Help with a Borsalino

[Ordinary Guy]

My wonderful wife stumbles upon a Borsalino and bought it for me.

It is a Borsalino Alessandria in fantastic shape. I am way too new at this to even try and figure out the age of the hat........ A few very light moth nibbles under the brim in the back next to the leather sweatband.

The leather sweatband is perfect, no marks or cracks anywhere......The name of the store on the leather band is Browns High Grade Hats, Cleveland.

The color is a brown but not too dark. Extremely soft to the touch.

The liner has no stains what so ever.

It is in 7 1/8 size. I have just called Optimo and they tell me that they can easily make this a 7 1/4 while cleaning and reblocking.......

Anyway that I can tell the age???

I did a search and found a couple of threads but nothing definite.....

I will keep this wonderful hat no matter if it was made yesterday , lol , just curious about the vintage.....

 

[High Pockets]

Your wife stumbled onto it,.......I wish MY wife was as clumsy! I mean; "lucky".



Photos will be necessary,....several of our fellow members are extremely well-versed in dating Borsalinos.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

Your wife stumbled onto it,.......I wish MY wife was as clumsy! I mean; "lucky".



Photos will be necessary,....several of our fellow members are extremely well-versed in dating Borsalinos.

She found it in a Thrift Store and bought it because it was in such good shape . She doesn't know my size but thought worse to worse I could always sell it on Ebay.

It is getting dark here now, so I will take some and post tomorrow.

There is a tag with numbers under the sweatband....

 

[Mario]

Well...just to voice the obvious:

worthlesswithoutpics

 

[gtdean48]

See an OPS tag behind the sweatband? Hard to do w/o photos. Can you describe the liner? Is the Borsalino shield a different color in the center of the liner? How wide is the sweatband? Does it have an embossed border around the top? Just stuff to occupy the time until you get photos posted...

 

[zetwal]

My wonderful wife stumbles upon a Borsalino and bought it for me. Anyway that I can tell the age?

When you do provide photos (and in addition to the shot from the outside) be sure to include the liner, the sweatband, and size tag(s).

 

[Ordinary Guy]

OK, I took some pics.

First off the flash changed the color..it is a darker brown.,

There was a thread was someone had posted this same model as a 7 1/8 and then one of our members corrected the size cause the pic on Ebay showed 7 1/4.
I just checked that hat on Ebay and it is identical to this one.

I can't post the link but If you search Ebay for Borsalino, Alessandria you will find it to see the real color.

The inside shots are a bit blurry from me holding the hat in one hand and taking the pic with the other...

I can take better pics in the light tomorrow if needed.

 

[gtdean48]

Looks real close to the one I bought recently that is 1950-1953. Same sweatband, size tag & label. Like to see top of the liner.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

See an OPS tag behind the sweatband? Hard to do w/o photos. Can you describe the liner? Is the Borsalino shield a different color in the center of the liner? How wide is the sweatband? Does it have an embossed border around the top? Just stuff to occupy the time until you get photos posted...

Here is pic of liner but a bit blurry using both hands.

2" sweatband

 

[gtdean48]

Almost identical to mine except color scheme & I do have an attached OPS sticker. Looks to have the corrugated front on the sweatband, very cool!

 

[High Pockets]

Wow!!! That's a beauty!!

Is that sweat-band in as good a shape as it looks??

 

[Ordinary Guy]

Wow!!! That's a beauty!!

Is that sweat-band in as good a shape as it looks??

ABSOLUTELY!! No marks, cracks and very soft to the touch and flexible.

I can't believe what nice shape it is in.....

My wife now tells me there was another hat with this one but it was dirty...

I have asked her to go back tomorrow and get it also, who knows what that one is.......

 

[carouselvic]

My best guess is late 40's-60's, and that is just that, a guess. I own one the same color(Averla)and the same model(TA/Ludora), with the numbers 980....8325E. My hat retailed at Marshall Field & Co. You might try to narrow down the manufacture date by when that retailer was in business. My hat has a brown medallion.

 

[High Pockets]

I also have a Borsalino, a Rapallo that was sold at a Marshall Field & Co. store.
Shortly after I bought it and did a little Googling to learn that Marshall Fields was in business from the mid 1800's until just recently,....I think they were bought by Macy's a few years ago.

This afternoon I tried to do the same kind of research on Brown's,.......and no matter how I worded the "search" all I got was twenty pages of Cleveland Brown's merchandise.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

I also have a Borsalino, a Rapallo that was sold at a Marshall Field & Co. store.
Shortly after I bought it and did a little Googling to learn that Marshall Fields was in business from the mid 1800's until just recently,....I think they were bought by Macy's a few years ago.

This afternoon I tried to do the same kind of research on Brown's,.......and no matter how I worded the "search" all I got was twenty pages of Cleveland Brown's merchandise.

That is exactly what happened to me..

I tried everything I could think of but couldn't get any info on the store.

 

[Colby Jack]

Looks like a beautiful specimen!:eusa_clap

 

[fedoralover]

OK, I took some pics.

First off the flash changed the color..it is a darker brown.,

There was a thread was someone had posted this same model as a 7 1/8 and then one of our members corrected the size cause the pic on Ebay showed 7 1/4.
I just checked that hat on Ebay and it is identical to this one.

I can't post the link but If you search Ebay for Borsalino, Alessandria you will find it to see the real color.

The inside shots are a bit blurry from me holding the hat in one hand and taking the pic with the other...

I can take better pics in the light tomorrow if needed.

It looks too wrinkled up to be much good and would cost way to much to refurbish, better just send it to me and I'll try and deal with it the best I can.

fedoralover

 

[bolthead]

She doesn't know my size but thought worse to worse I could always sell it on Ebay.

Or.....you can unload it right here.

 

[rrog]

It looks too wrinkled up to be much good and would cost way to much to refurbish, better just send it to me and I'll try and deal with it the best I can.

fedoralover

What a giving bunch of guys!

rrog

 

[Ordinary Guy]

If there is Anyone who wears a 7 1/8 that wants to buy that 7 1/4 Borsalino on Ebay until tomorrow morning.

I will be happy to trade you my 7 1/8 for that 7 1/4. They look in equal condition.

Optimo can stretch it for me but i will lose the sweatband and it is immaculate.

I would hate to ruin a great collectible hat for someone who would like it but I have taken quite an attachment to the Borsalino for sure.