Make me feel better after sleeping through these two auctions.

[MattJH]

Royal Stetson in 7 7/8

Stetson Stetsonian in 7 5/8

Tell me everything horrible that you can think of about these hats. I'd appreciate it.

 

[scotrace]

You didn't miss a thing. They aren't older, better felt, they're stingy in the frumpy way, the one with the darker lining looks to have sweat problems. Honestly, they went for PLENTY.

 

[WEEGEE]

1960's So-So

You'll do better then that!!!

 

[fedoralover]

They were dirty, they were 60s, they were ugly.

fedoralover

 

[tonyb]

Yeah, no great shakes there. The second one isn't so bad, which is to say it isn't so good, either. And the first one sucks.
There are many, many better hats to be had for less dough than those two sold for. It's gotta be a drag for you large-headed guys to see hats that might actually fit get away. But I have to believe that a skillful hatter could take vintage hats in more commonly available sizes and stretch 'em enough to fit you. (A proper job of it, you know, not a quick-and-dirty Hat Jack job, which is usually good enough to bump a hat up a size or so, but not as much as you'd need.)

 

[MattJH]

It's gotta be a drag for you large-headed guys to see hats that might actually fit get away.

Heh. That's exactly it. Whenever I see a hat that would actually fit me, I feel like I have to get it because they're so few and far between.

But I have to believe that a skillful hatter could take vintage hats in more commonly available sizes and stretch 'em enough to fit you. (A proper job of it, you know, not a quick-and-dirty Hat Jack job, which is usually good enough to bump a hat up a size or so, but not as much as you'd need.)

What I've found is that I'm 7 5/8-7 3/4 in new hats, but with vintage hats that have shrunk a bit, I'm much closer to a 7 3/4-7 7/8. With this in mind, there's the cost of purchasing the hat at a premium cost due to the rarity of the size, and then the additional cost of having a hatter adjust it to actually fit my head.

Having a large head is expensive!

 

[Fletch]

Dark brown stingys make a big head look like a block of baking chocolate anyway. I know - I take a 7 5/8 and I've tried a few.

 

[MattJH]

Dark brown stingys make a big head look like a block of baking chocolate anyway. I know - I take a 7 5/8 and I've tried a few.

What have you found works best for you?

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

DJ, other than being your size, not much there to be upset over. Sleeping through those was a blessing.:fedora:

 

[Jay]

Don't worry about it. Nobody wears hats anymore. They went out of style like 40 years ago.

 

[Wesne]

I know how you feel Dumbjaw, as I wear a 7 5/8 as well. I think I'm actually more like a 7 9/16 and have been tempted at times to bid on a hat in 7 1/2 (and they don't show up very often either) but if it has shrunk at all (which, as you mentioned, is likely with an old hat) it's probably going to be too tight for me. When one does show up at auction that looks like it might fit us big-headed guys, we're often forced with a choice between paying a hefty premium on a nice hat because of supply and demand or bidding on a hat that may not be our ideal, but at least it might fit.

If it makes you feel any better, I saw those auctions too and decided not to bid. As others have said, those hats have a 60s look to them and aren't really anything to get excited about. The prices they sold for were probably OK, but nothing to kick yourself over for passing on them.

 

[feltfan]

Apologies if a Lounger did buy those hats, but
you missed nothing, Dumbjaw. Save that money
to buy something nice. Note, BTW, that you should
not write off the model name "Stetsonian"- they were
great hats through the 1940s.

BTW, why do you send your hats out for stretching?
Get a real hat stretcher and do it yourself. There's
plenty of information about it on this site.

 

[MattJH]

BTW, why do you send your hats out for stretching? Get a real hat stretcher and do it yourself. There's plenty of information about it on this site.

Oh, I don't send them out for stretching -- just following up on tonyb's comment. I did take the Stetson Charger that Mr. Maltby sent me to Oscar's at South Street Hats in Philadelphia for a bit of a stretch, but that was free.

 

[tonyb]

There are limits -- even with a "real" hat stretcher -- to how much a hat can be safely stretched without taking it apart. You know, removing the sweatband and the ribbon and reblocking the body to the larger size and putting it all back together again, with replacement leather and grosgrain, should that prove necessary.
Such a procedure wouldn't be beyond the capabilities of the average collector, but he would have to acquire the equipment and learn a few skills.
Sure, those "real" stretchers are a darned sight better than those of the Hat Jack variety. You're less likely to end up with a tapered crown by using one of those fancy ones, for instance (although it still might happen). But you might get a wavy brim, and leather and ribbon and even felt will stretch only so much.

 

[tonyb]

Don't worry about it. Nobody wears hats anymore. They went out of style like 40 years ago.

Maybe closer to 50.

 

[Fletch]

What have you found works best for you?

At least 2 1/4" worth of brim and a decent volume of crown (ie: not tapered all over) and I can bring off any color.

 

[reetpleat]

Don't feel bad. Those both liook like they smell funny.

 

[big kahuna]

To quote Rodney Dangerfield (in regards to Ted Knight's hat)

"Did you get a free bowl of soup with that hat?"

 

[MattJH]

Anyone want to make me feel better about just losing out on this Knox Milan in 7 3/4?

 

[Dinerman]

I won that- sorry for outbidding you, but a friend of my dad's (this guy doesn't doesn't know anything about vintage hats, other than he wants one to replace a worn out newer stetson) who is a 7-3/4 told me to get a hat for him.