OK...so what is your oldest hat?

[gtdean48]

1940's era Stetson Stratoliner

 

[buler]

Oldest "Fedora"

My Best Make transition from derby to soft hat is my oldest "Fedora".

See thread: BestMake

B

 

[hatophile]

My Best Make transition from derby to soft hat is my oldest "Fedora".

See thread: BestMake

B

That is a cool hat.

 

[Joshbru3]

That is a cool hat.

It really is! Ive seen it in person and that hat not only has a lot of character but its truly a real "soft hat." I was surprised how much stiffener that felt contained and even after all these years, still would hold a dry crease.

 

[Joshbru3]

Bump! Lets see those oldies!!

 

[hatophile]

Bump! Lets see those oldies!!

Do you mean hats or....Loungers?

 

[Joshbru3]

Do you mean hats or....Loungers?

lollol
Could be a little of both....

 

[Iyor]

Borsalino Nutria that I bought from randooch I have it dated from 1921

 

[Joshbru3]

That is such a neat hat! That ribbon is so wide, it makes the crown look short. Which I'm sure its not. How wide is that ribbon? That's a great looking 4 row stitched brim edge as well. I think later on, Stetson had a edge treatment like that. I believe they called it their Wafer-Edge.

 

[Iyor]

The ribbon is about 2 3/4" wide. I'm having the ribbon fixed by Gary White so that it stays straight against the hat.

 

[TCMfan25]

Age Anyone??? I think its my oldest but I would like to know how old...

 

[Joshbru3]

The ribbon is about 2 3/4" wide. I'm having the ribbon fixed by Gary White so that it stays straight against the hat.

2 3/4, wow, thats a wide ribbon! I'm sure that Gary White will do an excellent job securing the ribbon. I would love to see a photo of the open crown profile of that hat.

 

[Joshbru3]

Nice Boater, TCMfan25! I'm not very good at dating English hats, but I do know that its not a 20's/30's boater. If the characteristics are anything like American hats, I would say 1960's.

 

[alanfgag]

Very nice boater... on the date, I think it's hard. Straw boaters in this style were popular into the fifties. There are a number of major brand examples on ebay now that share identifying elements from 1950's hats, but because they are boaters, are invariably advertised as 1920s-1930s.

Both companies go back a long way, but Lock & Co. uses the same logo today. I have a fifties Brooks Brothers fedora with a very similar sans serif "made in England" imprint and sweatband finish. The taped sweatband seam, interesting corrugated material behind the sweat and the size label are features that suggest this example might be older than that.

Not very helpful, I'm afraid!

 

[Lefty]

probably this one, with the replacement ribbon it received somewhere along the way

 

[Joshbru3]

Lefty, Thats one of my favorites from your collection. The finish is gorgeous, the pug looks great on the hat (even if its a replacement), and I love how flat the brim is. Is there a leather sweatband underneath the fabric, or is the sweatband completely fabric?

 

[Lefty]

Thanks, Josh.
Just fabric. They seem to be pretty rare - as I'm sure the sweats broke down much faster - but they're around.

 

[alanfgag]

Nice to see that one again, Lefty.

 

[alanfgag]

I have a number of hats from the 1930s and a Stetson derby that might drift back to the twenties. Looking at the liner imprint, I'm going out on a limb guessing that this boater might be earlier than 1920. Only reference I can find to the maker is an 1890 want ad from the San Francisco Morning Call.

 

[TCMfan25]

Very nice boater... on the date, I think it's hard. Straw boaters in this style were popular into the fifties. There are a number of major brand examples on ebay now that share identifying elements from 1950's hats, but because they are boaters, are invariably advertised as 1920s-1930s.

Both companies go back a long way, but Lock & Co. uses the same logo today. I have a fifties Brooks Brothers fedora with a very similar sans serif "made in England" imprint and sweatband finish. The taped sweatband seam, interesting corrugated material behind the sweat and the size label are features that suggest this example might be older than that.

Not very helpful, I'm afraid!

NO very helpful indeed! Hopefully between '25 and '55... still my oldest