Greetings all,
Just thought that I'd post about a new "old" hat that I recently acquired,
incidentally my first vintage hat.
As some lowlife stole my digital camera, I can't post pictures as of yet, so
I'll do my best to describe it. Maybe some knowledgeable soul can estimate
its vintage!
It is a Royal Stetson fedora, grey, with a 2.5'' brim and a xxx crown. It
came with its original box. I went for this lid 'cos it vaguely resembled
Bogie's from the Maltese Falcon. The interior band is in perfect condition
- brown leather, no cracks, the gold logo is pristine. The liner is so/so.
The Stetson logo looks a bit "foggy", and the colours appear to have either
faded and/or ran. There are no rips, but the liner itself looks mildly
dingy. To be honest, the liner on my HJ that is only a few months old looks
worse!
The felt feels thinner yet stiffer than that on my new hats. It is a medium
to dark grey. There are no holes or tears whatsoever, and the hat has
retained its shape, more or less, after decades of storage. The previous
owner had a centre dent with a high & tight pinch. I played around a bit
with the crown and it holds the shapes - much better than my newer hats,
which need to be steamed in order to do so.
There is a slight stain on one side, over the bow - I can't tell if it is
water, sweat or something else. I doubt it is sweat, as the hat doesn't
appear to be seriously worn.
Both the ribbon and the brim edge are in excellent shape - no real wear to
speak of. The crown does not taper at all - I had to introduce some as it
looked a bit funny on my head. I have never worn a hat with a brim this
small, so it does look a bit odd at first and takes some getting used to.
My other brims are close to 2 3/4'' or so (I think).
For its age, there is no musty smell whatsoever. It is a wee bit dusty, and
the box shows that some dust got inside as well. I will have to get it
cleaned, as I am a bit leery of placing it on me noggin.
In spite of the fact that this hat is a 7 3/8'' US and I usually wear a 7
1/2'' (60CM or 7 3/8'' UK), it fits well. I think the fact that it is a
long oval helps, as 7 1/2'' isn't exactly tight. I was a bit concerned that
I'd went and got meself something that'd be tight, but it isn't the case.
The box itself is in great shape. It is the square, orange-y type with
maroon trim and emblazoned with the Stetson crest.
If anyone can shed any light as to the age of the hat I'd appreciate it!
Just thought that I'd post about a new "old" hat that I recently acquired,
incidentally my first vintage hat.
As some lowlife stole my digital camera, I can't post pictures as of yet, so
I'll do my best to describe it. Maybe some knowledgeable soul can estimate
its vintage!
It is a Royal Stetson fedora, grey, with a 2.5'' brim and a xxx crown. It
came with its original box. I went for this lid 'cos it vaguely resembled
Bogie's from the Maltese Falcon. The interior band is in perfect condition
- brown leather, no cracks, the gold logo is pristine. The liner is so/so.
The Stetson logo looks a bit "foggy", and the colours appear to have either
faded and/or ran. There are no rips, but the liner itself looks mildly
dingy. To be honest, the liner on my HJ that is only a few months old looks
worse!
The felt feels thinner yet stiffer than that on my new hats. It is a medium
to dark grey. There are no holes or tears whatsoever, and the hat has
retained its shape, more or less, after decades of storage. The previous
owner had a centre dent with a high & tight pinch. I played around a bit
with the crown and it holds the shapes - much better than my newer hats,
which need to be steamed in order to do so.
There is a slight stain on one side, over the bow - I can't tell if it is
water, sweat or something else. I doubt it is sweat, as the hat doesn't
appear to be seriously worn.
Both the ribbon and the brim edge are in excellent shape - no real wear to
speak of. The crown does not taper at all - I had to introduce some as it
looked a bit funny on my head. I have never worn a hat with a brim this
small, so it does look a bit odd at first and takes some getting used to.
My other brims are close to 2 3/4'' or so (I think).
For its age, there is no musty smell whatsoever. It is a wee bit dusty, and
the box shows that some dust got inside as well. I will have to get it
cleaned, as I am a bit leery of placing it on me noggin.
In spite of the fact that this hat is a 7 3/8'' US and I usually wear a 7
1/2'' (60CM or 7 3/8'' UK), it fits well. I think the fact that it is a
long oval helps, as 7 1/2'' isn't exactly tight. I was a bit concerned that
I'd went and got meself something that'd be tight, but it isn't the case.
The box itself is in great shape. It is the square, orange-y type with
maroon trim and emblazoned with the Stetson crest.
If anyone can shed any light as to the age of the hat I'd appreciate it!
