Hoarding Hats

[Charlie Noodles]

Do you often buy hats on the 'bay when you already have them in that exact colour, make, bash etc.? If so, do you hold on to them all, or are you keen to swap and sell with the other loungers?

I can't imagine someone would have much use for a dozen hats that are almost exactly the same. And it's quite possible you have outbid other loungers that would have enjoyed them much more in any auction on the 'bay.

 

[ADHD librarian]

I can't imagine someone would have much use for a dozen hats that are almost exactly the same.

You Sir,
do not have (nor understand) the heart of a collector.
The point of a collecion is not anything to do with what you have use for.
Ask a snow dome collector how often they 'use' their snow domes.
a spoon collector how often they stir their tea
collecting something is taking a step away from logic I'm afraid

I do not have much use for more than three or four hats (OK, I probably only need one), but I own more than that and I am not anywhere near as HardCore as most members of this here lounge.

Telling a collector he doesn't need what he is collecting is like umm,
telling a fish he doesn't need a bicycle?

perhaps?

That said, I feel for you in your sorrow at having lost several ebay auctions (I am guessing) but geting the hat involves wanting it (not needing it) and having enough cash to follow through with your desire,
any way good luck in your next bid.

 

[Charlie Noodles]

That said, I feel for you in your sorrow at having lost several ebay auctions (I am guessing)

I've yet to seriously bid on any, so don't understand me to be posting out of bitterness.

It's just what is being collected here seems very finite. For me it'd seem like depriving other loungers of the fun while not really getting any serious enjoyment out it myself.

I'm speaking in times when you've already got that specific hat in your collection. And your piece is a very fine example and the next won't really be better...

I would agree that I really do not understand the need to triple, quadruple, duodecuple the same piece in your collection at the expense of others.

 

[Woodfluter]

Hey Charlie, if you really have been frustrated in your eBay experiences, please PM me and I'll give you some tips. I'm not the expert by any means, but am a quick study and have figured out some things that seem to work. You'd figure them out eventually, but it might save some time.

But as for hoarding, I haven't gotten to that stage yet. Am looking to accumulate a useful assortment of hats, to keep my ADHD at bay and satisfy the whims of stray moments, as well as supply various needs...and along the way I'll surely get some that I'll pass along later. But I do want variety, and you can't be sure what you'll value most until you've had quite a few on your head. I suspect there are a lot on this forum that feel that way.

Then there are others who cloak their obsessive-compulsive behavior with rational-sounding explanations...um, like me.

- Bill

 

[feltfan]

I would agree that I really do not understand the need to triple, quadruple, duodecuple the same piece in your collection at the expense of others.

To say that collecting hats is at the expense of others isn't really fair.

First, those of us buying hats don't know if the other person buying
it will take care of it, or use it in a halloween costume and discard it.
Those of us who collect hats take care of them.

But my personal motivation is to have hats to wear. I do have
some nice hats. Hats are not impervious to damage. If my favorite
hat in a particular style is damaged, stolen, or destroyed, what can I do?

In the good old days, you could go to a hat store and get a great hat.
You cannot do that now. You can't buy a hat of equivalent quality
to many styles of vintage hats. You can go to Art Fawcett and buy
a quality hat using the type of felt he has now, which is great, but
there are many vintage felts that just aren't made today.

So I would be delighted to have a second or third identical hat
to my favorite brown Cavanagh fedora or my Clear Nutria or my
rolled up Borsalino from 1955. When I saw a pair of 50s Stetson
Soveriegn Ambassador fedoras in brown and grey on eBay, I was
delighted to be able to buy both and have that superb hat in two
colors.

These hats are just going to be harder to find as the years go by.
My size is rare to begin with. I'll get 'em if I see 'em. You are also
welcome to look and buy. If you get there first and have the cash,
be my guest.

 

[Charlie Noodles]

I do hope people don't take offense, it wasn't intended as a jab. But I think it is not totally unreasonable to say that almost all of the people going for those Stratoliners or Open Roads and such are probably going to be Loungers that will take good care of these hats.

If it is too difficult for the beginning enthusiast to pursue collecting pieces of the Golden Era, they'll lose interest. And you would have less people that see these things as valuable.

If you collect and don't use them, you're taking things out of the public eye. That's less interest in the Golden Era and less people to preserve it.

Someone might get into the Golden Era because they see you wearing a hat and see something worthwhile. A dozen people might have gotten into it because they saw a dozen different people wearing the hats that are now in boxes in your closet.

If most of the pieces are in a few collections. What happens when the collector passes on? The next of kin might throw away things of value. Or sell them to those people who will mistreat them. Your family might know their worth; but this wouldn't be the case in every collection I'm sure. So you'd eventually have less pieces existing.

 

[Colby Jack]

Don't forget the Asian market, they are buying up western Americana at incredible prices. I believe there was a recent thread on that.

 

[cookie]

Do you often buy hats on the 'bay when you already have them in that exact colour, make, bash etc.? If so, do you hold on to them all, or are you keen to swap and sell with the other loungers? I can't imagine someone would have much use for a dozen hats that are almost exactly the same. And it's quite possible you have outbid other loungers that would have enjoyed them much more in any auction on the 'bay.

These hats are just going to be harder to find as the years go by.
My size is rare to begin with. I'll get 'em if I see 'em. You are also
welcome to look and buy. If you get there first and have the cash,
be my guest.

Is this the best yet devised way of opening a few Loungers Aladdin's caves???:eusa_doh: [huh]

 

[Charlie Noodles]

Is this the best yet devised way of opening a few Loungers Aladdin's caves???:eusa_doh: [huh]

No, for that I have Ali Baba putting me in touch with the 40 thieves. Think it'll be enough?

 

[Stoney]

Well said feltfan.

Charlie,

I have quite a few hats myself , but none that are exactly alike. Oh sure I have a few Stetsons , Borsalinos, Stevens ect but each of them is a different model and most of the colors and styles vary as well. I wear all of my hats. Thats why I purchased them in the first place, to wear.

Yes, I have a collection and No I don't feel like I am depriving anyone else of using them. I'm sure they will be sold when I'm dead and gone and you can take a crack at them then. In the mean time, I may sell a few here and there but I plan on keeping the majority for myself. If you think thats selfish then so be it. I feel no need to apologize.

As you start collecting hats you'll most likely feel the same way.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I try to make sure they are all very different from one another before I ad to the collection.

 

[charlie farley]

In the good old days, you could go to a hat store and get a great hat.
You cannot do that now. You can't buy a hat of equivalent quality
to many styles of vintage hats. You can go to Art Fawcett and buy
a quality hat using the type of felt he has now, which is great, but
there are many vintage felts that just aren't made today.

Why is it that you can't get the same quality felts as you used to be able to? I know this can happen with other things too but why any one know? While I'm here, not having yet got even my first fedora new or vintage I would like to know how they compared in the height of the crown and the width of the brim in say 1930s/40s fedoras?
If I don't get a vintage, I quite fancy a Borsalino Como what do you think?

 

[feltfan]

Why is it that you can't get the same quality felts as you used to be able to? I know this can happen with other things too but why any one know? While I'm here, not having yet got even my first fedora new or vintage I would like to know how they compared in the height of the crown and the width of the brim in say 1930s/40s fedoras?

I encourage you to use the search function- these topics have
come up again and again here and I hate to revive the debate.

Short, most politic answers:
You can't get the same quality felt because first of all, vintage hats
come from many decades, and like any product, quality and style
varied by decade. If you buy vintage, you can buy from any decade.
Some felt making processes are no longer legal. And finally, there was
an economy of scale for hats in the first half of the 20th century we
no longer see.

As for height and crown, that is a big problem. Most factory hats
these days don't have it and even our custom hatters can have
a hard time getting hat bodies that are big enough to create those
tall crown, wide brim hats we love so much.

If I don't get a vintage, I quite fancy a Borsalino Como what do you think?

If you're asking me (and a lot of folks here), Borsalino hasn't made a
hat worth the kind of prices they ask for at least 25 years. For that
money you should consider Art Fawcett or one of the other custom
hatters mentioned on this forum. You'll be a lot happier with what you get.

 

[feltfan]

If it is too difficult for the beginning enthusiast to pursue collecting pieces of the Golden Era, they'll lose interest. And you would have less people that see these things as valuable.

And the prices will go down for me.

If you collect and don't use them, you're taking things out of the public eye. That's less interest in the Golden Era and less people to preserve it.

I don't think this argument holds water (like an old Stetson).
After all, putting art in museum and private collections hasn't
brought down art prices or interest. But this isn't my biggest
concern anyway. If I depended on the taste and interests of
the public, I'd collect American Idol t-shirts.

Someone might get into the Golden Era because they see you wearing a hat and see something worthwhile. A dozen people might have gotten into it because they saw a dozen different people wearing the hats that are now in boxes in your closet.

Or they might see me day in and day out and realize what
a variety of hats there are or could be and that might spark
an interest. In any event, if I am not amused by my hat
selection, I might not wear any hat at all.

If most of the pieces are in a few collections. What happens when the collector passes on? The next of kin might throw away things of value. Or sell them to those people who will mistreat them. Your family might know their worth; but this wouldn't be the case in every collection I'm sure. So you'd eventually have less pieces existing.

I do wish someone would start a hat museum, to which we
could donate particularly interesting or rare hats.

 

[Lefty]

I do wish someone would start a hat museum, to which we
could donate particularly interesting or rare hats.

Done. Lefty's hat museum is open.

Please send all interesting and rare hats my way, especially those in the 7 3/8-7 5/8 range.

I'll regularly rotate the collection such that all of the "pieces" receive adequate attention and advertise the exhibitions on the "what hat are you wearing today" thread.

 

[AlanC]

The current interest in hats, including vintage, is healthy for the hat market as we are beginning to see many more good quality options in the new hat market. Look at the thread on the Stetson Nostalgia that even hints at a possible redo of the Stratoliner. Now wouldn't that be great? There is Akubra, of course. Also, Adventurebilt is in the process of doing a high quality factory hat. Add guys like Camptown, Keppler and Jimmy Pierce plus Art Fawcett and Optimo and the options for the hat buyer are in fact much stronger than they were five and ten years ago.

If you want a vintage hat you've also come to the Lounge at the right time. Johnnyphi has literally a treasure trove he is unleashing. Now is the time.

And one last thing. Look at Dinerman. He has a vintage hat collection that makes us all green with envy, and most of those he has turned up through his magical antique mall hunting at bargain basement prices. If you want them badly enough, you'll find them.

 

[tonyb]

I won't suggest there's anything noble about collecting old hats. And I suppose someone could find evidence of personality defects in this peculiar habit of mine. Oh well ...

Look, as Stoney observed, one of these days we will all be gone and, in my case, among my meager legacy will likely be a collection of old (very old, I hope) hats that will probably still be in quite fine condition. If it weren't that I, or another old-hat fancier, took possession of those hats when we did, well, as feltfan noted, who knows what would become of them?

For the longest time, my collection centered on those narrow-ribboned jobs -- Open Roads and Stratoliners and the like. I have upwards of 20 of 'em. When I see one of a brand or a color I don't already have, I'm still tempted to buy it, but it's a temptation I usually resist, because, as my interests have branched out, I've made room in the ever-expanding collection for lids of very different styles. (Yes, I even like to collect and wear homburgs. For many of us, that's a big step.)

While I like to wear almost all of my hats (there's something like a hundred of 'em here now), I must acknowledge that some of them very rarely see the out of doors. That's okay with me, though. There's a few that came to me in NOS (or nearly so) condition, and they'll probably remain in nearly that fine a condition for as long as I have anything to do with it. They are stored in such a way that they'll suffer no damage. (They're protected from insects and dust and daylight and excessive humidity and extreme temperatures, etc.) And it's fortunate that the dewy-eyed bride likes the look of the old hat boxes (I collect them too).

And don't be concerned that I'm doing much to inflate the prices. I'm quite the cheapskate. While I have this odd fondness for old hats, I'm even fonder of scoring good deals. I don't fault another person for paying large sums for vintage hats, but it would take something really special for me to venture into that world.

Keep in mind also that there were untold millions of fine hats made during the first six decades of the last century. The vast majority of them are no longer around (they are items of attire, after all, and they can indeed wear out), but there are still many (millions, maybe?) of collection-worthy vintage hats still in existence.

Oh, and I do occasionally sell or trade or give away an old hat. Not often, you know, but sometimes I get the sense that the world would be a little bit better if a hat made its way into another person's hands.

 

[Lefty]

Oh, and I do occasionally sell or trade or give away an old hat. Not often, you know, but sometimes I get the sense that the world would be a little bit better if a hat made its way into another person's hands.

I actually started humming "I believe that children are the future" when I read this.

 

[tonyb]

I actually started humming "I believe that children are the future" when I read this.

Actually? Huh.

 

[Lefty]

Actually? Huh.

Exactly.
It's not just a voice in my head, but involves me sitting at my desk humming.

You'll never call me on actually, literally, ironically, or the like.
I call people on those like Dirty Hairy calls scumbags on crime.