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[Purplesage]

Here are three Borsos I own all of which have diagonal seams. The first with the OPS tag dates from 1951-53. The second one is the oldest which I believe dates to the 40s or older. The third probably dates to the mid to late 50s.

1.

2.

3.

 

[bond]

Nice examples of silk liners David .
I would say a majority of Borsalinos from pre 70 that I have owned have had a diagonal seam and were a silk or blend of silk re the liner. My guess the one Alan showed with a acetate liner probably a later model and not 50-60s vin

 

[alanfgag]

Yes, the hat I posted earlier is 1970s or later.

I had Donna handle the hat with blue medallion. She is a costume designer and the most fabric informed person I know - certainly the best source of fabric knowledge at my dinner table. Donna confirms that this material is silk.

My apologies if my posts are pedantic. Accurate dating on Borsalino hats is notoriously elusive and I have much respect for the knowledge base that members past and present have shared here. I am not aware of information that would suggest a manufacturing date prior to 1950 on any of the hats above. That said, they are lovely.

 

[Lotsahats]

Your point about accurate dating is spot-on, Alan; all we' er working with is incomplete and non-definitive data. I seem to recall reading that the word Borsalino on the side of the paper tag places the hat pre-1952. Does that only go back to 1950?

A

 

[alanfgag]

Your point about accurate dating is spot-on, Alan; all we' er working with is incomplete and non-definitive data. I seem to recall reading that the word Borsalino on the side of the paper tag places the hat pre-1952. Does that only go back to 1950?

A

The OPS tagged hat above shows that such labels could have existed into 1953 (and perhaps beyond). They go forward earlier than 1950 too. I do not see evidence in the photos above that suggests the middle hat was made in the 1940s or before.

There is nothing wrong with guessing that one's hat is from the 1940s or the 1930s. My first Borsalino was from the 1930s and I presented it that way to friends and on the lounge when I first joined. Then I found out it was from the late 1950s. It's a beautiful thing about hats. They often get younger the longer we have them.

 

[Lotsahats]

There is nothing wrong with guessing that one's hat is from the 1940s or the 1930s. My first Borsalino was from the 1930s and I presented it that way to friends and on the lounge when I first joined. Then I found out it was from the late 1950s. It's a beautiful thing about hats. They often get younger the longer we have them.

:arated:

I was a bit too date-oriented when I started collecting hats. Soon after, I learned from RLK that the best thing to do with a hat is to enjoy it; living with the mystery of its vintage is just one of the small charms that comes with the lid. Certainly as Brad Bowers and so many others here demonstrate, there is a wealth of knowledge you can glean about hats and makers and time periods, but really you'll never know all the secrets that come with a vintage hat, and you're probably better off that way.

A

 

[Annixter]

. . . .you'll never know all the secrets that come with a vintage hat, and you're probably better off that way. A

Great point. If I had all the info about who wore my hats before me (whether personality trait-wise or hygienically), I might not be so keen on wearing them. In that respect, ignorance is bliss. I do enjoy the detective work that goes along with dating vintage, however.

Beautiful Borsalinos regardless.

 

[mayserwegener]

I don't believe I have come across a German market Borsalino without a taped sweatband (reed or without reed). Also the liner logos are different than what you see with American market Borsalinos. There is a a point in the 1950s where Export Qualität is introduced and Echter is eventually dropped (some have both). Here is a link if you want to take a look.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/50-borsalino-german-market/

 

[bond]

Bump. I guess this thread may have gotten off topic,but I guess I was correct then re the diagonal seam for silk liners as far as vintage borsos go and its nice to have survived Alan's scrutiny for yet another day at least.

 

[Landman]

Heather Green Stetson

Here is a recent purchase from Ebay that was advertised as 100% wool. The sweatband and liner were missing too. As a result I was able to pick it up for a very cheap price. The color is a dark heather green but the flash has washed out the color. The close up of the bow or the photo of the inside of the hat represent the color a little better but still not accurate. The actual color is much darker and is similar to my Bluegrass Green Campdraft except it is a heather mix. It has a 5 1/2" open crown, 2 3/8" double stitched over welt brim and a 1 3/4" ribbon. The felt is thicker but very soft and easily creased by hand. Can anybody give me a date of manufacture by the labels? Any other info would be greatly appreciated too. Thanks!

 

[ManofKent]

Mike - as a guess I'd have said mid-late 50's but I'll be interested to hear what the Stetson experts say. Lovely felt, with a new sweat that'll be a great hat.

 

[Landman]

Thanks Richard. The felt is very nice and in perfect shape too. Mid 50's would be my guess too based on the labels but just looking at the outside of it the shorter brim seems more 60's.

 

[splintercellsz]

I would say 50s as well

 

[carouselvic]

Not sure about all this dating wisdom being offered on these last couple pages.

 

[Lotsahats]

Not sure about all this dating wisdom being offered on these last couple pages.

:arated:

 

[yttclothing]

I got this one in a joblot, Royal Custom Built ?? American but never heard of it guessing around the 50's as it has a price of $4.95.

The ribbon is horrible seems cheap, the felt is of the long haired variety and would be nice if it weren't for extensive surface moth bites, the sweatband is nice and it has an interesting binding .

 

[TheDane]

Very interesting binding, indeed! Could you post a closeup of it, Paddy?

 

[Annixter]

^@ TheDane +1.

I only have one long-hair fedora (a 30's Stetson), and I wish I had more.

 

[yttclothing]

this is as close as my camera will go

 

[TheDane]

Just got a Borsa from Paddy yesterday, btw. A beautiful deep chocolate brown, super soft and pretty light (3 oz) lid. It's got unreeded sweat, diagonal liner seam, oil-silk tip cover. It was obviously made for the European market, as the sweat reads "Antica Casa", "Export Qualität" and "Gran Lusso". Fortunately, a stamp on the back of the sweat helps the dating a bit: "11. sep. 1964". Not necessarily the production date, but the hat was most likely assembled after this date - probably not long after. Pictures will follow in a couple of days