hat I didn't buy

[Dinerman]

well- I found two NOS stetsons today at an antique store. I was tempted, but they were just a tad too small. One was a light grey 1940's imperial stetson, and the other a 1950's stingy brown one. Both were 7- 1/8. Just too small. And each of 'em was 35 bucks. Not a bad price, but being a student, I'm not made of money, plus I've just bought a couple recently. I was sad to have them not fit, because if they had, you'd be seeing pictures of me in them in this post.

also found a stetson open road that looked like it had hardly been worn, but it had a mothbite, and for 30 bucks, I'm not buying a mothbitten hat.

 

[DOUGLAS]

That store sound great! I wish I had some like that up here.

 

[LolitaHaze]

*scratches head* I see NOS all the time, but can't figure out what it means... I know as soon as I am told I will say... "Ohhhh! I get it," but for now, I just say, "huh?" Please help a blonde girl out.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

New Old Stock... NOS

 

[LolitaHaze]

New Old Stock... NOS

Ohh... I get it! Thanks!

 

[TommySalieri]

What a shame.

All the antique shops in my area offer no hats. They keep the hats all to themselves. Greedy SOB's. lol

 

[squid]

What a shame.

All the antique shops in my area offer no hats. They keep the hats all to themselves. Greedy SOB's. lol

I can't find a decent source of vintage hats here either. A tour of 7 antique shops yesterday turned up exactly two hats that I might have purchased if they had been my size. One was a Dobbs that I wouldn't say was older than 1960s. The store owner claimed it was 30s or 40s, and couldn't remember if she had priced it at $75 or $150.

 

[Dinerman]

I should start an online hat business or something.
I find so many great hats for relatively cheap that just don't fit me.

 

[TommySalieri]

You should. But please, for the love of God, don't get greedy like the rest.

 

[TommySalieri]

I can't find a decent source of vintage hats here either. A tour of 7 antique shops yesterday turned up exactly two hats that I might have purchased if they had been my size. One was a Dobbs that I wouldn't say was older than 1960s. The store owner claimed it was 30s or 40s, and couldn't remember if she had priced it at $75 or $150.

That's insane. I have never paid that much for a Dobbs.

Funny thing is, the antique shop owners that I am referring to don't even wear the hats! They just collect them and let them gather dust. Then they sell them at ridiculous prices. These guys have to realize that they're not collecting baseball cards, ya know?

 

[Dinerman]

I'm not the greedy type. but you think I could turn some kind of profit off of it?
I see tons of wonderful hats that just don't fit me.

 

[Dinerman]

what are you all willing to pay for hats?

nice ones i mean- not junk- but just quality old hats?

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Depends on the hat. I'm a 7-3/8, and I'm still looking for pre-WWII wide-brim fedoras and Homburgs.

 

[TommySalieri]

Really, it varies.

I won't lie to you. It is true that some vintage Stetsons, for example, are worth $150.00+ each. But it all comes down on what kind of person you are and your current financial situation.

As for me, I'd probably pay 60-70 bucks tops on a hat. Since the birth of my infant daughter, I've had to impose limits on my spending habits.

 

[GreyHat]

Do it

Dinerman, it would be a shame to let those hats go to waste. Given that you are a student, and given that you have an impressive collection of hats, it stands to reason that you are finding things that are relative bargains. If this is the case, I would think it would be fairly easy to snap those hats up and resell them on here for some profit (while still keeping the prices reasonable). You are obviously knowledgeable enough about the hats that you could avoid getting yourself stuck with bad ones, and tell the incredible deals when you find them.
I'm sure I don't speak alone in encouraging you to take the chance on a few and see if you can't share the hat wealth of your local area with the rests of the lounge.


EDIT: With regards to pricing, we are all looking for those amazing e-bay deals, but they are unreliable. When they don't come around, we are willing to pay more for a known thing. Keep in mind that the cheapest you can find a modern fur felt for is ~$70. You could buy those 2 at $35, mark the price to $50 plus shipping and probably have them sold pretty quickly around here. Also, you might find that bitten hats (provided they aren't too bad) have value to people as well. If I had a source of hats, I would do it myself, but alas I don't.

Also, I know this is resurrecting an old thread. Have you tried it or has it fallen by the wayside?
IT would be a shame for the community to lose a potential source of good hats.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Dinerman, I like the way you're thinkin'.

I'm a 7 (LO ideally but I make do). I've paid from $16 to $100 for vintage. The average amount I've paid over a collection of 60 hats is about $33.00.

I figure a new Stetson Sovereign line hat goes for about $150.00. Anything that I get that is cool, in good shape, vintage and is half or less than that amount is a justifiable 'deal'.

You should do this - and make profit. The 'market' itself will decide what's fair as it always does. It would probably be pretty low exposure to get started and see how it goes.

Old advertising axiom: "The more you tell, the more you sell". Some of the more successful dealers in hats on EB are good at describing the features of each hat, emphasizing what might be unique or more collectible about a certain item. With your experience in this area, you should be able to handle that to everyone's advantage.

All the best,

Gene

 

[cookie]

I should start an online hat business or something.
I find so many great hats for relatively cheap that just don't fit me.

Dinerman Mate with all the sussing you do around and the gems you encounter you are silly not to nab these suckers! IMHO of course...lol

 

[Lancealot]

I can't find a decent source of vintage hats here either. A tour of 7 antique shops yesterday turned up exactly two hats that I might have purchased if they had been my size. One was a Dobbs that I wouldn't say was older than 1960s. The store owner claimed it was 30s or 40s, and couldn't remember if she had priced it at $75 or $150.

I have the same problem here what hats I do find are always priced beyond their value.

 

[GWD]

I would have to see some pics first, but I'm a 7 1/8 and I'm interested!

 

[Feraud]

I doubt the hats are still there. Check the date of Dinerman's original post.