Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Is this an authentic '20s/'30s Fedora?

GoldenEraFan

One Too Many
Messages
1,164
Location
Brooklyn, New York
This fedora baffles me as it has that frayed ribbon like most '20s/'30s hats and has a more fuzzy feel to the material, but the very thin leather sweatband throws me off, as I know older hats had much bigger and thicker bands. Any hat experts out there want to take a crack at dating this hat?
CIMG5351_zps9957310b.jpg

CIMG5352_zpsdd60e51f.jpg

CIMG5353_zps1e502646.jpg

CIMG5355_zps9675716e.jpg

CIMG5356_zps25efc0e2.jpg
 
Messages
17,515
Location
Maryland
Based on the sweat construction it could easily be 30s. You can't go by width of the sweatband especially when dealing with Euro makers. I have a good number of old German hats with similar width sweats.
 

ManofKent

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,039
Location
United Kingdom
Very difficult to date - it could be anything from 1930's - 1950's. Is there a union stamp under the sweat band, and is there any sign of the original liner? It's not a hat company I've come across before.
 

GoldenEraFan

One Too Many
Messages
1,164
Location
Brooklyn, New York
Unfortunately there's no union stamp or tag of any sort inside the sweatband or any fragment of the original liner. The reason the sweatband throws me off is because it's physically very thin (almost paper thin) compared to pretty much every other authentic vintage hat I've come across. It's definitely leather though.
 

ManofKent

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,039
Location
United Kingdom
UK manufacturers often used thinner sweats - but I've seen similar sweats on UK hats from both the 30's through to the late 50's so it doesn't really help. There's nothing about the hat that rules out 30's manufacture but short of finding out George Chadwick ceased trading in a particular year I'm not sure you're going to get an uppermost date. It's a nice looking hat regardless!
 

rlk

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,100
Location
Evanston, IL
Block and flanging as well as ribbon style, sweat embossing, and hand stitched in sweatband all would be consistent with 20's(and a bit earlier too) and unlikely later than early 30's.

Thin sweats were if anything more common then.

Here's another $(KGrHqZ,!rIFF0LUFzzMBRezGlWZsQ~~60_57.JPG
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
109,253
Messages
3,077,369
Members
54,183
Latest member
UrbanGraveDave
Top