German & Austrian Hutmachers

[moehawk]

Here it is!

I can try to get clearer ones if needed.

 

[mayserwegener]

Here it is!


I can try to get clearer ones if needed.

Thanks! It was made by Anton Peschel Dinkelsbühl, Germany. Anton Peschel was originally in Neutitschein Austria (up to WWI) / Nový Jičín Czechoslovakia until WWII. They were one of the famous Austrian Velour hat companies (felt, finished hats) from Neutitschein / Nový Jičín . The family starting making hats on a much smaller scale in Dinkelsbühl, West Germany in 1950. Your hat is probably from the late 1950s. I think the liner tape is not original.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/8-peschel-hutfabrik/

 

[moehawk]

Cool! Thanks for the info. It certainly is a nice, well made hat. The tape on the liner may not be original, but still quite old and not sticky anymore . One other question I have is about the John Batterson greenie I got last month, the one with the Tyrolean look. It has a finish that is similar in feel to this velour, but with a much shorter nap. I was wondering what that finish is called. It's not something that shows up well on photos, and with my eyes tough to determine from pics online to compare.

 

[mayserwegener]

I think this hat of mine is about the same time period and it has a stitched liner. Anton Peschel Dinkelsbühl, Germany made really high quality hats.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/8-peschel-hutfabrik/#entry259

The pre WWII AP Austrian Velours from Neutitschein / Nový Jičín are really fantastic but rare.

Do you have a link to the John Batterson?

 

[moehawk]

That's the best pic I have on my tablet, if there's sun tomorrow I'll get a good tight closeup. The feel, for lack of a better word, is like velvet. I guess what I'm wondering is if this one, being in an Alpine style, is made of a type of velour or other European hare or hare blend.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Super Cilindro Steve!
Glückwünsche

 

[mayserwegener]

Daniele, Thanks!

 

[Trenchfriend]

Yeah!!

 

[mayserwegener]

That's the best pic I have on my tablet, if there's sun tomorrow I'll get a good tight closeup. The feel, for lack of a better word, is like velvet. I guess what I'm wondering is if this one, being in an Alpine style, is made of a type of velour or other European hare or hare blend.

Velour is scratched, clipped and polished (originally Austrian and German Velour was manually hot wet brushed which was very labor intensive and produced amazing results but didn't survive much past the end of WWII) . The finest Velour is made of Hare.. It looks more like this could be a Chamois or Antelope (here might be called Suede) finish (special pouncing process). Could be Hare or a Hare / Rabbit blend. The felt looks really nice. The American makers had to rely on European (Italian, German, Austrian) finishing machines / techniques to produce such specialty finishes or they sourced the felt or hat bodies. For example BB finishing machines were installed at Hat Corp of America in the late 1930s.

New Machine Produces Many Special Finishes

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/7-brüder-böhm-hutfabrik/#entry570

 

[moehawk]

Thanks again. I have heard of/seen the term antelope finish before. The look of the felt is nothing compared to the feel. That's what makes the Batterson the firste one that gets grabbed for most errands and short trips. It is also the one I tend to absent-mindedly pet like a cat because it feels so nice.
Something else of note regarding the Disney...I noticed last night that what looked at first like a seperation between the sweat and the felt in the front of the hat was in fact what our esteemed Dr. T.Jones dubbed a "thingy". The corrugated paper piece whose function is somewhat murky. I have not seen a lot of mention of the use of a thingy very often, is this common to the region/time period?
Always more questions...that's why I love this place. Keeps the mind working.

 

[mayserwegener]

I would have to have the hat in hand to better judge. It could be a Velour but I tend to think the finish was made by special pouncing. The American hat makers were in the dark when it came to special finishes. You can see it by the letters that were sent to the BB representative in the link I provided (I have others). It's crucial that the felt be prepared properly from the start. This is why companies like JHS ruled when it came to such felts and finishes. The processes were changed over time (due to high labor costs, loss of talent, dangerous chemicals used) so in turn were the end results. The apparatus at the front edge of the sweatband is a corrugated vent system. They were fairly common on higher end European hats (Borsalino, JHS, Peschel, ect) going back to the 1930s. Borsalino continued to use them until the family sold the business around the mid 1980s.

 

[mayserwegener]

Wegener "Extra" Haarhut, size 59cm, probably mid 1950s. Fantastic dark blue felt with very high quality construction. Wegener bow and binding work was consistently great.

 

[mikespens]

WOW! Another stunner Steve. Blue is such a treat to see

 

[moehawk]

Yeah, nice one. And thanks again for info about the thingy. Regardless of where the felt was produced and which methods were used on the Batterson it remains most pleasant to the touch.

 

[1mach1]

Steve, that one is fantastic! Great find. Does it fit your head?

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Harv, knowing the German size mine for sure
A blue homburg with this incredible brim binding is fantastic.
Wagener has an high quality even today IMO.
Hans Korner in Dusseldorf produced (!?!) and sold a lovely blue hat I have in my collection

 

[mayserwegener]

Mike, Harv, Daniele, Thanks! It's a good fit. Probably measures closer to 58cm.

 

[tommyK]

Mayser, I don't look at this thread everyday. I don't even look at it every week. I save it up for about a month so I can be blown away by the hats You show and the incredible knowledge and extra things You add. There are a few special people here who add so much and You are right at the top of that group. Well done, Sir!

 

[mayserwegener]

Tommy, Thanks! I appreciate your kind words.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

This is not exactly the appropriate thread to post this magnificent Homburg, but I believe it is the right place
Sold in Swiss by Globus, it belong to the "German speaking" hats (Steve aka mayserwagener provided all the informations)

Made in mixed felt is very plasmable as few homburgs I get

Size 58 cm 7 1/4 US it has 6 cm (2.36 inches) curled brim and 11 cm. (4.33 inches) crown at low point

Well finished with a good sweatband and a white linen

The surprise arrives at the end: the hat seems made in France and the label has Italian language!
The label is the same as others French hats I have

The Globus in its beauty