Stratoliner

[Solid Citizen]

Stratoliners

Yes, I have a dark chocolate brown Stetson Stratoliner, judging by Ebay auctions appears to be a scarce color compared to more normal grays, tans & bluegrays. Peter

 

[PutALidOnIt]

My First Stratoliner

Just scored my first Stratoliner on eBay! The crown is Borsalino-soft, but the brim is cowboy-hat stiff and has an extremely curved snap. when turned up the edge of the 2 3/4" brim literally points 90 degrees up - kinda soup bowl looking. Just wondering if this is normal (I can post pics this PM or tomorrow, if anyone's interested).

The basic block must've been OK at one time but the brim wants to snap about 1 1/2 inches off center and the crown pinch wants to follow. Maybe the guy had a crooked noggin! I have tried some light steaming but the brim has a strong memory.

I would like the brim to be a bit softer, and Maybe this is a candidate for Art's expertise...

 

[riccardo]

...mmmm....

post a pic, guy!!

Enjoy your new hat.
Riccardo

 

[Solid Citizen]

Vintage Stratoliner

My 1940's chocolate Stratoliner & 1940's Borsalino (avatar) look similar in style, but thats where it stops. The entire Borsalino is ultra soft & feather light while the Stratoliner exhibits some of the same charactersitics as you described in the one you just picked up on Ebay. Posting some inside/outside pics of your Stratoliner would be nice to look at, also what did you pay for the hat? Peter :cool2:

 

[fedoralover]

The Stratoliners brims were flanged with a sharper curl. In fact the original hat boxes are oval so when the hat is stored it actually helps to keep the curl in.

fedoralover

 

[PutALidOnIt]

Some pics...

Thanks for the input, guys!

Here are the pics - needs a clean and block, but with no nibbles or snags - at $33 plus shipping (w/Stetson box) I figure I can have a nice lid...and, being an auction lover, I didn't end up backing off of bidding with Johnnysan or Snrbfshn on this one...
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/surfnjoe/Stratoliner0.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/surfnjoe/Stratoliner1.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/surfnjoe/Stratoliner2.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/surfnjoe/Stratoliner3.jpg

Maybe it received few bids because it didn't state "Stratoliner", and the size was listed as a 7 1/8 - it's a 7 1/4. It happens that they had another similar hat (I took both, of course!) that was a 7 1/8 in a sort of cadet blue/gray but slightly smaller brim (2 1/2") and lower crown (4 3/4 at the side with bash) and does not say "Stratoliner", but is lighter weight and softer like my Dobbs Westward.

So, what era is this Strat from - late 50's? It has the medium brown finely textured band (not smooth, nor coarsely textured) and "Stratoliner" is in the same semi-old English rather than the nifty-swifty script I have seen on some.

Thanks again to everyone at the Lounge!

 

[jeboat]

Brim of Stratoliner

I would send the hat to Optimo and let Graham work his magic on it. It cost about $45.00 for a cleaning, blocking and a hat box including postage. It will turn a nice hat into a great hat.

jeboat :cool2: :cool2: :cool2:

 

[fedoralover]

That brim is exactly the way a Stratoliner's brim is supposed to be. If you want to keep it original I wouldn't change it. Stratoliners were made from the early 40s and then discontinued in the early 60s. They are similar to an Open Road in the crowns but the brims were different as you can see. I like it for the variety myself, plus because they weren't in production as long as Open Roads they are harder to find in good shape.

Here is mine with the original box, as you can see it looks a lot like yours.

fedoralover

 

[Solid Citizen]

Fedoralovers Strat

Rich, the cool thing about your Stratoliner besides the original box, is the scarce Strat airplane pin. I sold off a tan sz 7 1/2 a few years ago with that pin, but mine was all rusty yours looks mint Nice! Peter

PS @ $33.00 PutALidOnIt got a good deal on his Stratoliner.

 

[PutALidOnIt]

Thanks for the info and suggestions jeboat and beautiful lid, fedoralover!

I guess from all of the threads about Strats that I had assumed that it was an everyday "casual" or soft hat. It is still a classic lid and deserves decent restoration so that it is wearable. What is the typical turn-around for Optimo on a clean 'n' block? I haven't been to their website for a while but I guess it's best to call for a lead time depending on work load...

Not to spin the thread too far off the topic, but how does the overall stiffness of the Strat compare to the Whippet or the soft-bash Open Road?

I ask only because I have a chocolate brown Mallory "Dallas" Pliafelt, with a similar high-snap curl, and it seems much more flexible than the Strat. I know that Mallory was generally a lower cost hat, and I am not yet sharp enough to perceive some of the nuances of the styles, but I presume this was the poor man's Stratoliner. I had no trouble getting it into shape with some judicious steaming...the Strat is insistent on its shape and needs some professional care!

 

[PutALidOnIt]

Finally figured out the 'insert URL' for pics - duh!

This is the Mallory Dallas that looks to me like it could be the "poor man's Stratoliner"...Solves the issue of finding a non-gray one!

This one was stuffed in a batch of hats and I wish I had taken a pic before I revived it - it was really mooshed!

 

[Solid Citizen]

Yes Lid, I've got a gray Mallory that sorta looks like a Stratoliner till you put it on the overall hat looks more compact than the Strat, it has the look of of late 1930's early 1940's hat, while the Strat look's pure mid/late 1940's. Peter :cool2:

PS Just saw your chocolate Mallory pic looks like my gray one!
PSS Lid you got some nice hat there brother!

 

[PutALidOnIt]

Thanks, Solid! You have quite a few choice ones as well, from what I have read & seen.

I just started "collecting" less than a year ago, but I am fatally addicted! My first "bite" was finding 3 Borsalinos at a thrift for $8 apiece! I kept one, and eBayed the two that didn't quite fit...how can one go wrong?! I have a soft spot for that "blonde" Resistol Beaver Twenty Kitten Finish that you can see in the background...

BTW, I'm an old MD transplant from years ago. One lid I recently bought on eBay had an old Hecht's price sticker in it! That really took me back!

 

[Solid Citizen]

Lid, just curious what your hat size is, I'm 7 1/4 - 7 3/8. Yes, Hecht Company is going under there being bought out by Macy's. I'm a less than year into the hat addiction myself. Seems like the prices are climbing on Ebay as sited by Fedoralover. Peter

 

[PutALidOnIt]

I'm generally comfortable in a 7 1/4, preferably L.O. The light gray Strat is a 1/4 reg. The bonus Stetson is a 1/8, but I am slow stretching it to fit, as I have done with some others. I have some 3/8's that are OK, but it all depends upon where they want to sit (or where they feel comfy) on my noggin.

BTW, that's why I make the jokes about bidding on eBay with Sharpetoys, Snrbfshn, Johnnysan, etc. - 1/4 and 3/8 seem to be very popular sizes and draw a lot of bidding competition. It's easy to figure out the lounge members if you like solving mysteries:cool2: If I see lounge members in the fray, I will usually choose to bow out so as to not "artificially" drive the prices up!

There's an old adage that, "You can have friends in a gunfight, but there are no friends at an auction". I prefer to respect our fraternity of the lounge because everybody wins some and loses some!

P.S. I can remember shopping at Kann's, Woodie's, Hecht's and a couple of others back in the day. I guess the monolithic chains and mall shops are really taking over the 'burbs!

 

[Johnnysan]

Here are the pics - needs a clean and block, but with no nibbles or snags - at $33 plus shipping (w/Stetson box) I figure I can have a nice lid...and, being an auction lover, I didn't end up backing off of bidding with Johnnysan or Snrbfshn on this one...

LOL!! What a great find...if only I would've known!!

You really scored a beautiful hat and a steal at $33!! I just acquired my first Stratoliner a month or so ago and really love it. On another note...WOW, is that Mallory Dallas a fine looking hat. I love the color and have been looking for one in that shade for awhile.

Congratulations again on a VERY nice purchase! Wear it in happiness and good health! :cheers1:

 

[PutALidOnIt]

Thanks, Johnnysan!

Hope you don't mind my mentioning you and some of the other 7 1/4 guys about the eBay stuff

I tend to go risky on the low-bucks ones, and have been very fortunate for the most part such speculative purchases on eBay, though a couple have been disappointments. The "whoopees" easily outnumber the "boo-hoos"!

The Mallory was in a batch of 5, and it and the Stetson were easily worth the price of admission:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSAA:US:11&Item=8222495015

I gave the plaid porkpie to my lead singer (he loves it!), and kept the strange olive colored backbow (as seen in another thread) as a curiosity. So at under $40, I'm a happy camper!

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Not to spin the thread too far off the topic, but how does the overall stiffness of the Strat compare to the Whippet or the soft-bash Open Road?

I can't make a direct comparison, but I can tell you that the Open Road has a very soft crown, but the brim on mine is a bit stubborn, like your Stratoliner. However, the curl isn't as dramatic. Otherwise, your Strat is a dead ringer for my Open Road! Nice hat. Anyway, Art is cleaning and blocking my O.R.... I'll let you know how it turns out if you're interested.

 

[Snrbfshn]

A steal, indeed...

Fine lookin' lids, there. And, yep, had I been willing to take the chance you did, I'da been shooting for it, too.

Like you, when I've seen other Lounge members bidding, I've backed off of some hats that I thought were interesting. But if it's one that has me wide-eyed, it's every man for himself. And with more snipers lurking, it's hard to tell who's interested. But there are a few guys that don't seem to be Loungers I can count on to take a fancy to the same ones I do.

As a buyer, it's depressing how many hats that 6 months ago were going for around $25-40 are now topping $70-100. There's a lot of new players going for the same hats I am (as you can see by their low-2-digit feedbacks) and with fatter wallets than mine. But as a soon-to-be-seller, I guess like all things else in life, you don't lose something without gaining something.

 

[Solid Citizen]

Quality Vintage Still Less Than Custom!

The title above is why I think prices have gone up. Vintage lovers are getting hip that that old vintage lids on Ebay are great & less than custom, even at the current newer higher prices. Not every vintage lover is registered here @ the Lounge. Yes, an don't snipe on Ebay then don't plan on winning the hat (Snippers One bid One win is getinng more $$$).

Snbrfshn, I detected in you last post on this thread a "soon-to-be seller" could you clarify, in other words your putting some of your hat chips on the table, putting the felt to the felt so to speak??? Peter :cool2: