Resistol Executive

[Dinerman]

I've had this hat for about a year and a half now, but I really haven't posted good pictures of it.

It's a resistol executive in a steel color.
New, it sold for 15 bucks at Haynes and Co., Inc in Springfield, Mass.
I guess the date as late '40's.

Here are some shots of the little manual under the sweatband.

 

[Dinerman]

 

[Rick Blaine]

Thank You!

A very cool bit of hats ephemera! Not having yet added a Resistol to my stable (tho' not for any lack of effort, I keep getting outbid!) I had always wondered what exactly "self-conforming" refered to, now I know.

 

[Dinerman]

 

[Dinerman]

and yes- before you ask- this is one of my resistol backbows.
It has wonderful dense and fine, yet fuzzy felt. Cavanagh edge.

This is also the only hat I have where the sweatband is sewn in the way it is in this one. The stitching goes over and around the reeding, instead of through it.

 

[DOUGLAS]

Very nice example Dinerman.

 

[The Duke]

Thanks for the info Dinerman. Like Rick Blaine, I was outbid on a resistol self-conforming hat myself.

 

[jamespowers]

Still a Byer and Rolnick product so before 1968 when Resistol became HCA. I am not sure how much before though considering that computer-like typed tag in it. That kind of throws me off. They could have had them preprinted in another way. [huh] That style is surely late 1950s. The backbow was popular with other brands in ads that I have such as this 1957 from Mallory:

or this 1957 from Champ:

One more from Stetson 1958:

Regards,

J

 

[Dinerman]

I dunno. It just doesn't have that late '50's look to me. would 15 bucks have bought you this much hat in that era?

 

[Razzman]

Excellent hat. Just curious, do you find that the Resistols fit a bit larger than others. What I mean, I have a Resistol with sizing tag of 7 1/4 but it fits me loose.

 

[jamespowers]

I dunno. It just doesn't have that late '50's look to me. would 15 bucks have bought you this much hat in that era?

Oh yes. All my examples appear to be bound edge. Add a Cavanagh Edge and higher end accoutrements and you have $15 for sure. Remember that in the 40s there were such things as the Dobbs Twenty, Fifty, and even 100s. It just depended on what you wanted in a hat and what you had to spend.

Regards,

J

 

[Dinerman]

Excellent hat. Just curious, do you find that the Resistols fit a bit larger than others. What I mean, I have a Resistol with sizing tag of 7 1/4 but it fits me loose.

yeah. I'm a 7-1/4, this is a 7-1/8. It fits me pretty snug, but no so snug that I don't wear it. But then by resistol 7-1/4 extra long oval LBJ hat fits me like a glove. I guess it depends on the hat.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

My green Resistol is a 7-1/4 and I normally wear a 7-3/8 and it fits me just fine.

 

[Spellflower]

My green Resistol is a 7-1/4 and I normally wear a 7-3/8 and it fits me just fine.

That's too bad! I just passed up a 7-1/4 Resistol since I'm a 7-3/8! I actually bid on it before I realized that 7-1/4 is smaller than 7-3/8 (more reasons not to look at ebay when tired). I was relieved when I got outbid, but the next day, the seller emailed to tell me that the person who outbid me had retracted, and I could have it for my last bid if I wanted it. Now I wish I'd taken her up on that! Oh well, live and learn.

 

[Manny Tavares]

How come the bow on the hats in those ads are positioned in the back of the hat?

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

That's too bad! I just passed up a 7-1/4 Resistol since I'm a 7-3/8! I actually bid on it before I realized that 7-1/4 is smaller than 7-3/8 (more reasons not to look at ebay when tired). I was relieved when I got outbid, but the next day, the seller emailed to tell me that the person who outbid me had retracted, and I could have it for my last bid if I wanted it. Now I wish I'd taken her up on that! Oh well, live and learn.

I've noticed that some Resistol and Dobbs hats seem to run a little larger than their stated size. I have a Dobbs brown Homburg in a 7-1/4 and it fits me fine as well, unlike my 7-1/4 Stetson that is so snug it gives me a slight headache.

And to confuse matters further, I also have an olive-colored Knox stingy in 7-3/8 that is just too darn tight. I'm debating whether to attempt to stretch it or just put it in the Classifieds or on eBay. It seems that stingies don't do well here so I'll probably go the latter route.

 

[ideaguy]

small world- used to shop at Haynes when I was just a tadpole...cool place, but sales clerks all looked Lon Chaney-esque, with a nice suit on. odd..