I said, I have haunted the that same flea market for years and came up fedora-zip!
What seems particularly odd about that is this is Hollywood and you'd think the number of fedoras eminating from wardrobe departments would find there way to the thrift shops, flea markets and vintage shows.
Another thought...ever buy a hat off a head? There's a vintage cowboy shop in Taos where the owner used to talk about doing just that to maintain an array of used western hats. I have had offers on some fedoras I have worn around town.

intersting post. thanks

 

[LocktownDog]

I saw a lovely fedora at the TN state fairgrounds flea market last weekend and I thought of you gents. It was in great condition too. But being a gal with a hubby who would laugh if I bought him such a hat, I picked it up, smiled, thought of y'all put it down and kept a walkin'....

Ya know ... probably could have bought the hat anyway and offered it up here for a small profit. One of us would have snatched it up pretty quick.

Out here in the high desert I find a lot of old vintage cowboy hats (technically "buckaroo" ... although I still can't figure the difference). But I have only ever seen one nice fedora that was in my size. Unfortunately it was in olive green. Lots of Trilbys and newsboy caps though.

Richard

 

[mingoslim]

Olive Green Fedora?

Ya know ... probably could have bought the hat anyway and offered it up here for a small profit. One of us would have snatched it up pretty quick.

But I have only ever seen one nice fedora that was in my size. Unfortunately it was in olive green. Lots of Trilbys and newsboy caps though.

Richard

Man, I would have snapped that one up . . .
If you ever see it again, and it is a 7 1/4 or 7 3/8 . . . pick it up, and I pormise to natch it up "for a small profit."

 

[Colby Jack]

3X Beaver OR Stetson...my sad story

I was out hitting the antique shops in town and found this wonderful Stetson 3X Beaver OR...still in western shape and in silver belly (dirty silver belly). I tried it on and fit just fine, what a great hat to try a new bash on, provided it was the right price. Well the lady tells me that the hat is for rent during halloween and not for sale. I was crushed...I even begged a bit...but to no avail....
Maybe next time....