Good News, Bad News

[funneman]

Good News:
I stopped into a Thrift Store on the way home and stumbled upon a beautiful gray porkpie hat. Inside it read, "Moe and Penn" "New York" "Hand Blocked" and "Beaver."
It had a clean brown leather sweatband and a black ribbon with the bow in the back. No bites or stains on the outside, a small silver dollar sized stain on the sewn-in lining. Size 7, my size and only 9.99!

Bad News:
As I'm standing in line at the register, I realized that someone had affixed one of those plastic anti-theft devices through the brim right in the front.

Now I'm wondering if I should go back and get it. Could that hole be brushed over and maybe is it worth buying if only for the ribbon?

If I hadn't just bought a Mallory two days ago on ebay I probably wouldn't have hesitated.

 

[Andykev]

Don't pass this up.

Go back and get it, for that price it is great. Yes a needle hole will be unnoticed, however, I suggest you have them take it off the hat, then look at it. Tell them they goofed up it it is a bad hole (I don't know how wide the security dohickey is). Myabe negotiate a lower price. You cannot beat a ten buck hat that is presentable.

 

[Magus]

Yeah...I have passed on several because for the same reason. The hole is about the size of a pencil lead (usually).

But....for ten bucks....who knows? (the ones I looked at we $20ish range....which I would have gladly paid without the security hole)

M

 

[Barry]

Your story will sound familiar to many of the folks at the NYC trip. We went into a store that had dozens and dozens of Fedoras. Someone had punched plastic price tags through almost all of them. I managed to find one with minimal damage. It was a sad situation.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I hate hats with holes... though I'd hate not having a hat even more... You'll notice, others won't!

 

[fedoralover]

It's possible that you "might" be able to wet the felt and massage the felt back into the hole so it will be at least less noticable. This type of "hole" is made by separating the fibers by pushing a pin through it and is not as bad as a hole made by a moth nibble which removes the felt.

fedoralover

 

[Feraud]

Your story will sound familiar to many of the folks at the NYC trip. We went into a store that had dozens and dozens of Fedoras. Someone had punched plastic price tags through almost all of them. I managed to find one with minimal damage. It was a sad situation.

I remember that well. I barely looked any of them because of the tags punched through the hat.

 

[besdor]

It sounds like you went into Cheap Jacks on 5th ave. Those hats are from a store in NJ that went out of business after 100 years . They had thousands of hats in their origianl boxes never touched . The idiot that bought them all threw out the boxes and removed the hats in garbage bags !! he bought them all for a song .


Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm thinking that grabbing the hat and doing some scraping and massage over the hole would be a very worthwhile exercise.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I rarely use strong language, but I HATE Cheap Jacks. He is literally destroying generations of NYC's hats. He should know better. It is unconscionable.

Now, a little hole in a beater is no big deal, but intentionally putting holes through hundreds of hats is desecration!

 

[funneman]

Great replys!

Bad News:

You're all witness to a man agonizing over spending ten bucks!

Good News:

I just noticed that I've graduated to "One of the Regulars" status!

 

[WEEGEE]

"One of the Regulars" you say...

Bad News--Custom hats are on your horizon


Good News--Custom hats are on your horizon


just make sure to specify NO price tag accoutrement

 

[Brad Bowers]

It's possible that you "might" be able to wet the felt and massage the felt back into the hole so it will be at least less noticable. This type of "hole" is made by separating the fibers by pushing a pin through it and is not as bad as a hole made by a moth nibble which removes the felt.

fedoralover

Pinholes are easy to repair, just spray the spot with water and hit it quickly with the tip of a hot iron. It will close right up. It doesn't work well with larger holes.

Brad

 

[funneman]

--Custom hats are on your horizon...just make sure to specify NO price tag accoutrement

I don't know. It worked for Minnie Pearl!

 

[ortega76]

I don't know. It worked for Minnie Pearl!

I am a manager at an athletic shoe retailer, so I deal with an "urban" clientelle (the company's term) daily. Buying hats and keeping all the stickers on them is back "in". I remember classmates doing it when I was a kid with the whole Starter hat/jacket craze. I referenced Minnie Pearl awhile back and I got nothing but stares.

 

[magneto]

Pinholes are easy to repair, just spray the spot with water and hit it quickly with the tip of a hot iron. It will close right up. It doesn't work well with larger holes.

Brad

I have 2 hats that originally had both pinholes and round dents from the anti-theft tag (damn you, "Held Over" of San Francisco!!) and was able to eradicate all marks, doing several rounds of steaming, brushing, and carefully "massaging" the felt (sounds like grooming a horse). I can't even see where the marks were anymore, so there is hope.

 

[funneman]

Thanks everyone...

...I guess the question now is: Am I ready to wear a porkpie with a bow in the back. Maybe I could move it to the side, would that look odd?

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I will if you will.