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German & Austrian Hutmachers

Messages
18,449
Location
Nederland
I'm not always lucky when I buy hats. I sort of reckon that most people when measuring hats get it wrong and give a size that is too small. I was hoping for the same effect with this one, but this seller got it right. For the 8 euro I paid for it's still an interesting one to have.
Hückel Durit velour hat. Size 54 (seller was right all along) with the raw edge brim at 6cm and the crown at 11,5cm at the center dent. When I took it out of its packaging I still thought I got lucky, because it feels like a substantial hat, despite its small size. No label inside the hat. Somehow the Durit feels a bit less refined than Hückel's Jota, Alpha, Platin or Standard velours. That's all very relative though, because it is still a Hückel velour.

huckel-durit54_03-jpg.390754
huckel-durit54_04-jpg.390755
huckel-durit54_05-jpg.390756
huckel-durit54_06-jpg.390757
huckel-durit54_07-jpg.390758
huckel-durit54_08-jpg.390759
huckel-durit54_09-jpg.390760
huckel-durit54_10-jpg.390761
huckel-durit54_11-jpg.390762
huckel-durit54_12-jpg.390763
 
Messages
17,514
Location
Maryland
I'm not always lucky when I buy hats. I sort of reckon that most people when measuring hats get it wrong and give a size that is too small. I was hoping for the same effect with this one, but this seller got it right. For the 8 euro I paid for it's still an interesting one to have.
Hückel Durit velour hat. Size 54 (seller was right all along) with the raw edge brim at 6cm and the crown at 11,5cm at the center dent. When I took it out of its packaging I still thought I got lucky, because it feels like a substantial hat, despite its small size. No label inside the hat. Somehow the Durit feels a bit less refined than Hückel's Jota, Alpha, Platin or Standard velours. That's all very relative though, because it is still a Hückel velour.

huckel-durit54_03-jpg.390754
huckel-durit54_04-jpg.390755
huckel-durit54_05-jpg.390756
huckel-durit54_06-jpg.390757
huckel-durit54_07-jpg.390758
huckel-durit54_08-jpg.390759
huckel-durit54_09-jpg.390760
huckel-durit54_10-jpg.390761
huckel-durit54_11-jpg.390762
huckel-durit54_12-jpg.390763
Stefan, Great find! I will have to check some of my JHS "Durit" Velours. I know one was in very poor condition.
 
Last edited:

Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,862
Location
Denmark

Nice find Dave. All the labels correspond to a Mayser I have from the 1950s. 5th of January 1957 to be exact. It says so on the inside of the sweat band. Have you checked that?

I'll let Steve @mayserwegener chip in for a much better appraisal.
 

Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,862
Location
Denmark
It's such a coincidence, but I actually took my hat with me to wear in Copenhagen this New Year's weekend. Happy New Year to you btw Dave.

As I said, Steve will probably pitch in with his expert knowledge, but I'm pretty much certain it's a 1950s Mayser.

Here are some photos of mine.

20220101_041713.jpg 20220101_041656.jpg 20220101_041643.jpg 20220101_041620.jpg 20220101_041600.jpg 20220101_041555.jpg
 

DaveProc

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,119
Location
Rhode Island
It's such a coincidence, but I actually took my hat with me to wear in Copenhagen this New Year's weekend. Happy New Year to you btw Dave.

As I said, Steve will probably pitch in with his expert knowledge, but I'm pretty much certain it's a 1950s Mayser.

Here are some photos of mine.

View attachment 392297 View attachment 392298 View attachment 392299 View attachment 392300 View attachment 392301 View attachment 392302
Happy New Year!
Your hat is spectacular! The brim binding is fastastic.
 

Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,862
Location
Denmark
Happy New Year!
Your hat is spectacular! The brim binding is fastastic.

Thanks Dave. I remember discussing mine with Steve when I first got it a couple of years back. He was most helpful.

I'm guessing yours was picked up by someone from the US military after WWII. They had a strong presence in Pforzheim after the war. I would think the blue feather is an after market US addition, too.
 
Messages
18,449
Location
Nederland
Messages
18,449
Location
Nederland
When I posted the Hückel Durit above I mentioned I'm not always lucky when I buy hats. But sometimes I am. This was sold to me as a size 58. And no sooner the seller had accepted my offer, the bidding price almost doubled. She still sold it to me.
This one would certainly interest Steve (@mayserwegener ) so I bought it.
Hückel Platin velour in grey. Size 57 (it turned out to be; sorry Steve) with the raw edge brim at 5cm and the crown at 11cm at the center dent. The felt is nothing short of incredible; supersoft and shapes with no effort at all. The sheen makes it hard to take good pictures of it. The sweatband is very thin, but still supple for such an old hat. I was a bit cautious at first because the liner logo is one that was used by Tonak as well for their later hats, which don't come even close. The "platin" wasn't a designation they used as far as I know.

huckel platin grey_01.jpg
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huckel platin grey_04.jpg
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PanosChris

Practically Family
Messages
977
Some more pics of it. One of the bow pics shows how thick the felt is and how it gets more dense towards the center.

View attachment 392542 View attachment 392543 View attachment 392544 View attachment 392545 View attachment 392546 View attachment 392547
When I posted the Hückel Durit above I mentioned I'm not always lucky when I buy hats. But sometimes I am. This was sold to me as a size 58. And no sooner the seller had accepted my offer, the bidding price almost doubled. She still sold it to me.
This one would certainly interest Steve (@mayserwegener ) so I bought it.
Hückel Platin velour in grey. Size 57 (it turned out to be; sorry Steve) with the raw edge brim at 5cm and the crown at 11cm at the center dent. The felt is nothing short of incredible; supersoft and shapes with no effort at all. The sheen makes it hard to take good pictures of it. The sweatband is very thin, but still supple for such an old hat. I was a bit cautious at first because the liner logo is one that was used by Tonak as well for their later hats, which don't come even close. The "platin" wasn't a designation they used as far as I know.

View attachment 392532 View attachment 392533 View attachment 392534 View attachment 392535 View attachment 392536 View attachment 392537 View attachment 392538 View attachment 392539 View attachment 392540 View attachment 392541
Hats like this make my day, every time! Your finds never disappoint, Stefan! What a hat to start the New Year!
 

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