Playboys on Parade!

[Rodkins]

My new tan Playboy
Mid to late 60's?

 

[bowlerman]

Rodkins-- that looks great! I've never paid any mind to Playboys before, but it seems their color scheme and everyday wearability are pretty sweet. I just skimmed the contents of this thread and enjoyed the earlier posts as well, including your blue-grey one.

So-- what's the deal with "Playboys" on Ebay (just from a quick search) looking like little stingy hipster hats with braided bands that look like they're made from the felt droppings from the brim cutting?

 

[Rodkins]

Rodkins-- that looks great! I've never paid any mind to Playboys before, but it seems their color scheme and everyday wearability are pretty sweet. I just skimmed the contents of this thread and enjoyed the earlier posts as well, including your blue-grey one.

So-- what's the deal with "Playboys" on Ebay (just from a quick search) looking like little stingy hipster hats with braided bands that look like they're made from the felt droppings from the brim cutting?

I think they came out with "Playboy II" and some other later Playboy models that weren't anything like the originals.

 

[Rodkins]

Here is my brown Playboy. This one is older.

 

[randooch]

With a nod to Aureliano's slant, twist added, my new acquisition. It's way nicer than I thought it would be based on the Etsy pictures, and although it's tad snug right now, it's begging for a gentle stretch. Then it'll be my new mid-ribbon favorite.

 

[Bernie Zack]

With a nod to Aureliano's slant, twist added, my new acquisition. It's way nicer than I thought it would be based on the Etsy pictures, and although it's tad snug right now, it's begging for a gentle stretch. Then it'll be my new mid-ribbon favorite.

What exactly is this "etsy" that you speak of? I've heard it mentioned here before. Sounds like an e-bay competitor???

 

[randooch]

What exactly is this "etsy" that you speak of? I've heard it mentioned here before. Sounds like an e-bay competitor???

Yes, sort of. No auctions, though, just posted prices, which you can always attempt to negotiate. It's at www.etsy.com

This one was listed at $120 plus shipping, but he accepted $100 including shipping after no one snatched it up within a week.

 

[randooch]

Do any of you Stetson experts know if this fabric crown sticker is original to the hat? I's not on Mike's, so I wondered.

Also, I was considering adding a more contrasting thread to the brim, using the same holes, to give the hat a little more flair. I think the gray on gray kind of gets lost. Is this ill-advised?

 

[randooch]

Do any of you Stetson experts know if this fabric crown sticker is original to the hat? I's not on Mike's, so I wondered.

Also, I was considering adding a more contrasting thread to the brim, using the same holes, to give the hat a little more flair. I think the gray on gray kind of gets lost. Is this ill-advised?

 

[randooch]

(Whoa, not sure why that double-posted . . .)

Anyhow, this thread got buried faster than you can say "callipygian," and I was really hoping for a response, so I'll give it a gentle bump in the rear.

 

[alanfgag]

Does the quality of application of the crown sticker make you suspicious (it's hard to see from the photo)? I'm not familiar with this one, but there were a lot of Stetson Playboys... with liners, without liners, in various weights, brim widths, etc. I suppose it's possible that someone removed the liner, cut it and applied the piece over a silkscreened crown logo... but it's hard to imagine why.

I would not mess with the brim stitch. You have a nice vintage Playboy in what looks to be very good condition. Enjoy it!

just my .02...

 

[tonyb]

...

I would not mess with the brim stitch. You have a nice vintage Playboy in what looks to be very good condition. Enjoy it!

just my .02...

Add my 2 cents to that pot as well. Part of what's so cool about old Stetson Playboys is that subtle row of stitching. I've 'borrowed" that look myself (as have others), and I've also made quite a few hats with that wholly decorative stitching but in colors with more contrast, as well as multiple rows of stitching.

 

[Rodkins]

Do any of you Stetson experts know if this fabric crown sticker is original to the hat? I's not on Mike's, so I wondered.

Also, I was considering adding a more contrasting thread to the brim, using the same holes, to give the hat a little more flair. I think the gray on gray kind of gets lost. Is this ill-advised?

I have only seen the printing on the crown on the inside of a playboy - I hadn't yet seen a crown sticker on one. The reason neither of my playboys have the crown printing or sticker (other than the small one I sold which had the logo printed on the crown) is because both of mine originally had liners. The playboy was offered with liners and without liners - the liner in my gray one was gone when I got it and I took the liner out of the brown one.

I love the subtle stitching on the brim edge. I didn't know it even existed on my first playboy for the first couple of weeks that I had it.

 

[Rodkins]

Does the quality of application of the crown sticker make you suspicious (it's hard to see from the photo)? I'm not familiar with this one, but there were a lot of Stetson Playboys... with liners, without liners, in various weights, brim widths, etc. I suppose it's possible that someone removed the liner, cut it and applied the piece over a silkscreened crown logo... but it's hard to imagine why.

I would not mess with the brim stitch. You have a nice vintage Playboy in what looks to be very good condition. Enjoy it!

just my .02...

Alan may be right. I bet if I cut the logo out of my liner on my light brown playboy I could make it look like the crown on yours. It's a bit like the tippet liners people put in some summer hats.

 

[mattface]

That's a really sweet find Randall. I wouldn't change a thing. The subtle brim stitch is nice, but more importantly, a hat is only original once. Once you make mods you can't undo, the collectable value is out the window.

If it were me, and I was wanting a hat with a contrasting brim stitch, I would use a less collectable hat. It would only take about a minute and a half to run a raw edge through my sewing machine.

 

[randooch]

Thanks for the input, folks.

When the hat arrived, the fabric circle was only about 1/3 adhered, so I was able to peer under it looking for a printed logo. There wasn't one. There's also no evidence that it ever had a liner, although I suppose that minimal of stitching could have been removed with no trace.

I'll let the brim stitch be.

 

[Rodkins]

Thanks for the input, folks.

When the hat arrived, the fabric circle was only about 1/3 adhered, so I was able to peer under it looking for a printed logo. There wasn't one. There's also no evidence that it ever had a liner, although I suppose that minimal of stitching could have been removed with no trace.

I'll let the brim stitch be.

If you ever fall out of love with that hat, let me know

 

[hatophile]

My black Playboy from Ebay. This one has stitching on the edge of the raw brim.

 

[Terry "The Hat"]

Man, you guys are killing me here. If anyone has a nice 7 1/2 or 7 5/8 they are interested in parting with just shoot me a pm (or if you see one). The Playboy is on my bucket list. I've kinda given up on a Whippet for now (I have a couple clones including a beautiful Penney's Marathon). I've recently acquired my bucket list Stratoliner so a Playboy would just really make me smile

 

[zetwal]

I've kinda given up on a Whippet for now [...]

I don't see why you should "give up" on anything. Instead, just wait patiently for something you really want to cross your path. When it does, bid like you mean it ...