J.W. Marriott Sr.'s Borsalino (my new hat)

[Dinerman]

Yep- I now am the proud owner of a Borsalino previously owned by J Willard Marriott. The shipping label on both the hatbox this hat came in as well as another hat in the same antique mall booth were both addressed to him.

Even if it wasn't his hat, or there was another J.W. Marriott living very close to him buying expensive hats from exclusive menswear stores- It's still a very nice hat.

The liner says:

"LEO
produzione extra lusso
BORSALINO

Unico Depositario
FABRIZI
Roma"

Written in Pencil on the size tag found under the sweatband is the number 1935. Maybe this is a year?

The felt is the finest I have ever felt (no pun intended)
there were no moth bites
no smells
no stains

and to top it off- it was only 12 bucks

 

[DOUGLAS]

It just goes to show that great hats are still out there just waiting to be pick up. Nice find Dinerman

 

[Dinerman]

pictures



do you think 1935 could be the age?
it has a reeded sweatband, but the plastic in the liner looks more like a very early plastic like cloth than real plastic. I don't really know much about borsalinos.

 

[Dinerman]

inside

 

[Dinerman]

and the serial number is

1157A . 43139
Bismuto- Gorasti

 

[skillbilly]

I can't say enough about the color of that hat.
It's stunning! Congrats!!

 

[besdor]

Dinerman , where did you find that hat ? It's definately an older hat from the 1930's .
Enjoy !!!!


Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[Dinerman]

I found it in a hatbox under a table an an antique mall in Mount Airy, Maryland.

there was also a homburg that also was in a hatbox with Marriott's name on it but it was too small for me.

I didn't even think there was a hat in the box, because it was so light, but I'm always hopeful with this kind of thing, so I liiked inside, and sure enough there was this gem.

I just opened up the nonoriginal Churchill hat co hat box it came in, and it's full of what looks like a disintegrated plastic liner from some other hat. Fortunately, the only problem the borsalino has is a split sweatband. by this I mean that the place where the leather meets up in the back, under the bow, has split. Unlike most hats I've seen where this was sewn, the borsalino appears to have a square of a canvas-y looking fabric glued to both sides on the underside of the sweatband. It looks original- not a repair, as there are no stitching holes. It's such a minor problem. I can live with it.

 

[DOUGLAS]

Man o man you lucky stiff. Digging definitely payed off. BEAUTIFUL!

 

[DanielJones]

The split & the patch could have been placed there to facilitate a stretch or resizing? Then with the split the leather won't shrink back to it's original size. The folks at the Red Garter in Virginia City did that to one of my Stetsons I bought there to get it to fit properly, and by gum it worked pretty well.
Either that or age & a fat head split the seam and they had to patch it.[huh]
Does the canvas-y material look like it may have been elastic at one time? I just threw out a bushell of elastic that my late mother had collected over the years. The oldest stuff was as stiff and as pliable as canvas. Just a thought.

In either case you have a great looking hat. Would love to see some pictures of it in action.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Razzman]

Fantastic find.:eusa_clap That is one fine lid. Congratulations.:eusa_clap

 

[Samsa]

Quite a few posts in this forum make me jealous, but I have to say this one takes the cake. Congratulations on a great find!

 

[Mr. 'H']

That's a reat website of your Dinerman.

I love visiting diners when I go Stateside.

They rule.

:eusa_clap

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Dinerman -- Great find for you! Congrats on a beautiful hat!

I found two Borsalino's in thrift shops around the San Diego area, both probably from the 1950's. So, it pays to snoop.

karol

 

[Dinerman]

The split & the patch could have been placed there to facilitate a stretch or resizing? Then with the split the leather won't shrink back to it's original size. The folks at the Red Garter in Virginia City did that to one of my Stetsons I bought there to get it to fit properly, and by gum it worked pretty well.
Either that or age & a fat head split the seam and they had to patch it.[huh]
Does the canvas-y material look like it may have been elastic at one time? I just threw out a bushell of elastic that my late mother had collected over the years. The oldest stuff was as stiff and as pliable as canvas. Just a thought.

In either case you have a great looking hat. Would love to see some pictures of it in action.

Cheers!

Dan

I don't mean that the leather is broken, only that the seam in the sweatband in the back of the hat has split. Probably dry rot or something of the like.
And I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a repair, because there aren't needle holes from the seam being sewn together.

 

[DanielJones]

I don't mean that the leather is broken, only that the seam in the sweatband in the back of the hat has split. Probably dry rot or something of the like.
And I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a repair, because there aren't needle holes from the seam being sewn together.

I didn't mean the leather was broken either, what they had done on my lid was cut the threads at the seam and add a bit of elastic for a stretch.
Now, you say there were no holes from sewing so I can only guess that the material is an original piece and may have been elastic at one time. But, elastic over time will harden into a very non-flexable material that resembles canvas. Not saying it was a repair but possably an original attempt by either the maker or the seller to make the hat fit the customer that may have had varying hair growth throughout the year and needed it to fit without taking it in for stretching when his hair grew out. Only a guess though.
Really, it's anybody's guess as to the original intention of the seam like that. As long as it fits you and looks good and holds up, that's all that matters, right?
Still would like to see some pictures of it in action. Enjoy and wear it in good health.:eusa_clap

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Marc Chevalier]

It's a cause for celebration whenever one of us finds a lost treasure. I'm so pleased that your smart hunting paid off in spades! :eusa_clap


.

 

[Dinerman]

so- do you think I should go back and get the homburg, as it has the complete J. Willard Marriott label on it?

It wouldn't fit me, but it could probably find a home with someone here, if they wanted a very nice hat with a past. I think it was a 6 7/8, in anybody here as that small a head.

 

[Dinerman]

pics in action

 

[Dinerman]