Like Hell It's Your Hat!

[Adcurium]

When I was growing up we had a family friend, a gentleman quite a few years older than my father, who had "Like Hell It's your hat! This hat belongs to: " printed in all his hats. He would tease us that when he was young all the Italians would arrive without a lid but would leave with the nicest hats (we are Italian and he was not (but I think secretly wished he was) so he would tease us all the time). Now, I know soo many of us have vintage hats with initials in them but, what do you do to make it your own?
And btw, when ever I'm at a coat check or in the cloakroom after a Freemasons meating or in some other similar situation I always make the comment outloud, even if just for my own kicks "Well, this isn't my coat but it is much nicer than the one I came in with, so it will do." just as a nod to an old friend who is no longer with us.

 

[Neophyte]

Art Fawcett, a custom hatter well known on this forum, puts similar cards in his custom hats, saying the exact same thing:

"Like Hell It's Yours!
This hat belongs to:"

He can also put your initials in the sweatband.

I wonder where this little tradition came from?

 

[Ed13]

I keep a business card in each hat. If lost, contact info provided without giving my home address.

 

[fluteplayer07]

Under the sweat of my VS, I wrote my full name, address, and date of the hat's creation. Other than that, I really don't mark my hats or keep cards there. Although if we ever get the calling card for TFL going, I'll keep a few of those with me.

 

[Spats McGee]

I do exactly like Ed13. Just put a business card in each one and, if the hat is lost, the finder gets my name, address, fax, email, etc. Now, whether or not they'll actually use that information is another question entirely.

 

[vintage68]

The custom hat maker I use most frequently, Jaxonbilt, has the same card in his hats as well. Nice tradition wherever it came from...

 

[Lefty]

click

 

[Brad Bowers]

From my collection:

Brad

 

[Bustercat]

can people scan and post more of the different variations on these?
They'd be helpful in a sticky.

 

[donnc]

Not another "sticky"! It won't work anyway - unless part of making a "sticky" thread is importing the images from authors' photo sites to thefedoralounge.com local storage. Otherwise you'll have a sticky thread full of nothing, after a while.

Mine's 3x5 inches, too big in my opinion to be useful anywhere but the hat store. It's from Norman Sims "hatter", Salt Lake City, gone now I believe.

 

[Lefty]

more here - hey, who's JB?

There's also a thread that I'm searching for right now in which someone made new cards that anyone could print.

 

[Dewhurst]

Well, seems like everyone uses the "Like Hell it's Yours!" thing. Could be time to come up with a new phrase. Starting to feel like beating a decomposing horse.

I do nothing to mark mine. If I was social, I might have to start.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Considering how rare I'm among other hats wearers, the fact that it's a hat marks it as mine!

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

I wonder where this little tradition came from?

When most men wore hats, there would be coat and hat-check stations inside restaurants, etc. The "Put it back" phrase is intended to inform someone if they claimed the wrong hat at the end of the evening.

---------------------

I found this original one inside one of the old panamas I bought. I scanned it and have printed out enough to equip all my lids. Did a variation without the store info too. Whenever I sell one of my hats I include a blank one.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

hey, who's JB?

His screen name's a nom de plume.

 

[facade]

The Hell you say!

Certainly a colorful phrase. This strikes me an odd tone for a gentlemen's hat though. Something like that seems to be more befitting of motorcycle helmets and John Deer hats.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

You're right, facade, but then as now there were far more common men than gentlemen. The vast majority of hats were sold to regular working stiffs, not landowners and those of superior social status. Those gentlemen were across town at a totally different supper club.

 

[navarre]

Wild, I seriously turned on my computer just now to ask about the history of these cards. And here I find todays post. This is why the lounge is great. So does any one know where they started? Or is it just one of those commonalities whose origin is lost to time?

 

[J.B.]

...hey, who's JB?...

His screen name's a nom de plume.

Actually, the plume is in my hat!

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Here's one in French that came with a vintage hat I bought from Canada.