Homburg Nation

[Neophyte]

This is the same homburg in the listing that my signature links to. Love the look and feel of it, but the seller didn't measure the size correctly. They had reported a measurement equivalent to size 59, when in reality it's a 57. It's unfortunate, but at the very least it gave me a chance to get a feel for a vintage Stetson .

 

[Flipped Lid]

That is one fine looking hat. It's very close to the one Robert Shaw wore in The Sting.

 

[mayserwegener]

Alex, That's a real beauty. Sorry to hear about the wrong size. Was it a Euro seller?

 

[Neophyte]

No, just someone inexperienced with hats and their sizing. I could see how, using a cloth tape, someone could misjudge the circumference by half an inch. I correlated measurements from cloth tape and ellipse circumference calculators, both of which gave me a size of 22.5'', or a 7 1/8 (give or take a millimeter or so). It ain't off by much from my size 23'', but when it comes to hats that's a HUGE difference.

Someone may come along eventually to rescue this hat, but for now it remains a display piece. Ah well, I'm not saddened. I've got other hats heading my way to make up for it .

 

[DanielJones]

Dan, I do believe that the Longworth hats were made by Longs Hats which are the same people who made the LongRoyal for ADAM in the 30's and early 40's. I have owned one fedora made by them which was too big on me so I sold it. There have only been a couple hats made by Longs (whether for their own brand distribution or for ADAM) that have been found on the lounge and I would consider it VERY rare.

Very interesting indeed. Thank you for that info and the pictures. I know that my price tag reads $4.40 "Mail Order Department" 665 Broadway, New York City. The duplication number is 465. Cool stuff!

Cheers!

Dan

 

[DanielJones]

This is the same homburg in the listing that my signature links to. Love the look and feel of it, but the seller didn't measure the size correctly. They had reported a measurement equivalent to size 59, when in reality it's a 57. It's unfortunate, but at the very least it gave me a chance to get a feel for a vintage Stetson .

Reminds me of my St. Regis.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Neophyte]

I'll admit, Dan, that I'm finding it hard to tell the difference. Perhaps the "St. Regis" is of a higher felt quality that "The Sovereign".

 

[Lefty]

It's the other way around. I don't recall if the St. Regis is generally a Royal or a Royal Deluxe but, in either case, Sovereign is a higher quality felt.

 

[Neophyte]

Ah, my mistake. I thought the sweatband imprint of "The Sovereign" was the model name. :eusa_doh:

Thank you, Lefty.

 

[Tango Yankee]

I was going to say that I think you're both right and that there's the "Sovereign" level of quality designation, and that "The Sovereign" is the model of that particular homburg. But a quick use of Google proved that there are fedora-styled hats with the same "The Sovereign" sweatband imprint, so the nod goes to Lefty. I even found a thread of Jimmy the Lid's of a Stetson with "The Open Road", "Stetson Twenty", and "The Sovereign" designations on the sweatband! (Fine-looking hat, too.)


The editor in me wonders why, if it's "The Sovereign", it isn't "The Royal De Luxe", etcetera, but pursuing that question leads to madness! :eeek:

Cheers,
Tom

 

[bowlerman]

Hey Tom-- Sorry to be off topic, but what's the hat you're wearing in your avatar? I really dig the colors.

 

[Lefty]

"Sovereign" is tricky, as is "Imperial". I think that both have been models and quality designations.

Neo, just for a quick run down, here's the basic order for Stetson quality in dress hats. The distinctions are dependent upon the hats being from the same era. Later hat of a given designation = lower quality, meaning that a Royal from the 40s might be superior to a 3x of the 60s. The Xs and "number" qualities can be odd, as some are frequently seen in dress hats (like 3x), while others are almost only seen in western styles (like 25 or 100).
Royal
Royal Stetson Deluxe (later Royal Deluxe Stetson)
3x/Imperial/15
20/Sovereign
25 (I think JtL's might be the only non-OR or western I've seen in this category)
5xCB (seemingly short-lived, later 50 and 7XCB)
100 (to the extent you'll ever see a dress hat as a 100)

 

[Tango Yankee]

Hi, Bowlerman,

It's a Stetson 3X Beaver Quality Mode Edge. Fortunately, that's what I named the photo as I haven't a clue at the moment as to where it is. It's gotta be in one of these hat boxes somewhere... [huh]

Cheers,
Tom

 

[alanfgag]

That's funny. I think we've all been there, Tom.

 

[DanielJones]

It's the other way around. I don't recall if the St. Regis is generally a Royal or a Royal Deluxe but, in either case, Sovereign is a higher quality felt.

Yeah, mine is a "Royal Stetson Deluxe". Here is a liner shot. It was originally sold at "Gruber's" in Irvington, NJ.

It would be interesting to know when that store was in operation and if it is still around. May have to do a little research.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Lefty]

I'm sure there's a lot more out there, as I picked this up pretty quickly. Gruber's is second from the bottom in the first column.

 

[Neophyte]

Thanks all for the rundown. I've so much to learn .

 

[hubbit]

Reminds me of my St. Regis.

Cheers!

Dan

Dan, At the risk of going way off topic, I love your glasses. Are those Savile Row Warwicks?

 

[DanielJones]

No worries. They're AO Windsors. Circa 1930's maybe 40's.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[mayserwegener]

A. Peschel "Norma" Homburg

Size 59cm. Very early 1960s and in near NOS condition. This is my first A. Peschel Dinkelsbühl Homburg and it's fantastic.