Garrett, Thanks! I agree about not seeing the inside of the hats. They don't even mention the makes of the hats in the museum collection and I have no idea what is in their archives. If it was me I would have everything photographed and cataloged.
That is a very elegant Homburg, Steve.Mayser "Supra", measures 58.5 cm possibly originally early 1950s or older. The sweatband was replaced a while ago and I am not sure about the ribbon bow. I couldn't find any paper label and the store comes up blank on searches. The dark blue felt is fantastic and I really like the form. It's actually a really great looking hat.
Open Crown
Natural Light
Randy, I am not a writer but I can photo document to some degree. The problem is receiving access to the collections. Only the Gotisches Haus (Gothic House) Hat Museum, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany gave me full access to their archives (hats, hat related items, documents). I fully photo documented the hats + related items and selected documents but the situation was not optimal. Unfortunately the other museums don't allow access and have no interest in detailed photo cataloging of their collections.
Steve, Thank you!
Another great episode and lots of information, Steve. Thanks for posting this.Continued.
Johann Hückel´s Söhne Neutitschein
The beginning of industrial hat production in Central Europe can be found in the town of Nový Jičín. Here in 1799 he was admitted to missions. trulio guild Fulnek hatter Johann Nepomuk Huckel and soon after his brother Augustin Huckel. After the merger of their workshops by Augustine's son Johann Hückel, the workshop in 1865 on today's Dolnobranská Street was the first hat mill in the whole of Austria to manufacture a steam engine. This year is considered the beginning of industrial hat production in our countries. Two years later, the construction of a new large hat factory on the outskirts of the city, which in 1867 already employed 300 workers. On January 1, 1868, Johann Hückel's Sóhne was founded. The Nový Jičín company at the end of the 19th century dominated the overseas markets and its products were world famous. Johann Hückel's Sóhne from Nový Jičín and P. & C. Habig from Vienna were Austrian-Hungarian hatter companies, whose production and quality exceeded all competition. Johann Hückel's Sóhne, however, has survived the times of war without any detriment by parts of its size and self - sufficiency. At the end of the 1930s, the company employed some 3,000 workers, masters and officials. With its 48,000 m2, the factory in Nový Jičín was one of the largest millinery in the world. The production had at its disposal a thousand different machines that powered four steam boilers and a 1600 kW turbine with a daily consumption of two to three wagons of coal. The production of the company Johann Hückel's Sóhne was mainly men's felt velour hats in exclusive design, especially in the qualities of Platinum and Superior Velour, as well as light hats of the quality Plume with hair Duret rauh. Ratina-quality products with goosebumps were also popular. In women's rust, these were more expensive products such as Rival, Sigma and Alpha or cheaper Corall quality products.
Rival, Sigma and Alpha or cheaper Corall products. In 1922, in addition to its older branch in Vienna, Johann Hückel's Sóhne established a branch plant in Silesian Racibórz (then Germany) and a year later in 1923 another plant in Silesian Skocov (then Poland). The global economic crisis, which began with the fall on the US stock exchange in 1929, caused Hückel a partial loss of the overseas markets and the associated reduction in production and staff. Work hours were also reduced to 40 hours per week (only one shift was worked). Nevertheless, the capital accounts of the four shareholders of Johann Hückel's Sóhne as of January 1, 1932 amounted to almost CZK 79 million. Johann Hückel's Sóhne experienced two major economic booms in 1918-1938. The second at the end of the thirties stopped the Second World War. In 1945 the factory was nationalized and the national company TONAK was established.
Johann Hückel's Sóhne Ratina
Tonak 1945 - 1989
The end of the Second World War brought not only a new composition of the management of the hat factory in Nový Jičiná, but also new intentions connected with the renewed Czechoslovak Republic. The October decree of the President of the Czechoslovak Republic, Edvard Beneš, meant the merger of three Nový Jičín hatter companies into one, including the Janyška factory in Walachia. On May 27, 1946, the National Administration of the Johann Hückel's Sóhne factory, a hat factory, requested that the company be deleted from the Commercial Register of the Regional Court in Nový Jičín. The change was to be made in connection with the presidential decree with the assets to the company: Hat factories, national enterprise. As of June 4, 1946, the erasure was carried out by Johann Hfickens Schhnetak officially ceased to exist. After the takeover of power in Czechoslovakia in February 1948 by the Communist Party headed by Klement Gottwald, the hatter's factories were linked to a dozen smaller factories in Bohemia and Moravia under the Act on Further Nationalization. Thus, a total of 24 plants were incorporated into the TONAK company. In 1949, the national hat production company Otavan, based in Katowice, was established. All factories in the Czech Republic were assigned to him from the national company TONAK. The race in Nový Jičín was named TONAK 1, the race in Valašské Meziria TONAK 2 and the Prague race was named TONAK 3. In NovýJičín, the individual races were also numbered. By these changes, the TONAK factory in Nový Jičín became the main pillar of the production of felt hats throughout Czechoslovakia. The national company TONAK has taken care of the training of new employees from the very beginning. After the war and the expulsion of the German population, there were very few specialists left in Nový Jičín and the management had to use the professional capacities of the former Czech factory Janyška in Valašské Menne. workers. In 1963, it grew into a corporate technical school of hat-making technology, which was led by the then-skilled employees of the hat factory.
Significant changes occurred in 1967. At that time, the reconstruction of the entire hat shop in Nový Jičín began. In the course of this, the factory was looked at by the Minister of Industry and Trade Božena Machačová-Dostálová, who supported further development of hat production. In 1969 the hat factory in Nový Jičín processed 19 million animal skins a year, with only one million being imported. Almost 74,510 production at that time was intended for export to know more than fifty countries around the world. During the normalization period, TONAK has been relatively stable during the normalization period. when production and employment made the hat factory one of the most important economic elements of the whole Nový Jičín region. However, this era brought with it a number of other factors, which meant particularly paralyzing direct contacts with the new fashion guilty of Western European countries. The main component of sales were still mass-produced hat products for the countries of the socialist sector. Further changes occurred after 1989.
Tonak 1989 - Present
The “Velvet Revolution” in 1989 meant not only major changes in the political organization of Czechoslovakia and the end of the communist government, but also new challenges for doing business in the public and private sectors. On December 31, 1990, TONAK «became a joint-stock company, with 40% of the hatter's property being the first to blame for coupon privatization. The dynamic development of the 1990s in the form of geopolitical and ownership changes influenced the economic results of the transformed TONAK company. Debt burden from the priority markets of the country of the former trade organization RVHP, associating socialist states of the Soviet bloc and the former Soviet Union, caused sales difficulties and overall stagnation of trade and production. Stabilization occurred only after 1996, when the balance of trade was increased and the operating results stabilized and a gradual increase in sales occurred. Japan, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Scandinavia, the United States of America and Switzerland ranked among the main markets at that time outside of Central and Eastern Europe. The steady-state shareholder structure with Pat's significant and decisive shareholding, together with the stabilization of economic indicators, enabled TONAK to take the path to a modern and prosperous future. As the main pillar of the revitalized strategy we can consider further building the position of the TONAK brand in terms of business and investment. Today, the focus is on productivity, new technologies, manufacturing patents and on increasing personnel qualifications. Stressful trade strategy is based on strong positioning of high quality felt and quality semi-finished products. It includes various phases of development for hat companies in the business relations between companies (B2B segment) and at the same time into the consumer environment of the end customers (B2C segment) with the goal of creating the brand TONAK. In the future, it should be the preferred supplier of quality and design of new headgear in modern in-time style. A key step towards a new emerging generation of consumers was the breakthrough through digital communication, new collaboration with leading designers and fashion icons, of course backed by the building of own network of flagship and flagship stores and e-commerce. TONAK today, we export almost all over the world - from Europe to North and South America, North and West Africa to the Near and Middle East. Wholesale customers include Australia, Bolivia, China, Ecuador, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Kuwait. Mongolia, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Senegal. United States and United Kingdom.
Great find and wonderful hat, Steve. Love blue homburg hats.Mayser "Supra", measures 58.5 cm possibly originally early 1950s or older. The sweatband was replaced a while ago and I am not sure about the ribbon bow. I couldn't find any paper label and the store comes up blank on searches. The dark blue felt is fantastic and I really like the form. It's actually a really great looking hat.
Open Crown
Natural Light
That just makes no sense, Steve. You'd think they'd be more than happy to have their collections put out on the www. Great you keep trying, pushing and have made small breakthroughs here and there.
Molto bello anche se imperfetto. Complimenti Stefan!This was kind of a cool find. Not perfect, but still.
Hückel Alpha in a size 58. Lovely grey/silver velour hat with the raw edge brim at 5,5cm and the crown at 10cm at the center dent. The hand of the felt is just awesome. It has lost its liner somewhere along its history, the ribbon has some markts and the reed has come through in the front, but the sweatband is still supple (I did treat it with some conditioner though). Doesn't take away from the quality and it's all minor as soon as you touch that felt. Sonderanfertigung (specially made for) for Carl Zeumer. Sweatband mentions Pfau-Feinhaar (meaning Peacock finehair). Don't know what that refers to.
Cool find indeed, Stefan. I could pet that one all day [emoji4]
Thanks again, gents. It is indeed one of those petting hats. And we all have our imperfections, don't we?
The tear drop is perfect for that one, Stefan. One should always listen to the hat [emoji145]
Stefan, Thanks!
Stefan, Really great to see this Aurel Huber "Velvet"! They added felt production post WWII. Many ex J. Hückel´s Söhne (Czechoslovakia) ended up working for Aurel Huber post WWII. I am not sure why it's difficult to find their hats.
Stefan, Fantastic find! The color and finish of the Alpha Velour is great. Hard to match JHS Velour.
Alden 403 Moc Toe Boot - Brown Chromexcel - $680 The classic "Indy" style Alden Boot in the classic Horween brown Chromexcel. 
Grant Stone Diesel Boot Dark Olive Chromexcel - #395 Goodyear welted, Horween Chromexcel, classic good looks. 
Himel Bros. - The Ross Mk. 1 Leather Jacket Classic D-pocket motorcycle/aviator style jacket.
Steve, I have found some great information so I probably over did the complaining.
I will keep plugging away.
