German & Austrian Hutmachers

[mayserwegener]

Trenchfriend and Steve, thanks. I guess in the later years Hückel let the quality slide a fair bit. Never knew about Mayser producing Habig hats. Good to know. It's a fine hat, certainly for a modern one, but not the same quality as their earlier hats.

Hückel Weilheim went of business in the early 1970s so they were no factor. They made high quality hats up to that time period. Mayser produced Habig hats for a short time period after P. & C. Habig Wien went of business. I don't have the details.

 

[steur]

Hückel Weilheim went of business in the early 1970s so they were no factor. They made high quality hats up to that time period. Mayser produced Habig hats for a short time period after P. & C. Habig Wien went of business. I don't have the details.

Steve, thanks for the extra information. It kind of took me by surprise because I am used to Hückel always being of high quality.

 

[mayserwegener]

Stefan, Hückel is just a trademark now. I am not sure who owns it in Germany currently. Tonak has the trademark for most places.

 

[mayserwegener]

C. G. Wilke Guben photos and documents from the Stadt- und Industriemuseum Guben collection.

C. G. Wilke, 111 Years (1933)

Time Clock (1920-29)

Women of the Felting Department (1910)

Women of the Dressing Department (1920-29)

Statutes of the company's sickness fund of the hat factory C.G. Wilke in Guben-Druck by the publisher Albert Koenig in Guben. (1914)

Certificate of the State Insurance Institution Brandenburg by Charlotte Zindler for offsetting at the factory sickness fund of the hat factory C.G. Wilke. (1938)

At the end of the war in 1945, the company premises and the production facilities of the company C.G. Wilke were destroyed or severely damaged by about 45%. These included the middle building, a warehouse, workshops and the administrative building as well as the private villa of the Wilke family. The last eight weeks of war in February and March 1945, in which Guben was a frontier, brought the economic ruin to the once flourishing and traditional Gubener hat industry. At the end of the Second World War nearly 90% of the historic city center was destroyed. The city resembled a rubble landscape. In the western part of the city about 20% of the building fabric was affected by destruction, including numerous industrial plants.

Destroyed Villa Wilke in Guben, 1945

Letterhead C.G. Wilke; Guben, 12/23/1947

 

[moehawk]

This was a Goodwill online find that came to me from West Virginia. I've no clue about who made it, but I hope one of those here more knowledgable does. The velour is amazing. With eyes closed, I can't tell the difference between it and my 20's Marathon Velour.
Enough talk. Here's pics.

The only damage I've found is one of the decorative tufts on the rope trim is losing it's hair.

And the inside. No liner or patch.

The unreeded sweatband has a taped seam.

The tags.

Crown 5" open, brim 2 1/4" 118g. The felt is very moldable. Even though it has a bit of a bash ghost, I think I can steam it out.. Here's a quick crease.

I'm going to hold off on an age guess and see what the experts think.





Powered by happy thoughts

 

[mayserwegener]

Fantastic find! It was made by Rockel Alsfeld. My guess would be mid 1950s. It's kind of a Flamand - Velour. Here is more on Rockel Alsfeld.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/17-rockel-hutfabrik/page-2#entry1474

 

[KarlCrow]

This mayser ebay buy mentioned above met me on holidays in the UK. mayser black, 65mm brim, it's about 150mm open crown, so 120mm sides, 100mm front pinch when bashed. It is a size 55 so not as advertised though i reckon the owner had a bigger head as it fits my large 57 tightly. It's a very soft presumably fur felt. The label was under the lining, it fell out, see shot. Apologies for photos but im on vacation.

 

[mayserwegener]

Great to hear it's Fur Felt. Sorry about the size issue but it looks good on. It's fairly recent but probably still made in Lindenberg, Germany. All Mayser hat production was moved to Slovakia in 2011.

 

[KarlCrow]

Great to hear it's Fur Felt. Sorry about the size issue but it looks good on. It's fairly recent but probably still made in Lindenberg, Germany. All Mayser hat production was moved to Slovakia in 2011.

thanks, i'll clean it up a bit more when I get home and possiby sell it on.

 

[moehawk]

Fantastic find! It was made by Rockel Alsfeld. My guess would be mid 1950s. It's kind of a Flamand - Velour. Here is more on Rockel Alsfeld.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/17-rockel-hutfabrik/page-2#entry1474

Thanks mayser! Had a feeling you'd have the info!
Interesting read about the company on the link.

 

[mayserwegener]

Leopold Dermotta Wien, 59cm probably early to mid 1950s. Leopold Dermotta Wien hats are hard to find. I have only come across post WWII Homburg style hats in my size range and they are all very high quality. I really like the high side dents this one came with and it's in very good condition.

 

[steur]

C. G. Wilke Guben photos and documents from the Stadt- und Industriemuseum Guben collection.

C. G. Wilke, 111 Years (1933)

Time Clock (1920-29)

Women of the Felting Department (1910)

Women of the Dressing Department (1920-29)

Statutes of the company's sickness fund of the hat factory C.G. Wilke in Guben-Druck by the publisher Albert Koenig in Guben. (1914)

Certificate of the State Insurance Institution Brandenburg by Charlotte Zindler for offsetting at the factory sickness fund of the hat factory C.G. Wilke. (1938)

At the end of the war in 1945, the company premises and the production facilities of the company C.G. Wilke were destroyed or severely damaged by about 45%. These included the middle building, a warehouse, workshops and the administrative building as well as the private villa of the Wilke family. The last eight weeks of war in February and March 1945, in which Guben was a frontier, brought the economic ruin to the once flourishing and traditional Gubener hat industry. At the end of the Second World War nearly 90% of the historic city center was destroyed. The city resembled a rubble landscape. In the western part of the city about 20% of the building fabric was affected by destruction, including numerous industrial plants.

Destroyed Villa Wilke in Guben, 1945

Letterhead C.G. Wilke; Guben, 12/23/1947

Steve, fantastic find and thanks for posting it. Great additions to collecting the hat history.

 

[mayserwegener]

Stefan, Thanks! I just wander upon them while online searching.

 

[mayserwegener]

Here is my latest Dermotta Wien in sun light. I really like this one.

 

[NewJack]

New arrival from Vienna Austria. Mayser. 5 3/8 open crown, 2 1/2 inch over-welted brim, nice medium gray, excellent hand to the felt. Posted in this thread by request! My first oversea's purchase! Pleased as punch!

 

[mayserwegener]

Thanks for posting it here. Also thanks for posting the additional photos. I will also post it on my website. Congrats on your first Euro purchase. It's fantastic hat.

 

[Chepstow]

Steve, fantastic Dermotta, looks great on you!
Karl, sorry to hear that is a 55 size, Mayser are mostly a size bigger as the label shows! Great Hat!
New Jack, congrats on your purchase! A splendid Echter Mayser - Sharp hat!


Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro

 

[mayserwegener]

Manfred, Thanks! Another Homburg!

 

[NewJack]

Thanks for posting it here. Also thanks for posting the additional photos. I will also post it on my website. Congrats on your first Euro purchase. It's fantastic hat.

Thanks so much! It is a rare gem indeed! And in a size that I find quite rare for my 7 1/2 noggin. I pretty much got 'lucky' on this piece (although luck is mostly for dreamers...)

Question: I see your pieces give a size of '59' does that equal a 7 1/2 USA? Or, does it pend on the country of origin? Thanks in advance!

 

[mayserwegener]

59cm is usually U.S. 7 3/8 but some hats can run smaller or larger. It's best to ask inside center front to back measurement. Also center side to side if you have a more circular head. When dealing with European sellers you need to use cm measurements.