drmaxtejeda
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 8,364
- Location
- Mexico City
Thanks, Brent. I am off to read the Hatted Professor.Wow, great questions that would take volumes to answer, still be subjective, and require someone more educated that me.
I’ve only admired Optimos from afar so I don’t know what your baseline is. For me, vintage felt falls into one of two categories: 1) soft easily moved felt that is just shy of floppy. 2) dense felt that is like clay in that it will take and keep any shape you give it; push your finger into it and the indentation remains.
The general consensus is that felt quality started going down in the 1950s, but there are exceptions. The pre-War hats are the most desirable, but the hardest to find and bring the biggest prices. I’m only a novice and not at all qualified to pose as an expert, but there are some real experts here. As for brands, Stetson, Knox, Cavanaugh, Mallory, Borsalino, and a whole list of others made some truly exceptional hats. The best thing to do is to stick around the Lounge and read and read. The old threads are great even if the photos are no longer working. I also look forward every day to seeing what others are wearing and seeing new hats. Like cars and most everything else, there were a lot more brands 70+ years ago and even those truly knowledgeable come across a new hat now and then.
As a rule, if you see something being posted by Short Balding Guy, alanfgag, Mayserwegener, Strur, Moontheloon, and others you’ll come to recognize you’ll know the hats are top shelf.
You can also find more online at The Hatted Professor
If you let the fellows here know your size, what type of hat you’re after, and your price range I bet you would receive some great recommendations for hats currently on sale/auction. The Lounge’s classifieds also sometimes produce gems.
Good luck, Brent
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk