Homburg Nation

[Mr. Paladin]

Very nice, sir. I will jump on one of those Habig homburgs if I ever see one on e-Bay. I really like their style.

 

[mayserwegener]

Very nice, sir. I will jump on one of those Habig homburgs if I ever see one on e-Bay. I really like their style.

Thanks! I always enjoy seeing your Homburgs in action!

 

[mayserwegener]

Pallas Homburg

Pallas Homburg (late 1950s)

This is a really nice size 59cm gray Homburg that was mislabeled as a Bowler (Melone). The hat arrived open crown and looks like it was seldom worn. The gray felt is very pliable so it can easily take side dents which isn't always the case with Homburgs. The sweatband matches the color of the felt and has a super feel. The ribbon and bow work are also very nice. I am thinking late 1950s. I do not have any information on Pallas but this hat is of high quality.

 

[Flitcraft]

Wow!

That is a beauty! :eusa_clap

 

[billysmom]

Lovely! Congrats!

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Sue

 

[Mr. Paladin]

Pallas Homburg (late 1950s)

This is a really nice size 59cm gray Homburg that was mislabeled as a Bowler (Melone). The hat arrived open crown and looks like it was seldom worn. The gray felt is very pliable so it can easily take side dents which isn't always the case with Homburgs. The sweatband matches the color of the felt and has a super feel. The ribbon and bow work are also very nice. I am thinking late 1950s. I do not have any information on Pallas but this hat is of high quality.

Sir, that seems a great find and does appear to be a very quality hat. Congratulations on the find!

 

[mayserwegener]

Thanks all! It was mislabeled as a bowler but I could tell it was a Homburg. Also no stains which is always a worry with light gray felts.

 

[mayserwegener]

P. & C. Habig Homburg 1961

This is a P. & C. Habig Homburg size 58cm from 1961. It has a some damage to the ribbon / bow from mis-staking but other than that it is in super condition. Also thinner ribbon and a little more side curve than usual.

P. & C. Habig paper labels are very consistent over time and actually show the production year. It is the last number in the long sequence which in this case is XXXXX/XXXX/61 (1961).

 

[mannySpaghetti]

Here's mine. It's a pretty nice Mallory "Ten", before Mallory was bought out by Stetson. The binding's a bit soiled, though I did send it in to get a nice makeover by the great folks at Optimo. They cleaned it and blocked it well, but unfortunately some of the staining on said binding is there to stay.

I've also got this one coming and it seems to be in mint condition. Won it last night on ebaY for $22 and change. I'm looking forward to getting it in my hands then on my dome.

 

[mayserwegener]

Manny, Your Mallory is a real beauty. :eusa_clap Looking forward to seeing more of your latest find. The light color Homburgs are harder to come by especially in pristine shape. I decided to send my latest Habig to Optimo for a new ribbon.

 

[Mr. Paladin]

Both those are really nice Manny. I think the Lord Calvert is really sharp.

 

[BellyTank]

So- is it then, that 1882 was the year the term, "Homburg" was adopted into the English language, as the word to describe that style of hat, as seen at Bad Homburg?


B
T

 

[mayserwegener]

All I can find is that it became popular after Edward brought one back from Bad Homburg. The German wiki has that date as 1882.

 

[rlk]

Dalton Barrymore

Very thin and soft felt and sweatband. Sweatband is 2-1/8",thin,flexible and soft as suede. Lightweight felt molds with a touch. Wide grosgrain brim edging but relatively short brim with about 6" open crown. Silk lining. Color is actually a very dark Green. "America's Finest" from Yonkers New York. Originally $8.00 at Levy Bros.

 

[donCarlos]

I don´t think I´ve posted this one before and I have some questions about it. It´s a Gloria Excellent, size 58, probably german.

My questions:
I see these metal letter tags on the sweatbands quite often. Does anyone know what are they?

And the other question is about stiffness of the hat - It is so stiff that it´s almost unwearable. The crown is quite soft, but the brim seems to be somehow reinforced. And because of this, the hat can´t be put on my head easily, because the sweatband is sewn to the stiff part, so it can´t form comfortably around my head. Do you think this can be somehow fixed? Softened or something?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[radsag]

Homburg not me!

Homburg in avatar going up for sale soon, specs later

 

[mayserwegener]

I don´t think I´ve posted this one before and I have some questions about it. It´s a Gloria Excellent, size 58, probably german.

My questions:
I see these metal letter tags on the sweatbands quite often. Does anyone know what are they?

And the other question is about stiffness of the hat - It is so stiff that it´s almost unwearable. The crown is quite soft, but the brim seems to be somehow reinforced. And because of this, the hat can´t be put on my head easily, because the sweatband is sewn to the stiff part, so it can´t form comfortably around my head. Do you think this can be somehow fixed? Softened or something?

Thanks for any advice.

The metal letter tags are the owners initials (first and last name). Very common in Germany and Austria / Czech.

This is a characteristic of a Homburg. The brim is bowler like and stiffened.
You could try using a hat stretcher to get it to better fit your head. Maybe leather cleaner / conditioner to loosen up the sweat. Also if you have a local hatter they might be able to help.

It looks like a quality hat. Is there paper label behind the sweatband? It was most likely made by one of the German hat companies similar to my Pallas mention further up in the thread. My guess on date would be mid to late 50s maybe early 60s.

 

[mayserwegener]

Very thin and soft felt and sweatband. Sweatband is 2-1/8",thin,flexible and soft as suede. Lightweight felt molds with a touch. Wide grosgrain brim edging but relatively short brim with about 6" open crown. Silk lining. "America's Finest" from Yonkers New York. Originally $8.00 at Levy Bros.

I like the shorter brim look. Another great find! :eusa_clap

 

[donCarlos]

The metal letter tags are the owners initials (first and last name). Very common in Germany and Austria / Czech.

This is a characteristic of a Homburg. The brim is bowler like and stiffened.
You could try using a hat stretcher to get it to better fit your head. Maybe leather cleaner / conditioner to loosen up the sweat. Also if you have a local hatter they might be able to help.

It looks like a quality hat. Is there paper label behind the sweatband? It was most likely made by one of the German hat companies similar to my Pallas mention further up in the thread. My guess on date would be mid to late 50s maybe early 60s.

Thank you very much for a quick reply!

The problem with fit is that I need it to have more oval shape, which can hardly be done without a block. Since I know about only one hatter workshop in Prague, which makes hats only for ladies, reblocking it can be almost impossible task, but I will try. Maybe if I tried to steam the hat and block it on my own head? Can it damage the brim? Is it just really stiff felt, or can it be really reinforced with something?

And as for the label, there is only one paper label inside:

 

[mayserwegener]

Thank you very much for a quick reply!

The problem with fit is that I need it to have more oval shape, which can hardly be done without a block. Since I know about only one hatter workshop in Prague, which makes hats only for ladies, reblocking it can be almost impossible task, but I will try. Maybe if I tried to steam the hat and block it on my own head? Can it damage the brim? Is it just really stiff felt, or can it be really reinforced with something?

And as for the label, there is only one paper label inside:

Yes steam would probably help. Steam it up good, use some leather conditioner on the sweat and maybe it will conform to your head. You will not damage the brim. A cheap hat jack stretcher might help to get more of a oval shape.

The label doesn't reveal much which I was pretty much expecting (this is also the case with my Pallas). Doesn't look like the liner is sewn in so it might be even late 60s.