Found this one on Ebay a few weeks ago. It wasn't listed in the vintage category which probably helped it slip through to the last day, June 30, with only one bid. Not a lot to go on but I figured it was worth a modest gamble, considering how hard it is to find a decent vintage hat in the larger sizes.
Here's the auction description and the two photos from the listing:
"Two Vintage Men's felt hats, one is brown felt and is a Resistol it says self conforming, and also kitten finish...beaver XXX there is a small feather in the brim of this hat and it is a size 7 1/2, the other is a gray Mans vintage that reads Dorfman Pacific, Stockton, California....and it is a large.....these need to have a good cleaning they have been in storage for years..thank you....buyer to pay shipping and handling of 12.00...check out my other items.."
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55751256@N00/865370557/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1253/865370557_dc9e78e6c0_o.jpg" width="640" height="869" alt="resauction" /></a>
Needless to say, it was the Resistol I was interested in. I placed my bid with seconds to go and won the auction at $11.63 plus $12 shipping.
The seller was allegedly having health problems and a couple of weeks passed before they were shipped. She finally came through and I received the hats yesterday. I was hopeful but not too optimistic. The Dorfman is a cheap modern wool felt fedora that merits no further discussion. The Resistol was quite dusty, as promised, and was quite misshapen with no discernible bash. I should have taken a couple of "before" pictures, but I was anxious to see what I had gotten for my hard-earned $23.63.
The hat fit my head like it was made for me. I found no moth damage, and it seemed to haven been worn a little (by someone with the initials TBA judging by the monogram on the sweat band) but not a whole lot. There was a brightly colored little feather tucked in the ribbon, but I took it out and stored it away in a drawer where such things are kept.
I started brushing the hat with my hands and moved on to a damp cloth, which turned black. The lump of felt started to look more like a hat as it took on a little moisture. I was struck by its density and softness - the "kitten finish" feels like velvet or high quality suede.
I dampened the hat a bit more with a bit of water on my fingers and it quickly started to take shape. I moved on to steam from a little electric kettle and the felt just came alive. I opened up the crown and steamed out the mishmash of creases that had set in, and smoothed out the brim. Placing the hat on my head, I gave it a bash on top and worked the edges down with my fingers. I took it off and it looked like the hat wanted a C crown. It really did feel like the hat almost shaped itself, with my hands just serving to finish the process and smooth out the edges a little. I tried to keep the front pinches as natural as possible by just taking the hat on and off a few times and seeing where the dents appeared, then steaming some more and allowing them to set.
The color of the felt is a rusty brown. It seemed to become much more vibrant through the steaming process. The felt is fairly thick, dense and heavy. This is not a featherweight or summer hat.
The crown is about 6 inches open, bashed to about 4 1/2 inches in front and 4 inches in back. After careful measurement of the brim, I've settle on 2 1/8 inches as the official dimension. It has a Cavanagh-type over-welt edge with no visible stitching.
The grosgrain ribbon is 2 inches wide and is an olive-brown color that contrasts nicely with the reddish hue of the felt.
I'm guessing mid-50s as to the vintage of this hat.
The only problem with this hat is that my Akubra Stylemaster suddenly feels like cardboard in comparison.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55751256@N00/866002000/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1092/866002000_500526d85e_o.jpg" width="720" height="515" alt="resleft" /></a>
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Here's the auction description and the two photos from the listing:
"Two Vintage Men's felt hats, one is brown felt and is a Resistol it says self conforming, and also kitten finish...beaver XXX there is a small feather in the brim of this hat and it is a size 7 1/2, the other is a gray Mans vintage that reads Dorfman Pacific, Stockton, California....and it is a large.....these need to have a good cleaning they have been in storage for years..thank you....buyer to pay shipping and handling of 12.00...check out my other items.."
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55751256@N00/865370557/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1253/865370557_dc9e78e6c0_o.jpg" width="640" height="869" alt="resauction" /></a>
Needless to say, it was the Resistol I was interested in. I placed my bid with seconds to go and won the auction at $11.63 plus $12 shipping.
The seller was allegedly having health problems and a couple of weeks passed before they were shipped. She finally came through and I received the hats yesterday. I was hopeful but not too optimistic. The Dorfman is a cheap modern wool felt fedora that merits no further discussion. The Resistol was quite dusty, as promised, and was quite misshapen with no discernible bash. I should have taken a couple of "before" pictures, but I was anxious to see what I had gotten for my hard-earned $23.63.
The hat fit my head like it was made for me. I found no moth damage, and it seemed to haven been worn a little (by someone with the initials TBA judging by the monogram on the sweat band) but not a whole lot. There was a brightly colored little feather tucked in the ribbon, but I took it out and stored it away in a drawer where such things are kept.
I started brushing the hat with my hands and moved on to a damp cloth, which turned black. The lump of felt started to look more like a hat as it took on a little moisture. I was struck by its density and softness - the "kitten finish" feels like velvet or high quality suede.
I dampened the hat a bit more with a bit of water on my fingers and it quickly started to take shape. I moved on to steam from a little electric kettle and the felt just came alive. I opened up the crown and steamed out the mishmash of creases that had set in, and smoothed out the brim. Placing the hat on my head, I gave it a bash on top and worked the edges down with my fingers. I took it off and it looked like the hat wanted a C crown. It really did feel like the hat almost shaped itself, with my hands just serving to finish the process and smooth out the edges a little. I tried to keep the front pinches as natural as possible by just taking the hat on and off a few times and seeing where the dents appeared, then steaming some more and allowing them to set.
The color of the felt is a rusty brown. It seemed to become much more vibrant through the steaming process. The felt is fairly thick, dense and heavy. This is not a featherweight or summer hat.
The crown is about 6 inches open, bashed to about 4 1/2 inches in front and 4 inches in back. After careful measurement of the brim, I've settle on 2 1/8 inches as the official dimension. It has a Cavanagh-type over-welt edge with no visible stitching.
The grosgrain ribbon is 2 inches wide and is an olive-brown color that contrasts nicely with the reddish hue of the felt.
I'm guessing mid-50s as to the vintage of this hat.
The only problem with this hat is that my Akubra Stylemaster suddenly feels like cardboard in comparison.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55751256@N00/866002000/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1092/866002000_500526d85e_o.jpg" width="720" height="515" alt="resleft" /></a>
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