Hat Corporation of America Block Profile Numbers

[Mystic]

On every tag until about the mid 50’s or so, Hat Corp put their block profile number WITH crown height. Later on, the tag pretty much jut stated the block number and not the crown height.


and now all the pictures..........

An EXCELLANT contribution to the Lounge, Josh. :eusa_clap :clap2:

The photos make the data so much more interesting, enjoyable and illustrative.

Do you have a speculation as to why the crown height was dropped from the tags.

 

[Chepstow]

Josh, that is an amazing puzzle you put, piece for piece together.
I tip my hat for you

 

[winter_joe]

Good to see my grey taupe Dobbs from the forties again as well love that hat and every other one on here good job josh! Appreciate the work you've done here.

 

[Cane Rod Maker]

Fantastic Thread !

Great thread! You put much effort into it for certain. Very cool....:eusa_clap

 

[Bitzelbook]

Amazing work! Thanks for the reference material.

Bitz

 

[buler]

Thanks for all the hard work!

B

 

[Joshbru3]

THANK YOU so much everybody for all your kind words!!!!:yo:

I have been wanting to do this for quite some time now because I really think that this information can prove useful. I know which block numbers I prefer to look for when buying a Hat Corp of America Hat, so I figured a thread which showed block numbers compared with actual pictures of the comparable hats might help others make their hat decisions a bit easier. It seemed that in the 40's/Early 50's, the most popular crown height was 5 5/8 and the next runner up was 5 3/4. Most of the profiles were fairly straight but had slightly rounder tops. I would compare many of the most popular Hat Corp Block shapes to that of a 51 type block.

I hope to see lots of pictures added to this thread so we can grow out list of block numbers and heights!

 

[rlk]

Thanks for your efforts. Here's a photo for reference of 52 and 51 Blocks, these are 7-1/8 5-3/4 high.

 

[carouselvic]

I have three hats with 5361 block @5 1/2".
Dobbs Westward
Knox Premier
Dunlap 20

A Dobbs Rancher with a 5361 block @ 5 5/8"

Knox

 

[alanfgag]

Here's an oddity for your list, Josh...

 

[Joshbru3]

I have three hats with 5361 block @5 1/2".
Dobbs Westward
Knox Premier
Dunlap 20

A Dobbs Rancher with a 5361 block @ 5 5/8"

Thanks so much for posting these, Vic!

 

[Joshbru3]

Here's an oddity for your list, Josh...

Alan, that is quite the oddity!! That's quite a low and round crown. I remember when you posted this one, and it still has me intrigued. Thanks so much for posting it in this thread!

 

[Joshbru3]

UPDATED LIST (Effective 11-05-2012, 10:24am Central time)

Profile - Depth
62 - 6
68 - 4 1/8
91 - 5 3/4
105 - 5 3/8
151 - 5 1/2
419 - 5
461 - 5 1/2
600 - 5 3/8
600 - 5 1/2
600 - 5 3/4
824 - 5 1/2
824 - 5 5/8
925 - 5
1020 - 5 1/4
4605 - 5 3/4
5025 - 5 1/2
5064 - 5 1/2
5064 - 5 5/8
5064 - 5 3/4
5067 - 5 3/8
5181 - 5 3/4
5193 - 5 5/8
5233 - 5 3/4
5233 - 6
5251 - 6
5262 - 5 5/8
5288 - 5 3/8
5330 - 5 3/4
5330 - 5 7/8
5339 - 5 7/8
5361 - 5 1/2
5361 - 5 5/8
5364 - 5 5/8

 

[Joshbru3]

Here's another 5233 - 5 3/4 tag. This one is from a 40's Knox Vagabond King

 

[Joshbru3]

This block number is already on the master list, but this is a great example of a 5 3/4 inch tall 91 block.

casechopper's Knox Superfine

 

[Joshbru3]

Brad's BEAUTIFUL Dobbs Rainbow....

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Josh what would really be good for this thread is having the actual blocks along side of pictures of the hat the block produces.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Josh what would really be good for this thread is having the actual blocks along side of pictures of the hat the block produces.

That would sure be nice, but any that remained in 1972 would have been destroyed or otherwise disposed of with the closing of HCA. I suppose there could have been a few kept as souvenirs by workers, but probably precious few. Chances of ever seeing one are slim.

Brad

 

[Joshbru3]

It would be amazing to find some of these blocks, but as Brad said, it will be near impossible. I've been looking for years and haven't found one that matched the recorded HCA block numbers. I have read stories about Stetson, as far back as the 20's, giving old blocks to employees when the weather turned cold to use as firewood. I'm sure old and used blocks were probably regarded as "waste" by major hat manufacturing plants. It is most definitely possible that some survived by employees keeping them as keepsakes though. I'm still looking!

 

[Brad Bowers]

Same thing happened at C&K/Hat Corp. of America. Philip Knapp Nelson told me he remembers his family receiving blocks to use as firewood in the Depression years, and up into World War II.

Brad