Hat ad from 1934

[Mayor La Trivia]

I scanned this from a Chicago Daily News 1934 Worlds Fair souvenir section.

The hat in 1934 was going for $5. How much would that be in today's dollars?

 

[tonyb]

Well, Mayor, I don't have the formula for converting 1934 dollars into early 21st century bucks, but I do feel comfortable in saying that the hat in that ad (thanks for posting it, by the way) has very, very few modern rivals. If you could find one (such as those new lightweight Vintage Silhouettes lids their owners have been raving about), figure you'd have to part with something north of 300 bucks to call it your own. And you could conceivably pay much more than that, if you were to go to the wrong hat maker.

 

[tonyb]

Oh, I almost forgot ... prices are a fairly reliable clue in dating old hats. It isn't all that unusual to find the original price tag hiding under the sweatband. Such is the case with several of my old lids, including a dark blue Stetson Special. The price? Five bucks, same as that Finchley. So I figure it must date from the same time, or thereabouts.

 

[imoldfashioned]

I've found this calculator to be pretty reliable; http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

According to this calculator, what cost $5.00 in 1934 would cost $75.25 in 2006.

Hope this helps!

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I found that a 1934 mid-priced Plymouth sedan sold new for $700. The most comparable 2007 model would be about $19,000. That's a factor of 27. That would make a $5 hat in 1934 about the equivalent of a Stetson Temple, today.

 

[tonyb]

I found that a 1934 mid-priced Plymouth sedan sold new for $700. The most comparable 2007 model would be about $19,000. That's a factor of 27. That would make a $5 hat in 1934 about the equivalent of a Stetson Temple, today.

If only today's Stetson Temple were the equivalent of a 1934 lid, eh?

 

[Andykev]

Hard to say....you have had a death in the hat business...few wear hats today.

The calculator is flawed...I tried some examples like the car...or my house (which sold new in 1952 for $12,500...today's price was just under $100K per the calculator...about $700K off!)

You also must realize that hats were made by many, many companies....big names like Stetson, Cavanagh, Dobbs..etc. That market today is GONE. So, in reality, most hats are very cheap when made by big name companies (can't get the felt, pricing, production numbers) or by guys like Art or Optimo. In those cases you are paying for what is today a specialty item. Not a lot of volume.

But I would guess that a hat costing $5 back then would be about $150 today, if still produced on the same volume as yesteryear.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

If only today's Stetson Temple were the equivalent of a 1934 lid, eh?

Yes, indeed! Yet, in all fairness, it might be closer to it than we tend to imagine. I own several contemporary Stetsons; and frankly, not a single one of them has been a disapointment. They are well constructed. It is rare for either the crown or the sweatband to shrink. And, as for color-fastness, take it from one who has "baptized" a ton of vintage hats; any dark hat is going to bleed some when it gets wet. When it dries, you can't tell that it has lost some color. This is true of both vintage and contemporary hats (all brands).

Why then do HATCO (Stetson, et.al.) dress hats have a generally bad rep here (and maybe at COW)? Let me mention a few factors.
1. Stetson and Resistol are the two biggest selling brands for cowboy hats.
Most of us are not cowboys, and don't want to be.
2. The ready availability of other options, especially via the internet and
ebay, gives us a wider choice than ever before.
3. Several of us have purchased creations from very meticulous "custom"
hatters. We then measure "mass produced" items by them, and wonder
why they can't be as good.
4. In this time of RAPID communication, if somebody says, "Avoid this,"
we get the message. We avoid it, and we probably tell others why. In
my time here, I don't recall a single owner of a contemporary Stetson
dress hat saying, "I bought one, and after a few months I threw it in
the garbage can." I have read, "I won't buy one, because...(I heard)."

If you have never touched or tried on a contemporary Stetson Fedora, let me recommend that you do so. It is not, by any means an unpleasant experience.

*I am not now, nor have I ever been a paid representative of Stetson or HATCO. I'm just a satisfied customer.

 

[Dinerman]

I've got a late '20s finchley. They're nice hats.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Dinerman, It's bound to be a great hat. Can you show us a picture of it?

 

[Dinerman]

 

[barrowjh]

Awesome hat Dinerman! I took a close look at some Stetsons at a store in downtown Birmingham a month ago - they make a nice looking taupe-ish olive green fur felt. I was there to buy a straw for my dad, so I didn't buy it, but I'm still thinking about it.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Dinerman, That's a beautiful hat!!! Thanks for posting it. It kind of puts the face of reality on that intriguing ad.

barrowjh, Glad your "thinking about it." Stetson does have some good offerings. definitely worth thinking about, which is much of what this forum is all about. We really can think about more than we can buy!

 

[tonyb]

4. In this time of RAPID communication, if somebody says, "Avoid this,"
we get the message. We avoid it, and we probably tell others why. In
my time here, I don't recall a single owner of a contemporary Stetson
dress hat saying, "I bought one, and after a few months I threw it in
the garbage can." I have read, "I won't buy one, because...(I heard)."
[/QUOTE]



Well, I happen to own a fairly modern Open Road. I have yet to toss it in the garbage can, but I haven't worn it in quite some time, either. Believe me, I truly regret that it just ain't much of a hat. It got wet a few times. It dimpled and tapered. I don't much care for how it looks now.

And I have, over recent decades, owned other contemporary Stetsons, and they just don't compare to much of what is available in vintage hats. (I've had some lousy old hats, though, so I can tell you that just because a hat has managed to avoid the junk heap for 50 years or more doesn't necessarily make it superior.)

But, you know, the same thing has happened to my later-model Biltmores and, sadly, my Borsalinos, which generally cost twice as much or more than a Stetson. And others here have had similar experiences with other higher-end hats.

Still, I'd very likely buy a modern Stetson or three if they came in styles more to my liking. I'd wear 'em out, so as to spare my more precious vintage lids any undue wear and tear. And I'd also amass a collection of blocks and flanges, so I could put those babes back into presentable condition should they do what all my experience indicates they probably will.

So yeah, Stetsons are fine, as modern production hats go. They're more than adequate for the wider world -- the world outside the one we few hat-obsessed sorts occupy. If any manufacturer were reliant on people like me, well, it wouldn't be around long.

But we were talking about that Finchley ad. My, but we do go on ...

 

[J.T.Marcus]

tonyb, Thanks for your insightful and well balanced response. I think we're saying pretty much the same thing. Stetsons are not superior, nor are they cheap junk (At least the fur bodies are not. They do make some cheap hats that are intended to be semi-disposable. These are not only wool, but canvas and other fabrics.). Stetson is simply one of many viable options. And we appreciate choices and possibilities. Oh, for the record, I have seen and handled the new Cavanaughs (another HATCO brand), and frankly I was disapointed.

 

[budward]

I wish oh I wish we knew what those "all new summer colors" were.