SWEATBAND MANUFACTURE STAMPS THREAD (Not hat manufactures)

[Joshbru3]

Hello everyone,

Ive done searches to try and find any information on Vintage sweatband manufactures. I am unable to find any. I often ask, "What makes vintage sweatbands so wonderful, and better than modern day sweatbands?" Obviously many things, but I think It would be nice to have a place to post pictures of sweatband manufacture stampings to not only give our members another way to date a hat, but possibly see where the sweatband was produced and what hat manufactures used them. Here's a couple stampings from different hats that I have had in the past and currently.

Late 1940's-Early 1950's Portis Open Road
Sweatband Manufacture: DRUCO

Late 1940s Champ Custom Quality
Sweatband Manufacture: DRUCO

Late 1950s Dobbs 30
Sweatband Manufacture: L.C.B.

Early 1950s Adam Executive Strand
Sweatband Manufacture: L.C.B.

Early 1950s Custom Made XX.jpg
Sweatband Manufacture: L.C.B.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Not sure what the stamps mean, but the Dobbs sweatbands were manufactured in-house, meaning all Dobbs, Cavanagh, Crofut & Knapp, Knox, Dunlap, Byron, and Berg were manufactured by the Hat Corporation of America in Norwalk. They didn't outsource. It's probably a Union stamp. LCB = Leather Cutters' Brotherhood?

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

Whoa, I Googled DRUCO to see what turned up (nothing important), and this thread is already showing on Google, at the top! That's less than an hour.

Brad

 

[Joshbru3]

Not sure what the stamps mean, but the Dobbs sweatbands were manufactured in-house, meaning all Dobbs, Cavanagh, Crofut & Knapp, Knox, Dunlap, Byron, and Berg were manufactured by the Hat Corporation of America in Norwalk. They didn't outsource. It's probably a Union stamp. LCB = Leather Cutters' Brotherhood? Brad

Thanks for the info, Brad! Could the stamps be from the actual leather sheets before being cut? I would imagine that Hat Corp had to buy the leather sheets from some manufacture and then maybe cut them to size at the factory?

 

[Joshbru3]

Whoa, I Googled DRUCO to see what turned up (nothing important), and this thread is already showing on Google, at the top! That's less than an hour.

Brad

That is very cool. Ive always believed that here at the Fedora Lounge, we do really influence the world in some way.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Thanks for the info, Brad! Could the stamps be from the actual leather sheets before being cut? I would imagine that Hat Corp had to buy the leather sheets from some manufacture and then maybe cut them to size at the factory?

That could explain it, the tanner's mark.

Brad

 

[Art Fawcett]

A lot of renovators also stamped the leathers guys. The one that comes to mind for me is Shudde Bros in Houston. I aquired many years ago a hat that once belonged to Gene Autry and in my attempts to authenticate it ( anyone can stamp in the name) I contacted the original maker of the hat ( Shudde) . I was able to reach "the old man" Mr. Shudde the elder, who , once figuring out what I needed, was free with his info about Mr Autry and Mr. Shudde told me to look for the stamp under the sweat. Sure enough, there was a "SH" on the back and he explained that that was how Shudde identified their work on reno's. He personally vouched for the hat at that point. This was at least 15 years ago so I doubt he is still with us but boy, what a wealth of info he was. He had personally built Mr. Autry's hats and was the only one to reno them.

 

[Dinerman]

One such Shudde renovation stamp, on a Stetson 100 I sold a few years back.

 

[Art Fawcett]

That's the one Dinerman!!! I had forgotten the "ren" at the front.

 

[Joshbru3]

A lot of renovators also stamped the leathers guys. The one that comes to mind for me is Shudde Bros in Houston. I aquired many years ago a hat that once belonged to Gene Autry and in my attempts to authenticate it ( anyone can stamp in the name) I contacted the original maker of the hat ( Shudde) . I was able to reach "the old man" Mr. Shudde the elder, who , once figuring out what I needed, was free with his info about Mr Autry and Mr. Shudde told me to look for the stamp under the sweat. Sure enough, there was a "SH" on the back and he explained that that was how Shudde identified their work on reno's. He personally vouched for the hat at that point. This was at least 15 years ago so I doubt he is still with us but boy, what a wealth of info he was. He had personally built Mr. Autry's hats and was the only one to reno them.

Thank you very much for the very interesting information, Art!! I will keep a look out for renovation stamps as well now. Whats your opinion on the stampings that I posted? Do you think they could be tanners marks, or possibly the mark of the company who prepared the leather?

 

[Art Fawcett]

Whats your opinion on the stampings that I posted? Do you think they could be tanners marks, or possibly the mark of the company who prepared the leather?

I wouldn't rule it out but the likelyhood is greater that they represent renovators work. Hat companies used to and still do license hatters to renovate their hats ( Stetson as an example) using the original Stetson logo's on their replacement sweats. It may be that Stetson required the stamp ( so they could track down bad work) or the renovators would stamp them simply to prove they did or didn't work on the hats. Like any other biz there are "bad guys" both hatters & clients so sometimes proof was/is needed.

 

[Joshbru3]

I wouldn't rule it out but the likelyhood is greater that they represent renovators work. Hat companies used to and still do license hatters to renovate their hats ( Stetson as an example) using the original Stetson logo's on their replacement sweats. It may be that Stetson required the stamp ( so they could track down bad work) or the renovators would stamp them simply to prove they did or didn't work on the hats. Like any other biz there are "bad guys" both hatters & clients so sometimes proof was/is needed.

That's extremely interesting, Art! I would have never thought that those stamps could possibly be Renovators stamps. I really appreciate your responses. :eusa_clap

 

[buler]

Brad was on to something with the leather cutters union. Here is a blurb from Mens Wear Monthly in 1906. See the second point.

B



"Union Hats Now Have Five Labels - A hat to be a "union hat" must now have five union labels. First, there is
the union label of the United Hatters of North America; second, there is the sweatband cutter's label, stamped
on the leather; third, there is the gold leaf which is used on the "tip", an adhesive cloth label, which is placed
inside of the crown of the hat, giving the manufacturer's or dealer's name; fourthly, there is the label of the
International Brotherhood of Tip Printers itself, and , lastly, there is the label of the International Typographical
Union, which must appear on all printing."

 

[Brad Bowers]

Interesting! I don't think I've noticed those last three labels. I'll have to look more closely at my early Derbies.

Brad

 

[Joshbru3]

Brad was on to something with the leather cutters union. Here is a blurb from Mens Wear Monthly in 1906. See the second point.

B



"Union Hats Now Have Five Labels - A hat to be a "union hat" must now have five union labels. First, there is
the union label of the United Hatters of North America; second, there is the sweatband cutter's label, stamped
on the leather; third, there is the gold leaf which is used on the "tip", an adhesive cloth label, which is placed
inside of the crown of the hat, giving the manufacturer's or dealer's name; fourthly, there is the label of the
International Brotherhood of Tip Printers itself, and , lastly, there is the label of the International Typographical
Union, which must appear on all printing."

Very cool, Bill!! Thanks for posting that. Those sweatband markings that ive found are most probably the cutters marks. I would assume that the cutters stamped the entire hide of leather and then cut the sweatbands out.

 

[dutchroo]

Thought I would add to the collection of photos. This stamp comes from an early '60s Knox Comet 4 (Knox Custom):



The mark is very similar to the L.C.B. mark on the late-'50s Dobbs 30 shown below.

 

[buler]

Not sure if this was ever found and posted elsewhere. Just noticed this ad for Brizel Leather Corporation (LBC) in a Hat Life that Vic posted.

B

 

[hatsRme]

Another question on DRUCO comes to mind. DO you think that firm was a predecessor of "Singer and Michaeli," the sweatband fabricator/supplier located in Framingham, Massachusetts? The current owner's name is James Drueding.

 

[buler]

From the same Hat Life. Drueding Brothers Company. Most likey DRUCO. James Drueding is probably from the same family. Google book references back to 1800s for Drueding Brothers Company.

B

 

[carouselvic]

1946 HAT LIFE Yearbook