" The Great British Hat Makers "

[steur]

Very cool find, Steve. Never seen that Battersby logo before. Good looking topper as well; a bit less bell shaped and more straight. Another great one for the collection.

 

[Steve1857]

Very cool find, Steve. Never seen that Battersby logo before. Good looking topper as well; a bit less bell shaped and more straight. Another great one for the collection.

Thanks Stefan. Couldn't resist this one.

 

[Steve1857]

More on the Battersby Top Hat.

Forgot to mention it's a 15cm crown height and 5cm brim.



Another unusual addition is it has a grosgrain ribbon and bow instead of the ubiquitous topper velvet ribbon sans bow.



After a slight bake and stretch (believe me, it does work), it fits nicely

 

[steur]

Lock&Co fedora in a brown colour called chestnut. Size 62, or 7 5/8 UK, with a brim of 5,5cm and the crown at 11,5cm at the center dent. Unlined but likely did have a liner at one point. Doesn't come across as a stingy brim though due to its shape, which is more straight and full, and proportions. The brim has a very nice cuppy shape at the back. Dang; forgot to straighten the ribbon.

 

[steur]

Battersby bowler in black. Size 58 (7 1/8 English), but it seems a bit smaller than that. Great smooth finish to the felt, so it's a fur felt one. Feels lighter than it actually is at 144 grams. Difficult to date this one, but based on liner, tight brim curl and sweat I'd say forties, late thirties maybe. This one was used as a riding hat at one point: there was a ribbon in the box it came in and on both sides of the sweatband some stitches have been cut to accommodate it.

 

[Steve1857]

Battersby bowler in black. Size 58 (7 1/8 English), but it seems a bit smaller than that. Great smooth finish to the felt, so it's a fur felt one. Feels lighter than it actually is at 144 grams. Difficult to date this one, but based on liner, tight brim curl and sweat I'd say forties, late thirties maybe. This one was used as a riding hat at one point: there was a ribbon in the box it came in and on both sides of the sweatband some stitches have been cut to accommodate it.

Nice find, Stefan.

Guess who'll be pm'ing you shortly

 

[steur]

Nice find, Stefan.

Guess who'll be pm'ing you shortly

Thank you, Steve. It's what I thought when I bought it: "I think I know someone who'll like this"

 

[steur]

GA Dunn&Co Ltd velour hat in brown. Size 56 with the raw edge brim at 6 and the crown at 10 cm at the center dent. A more short haired velour in a nice rich brown colour. Lovely hand to the felt and it shapes easily. No labels under the sweat, so no idea who the manufacturer was. Weighs 126 grams.

 

[PanosChris]

GA Dunn&Co Ltd velour hat in brown. Size 56 with the raw edge brim at 6 and the crown at 10 cm at the center dent. A more short haired velour in a nice rich brown colour. Lovely hand to the felt and it shapes easily. No labels under the sweat, so no idea who the manufacturer was. Weighs 126 grams.

Sweet! Browns don't come up all that often. Do we have evidence for other than Czechoslovakia-based velour makers for Dunn&Co?

 

[steur]

Sweet! Browns don't come up all that often. Do we have evidence for other than Czechoslovakia-based velour makers for Dunn&Co?

These velour Dunn hats are a bit of a mystery to me. The other one I have is not nearly as nice as this one, but that one doesn't provide any information either.

 

[Steve1857]

GA Dunn&Co Ltd velour hat in brown. Size 56 with the raw edge brim at 6 and the crown at 10 cm at the center dent. A more short haired velour in a nice rich brown colour. Lovely hand to the felt and it shapes easily. No labels under the sweat, so no idea who the manufacturer was. Weighs 126 grams.

Great Dunn & Co find, Stefan.

 

[steur]

Great Dunn & Co find, Stefan.

Thank you, Steve. Well pleased with this one.

 

[Wangenheim]

A year ago I bought this brown Lincoln Bennett. The Sweat band is unreeded (4,3cm). The brim is 5,6cm. Crown height 9,5cm. That's after my new bashing, because the crown was lowered, especially at the back. I think this was not original (can still see where the former top at the back was). Hat band is 2,5cm. Size 7/57.

Very nice felt.

The somewhat low crown, small brim and hat band makes me guess it's a 50s hat (although unreeded), but I don't know much about british Fedoras and their styles over the decades. So, is the production period right?

 

[steur]

A year ago I bought this brown Lincoln Bennett. The Sweat band is unreeded (4,3cm). The brim is 5,6cm. Crown height 9,5cm. That's after my new bashing, because the crown was lowered, especially at the back. I think this was not original (can still see where the former top at the back was). Hat band is 2,5cm. Size 7/57.

Very nice felt.

The somewhat low crown, small brim and hat band makes me guess it's a 50s hat (although unreeded), but I don't know much about british Fedoras and their styles over the decades. So, is the production period right?

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Welcome to the lounge. A nice looking hat that one. I think it could be a bit earlier, late forties maybe. Admittedly there's not much to go on with these English hats because they didn't change all that much except in their finishings. The cloth crown patch and the crisp detail on the sweatband imprint point towards a somewhat earlier hat. Not pre-war in its style though.

 

[Steve1857]

A year ago I bought this brown Lincoln Bennett. The Sweat band is unreeded (4,3cm). The brim is 5,6cm. Crown height 9,5cm. That's after my new bashing, because the crown was lowered, especially at the back. I think this was not original (can still see where the former top at the back was). Hat band is 2,5cm. Size 7/57.

Very nice felt.

The somewhat low crown, small brim and hat band makes me guess it's a 50s hat (although unreeded), but I don't know much about british Fedoras and their styles over the decades. So, is the production period right?

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1950s would be correct. The "By appointment to her Majesty the Queen" refers to Elizabeth II who became Queen in February 1952.

 

[Wangenheim]

Thank you! That's what I thought too (not that specific): looks a bit older. But then, the argument with "her Majesty" is really good : )

And am I right, that the company went out of business 1955? That would pinpoint it.

 

[steur]

1950s would be correct. The "By appointment to her Majesty the Queen" refers to Elizabeth II who became Queen in February 1952.

O dear, didn't even notice that! Doh!

 

[Steve1857]

O dear, didn't even notice that! Doh!

No worries, Stefan. As an anti-royalist, I've come to spot these trademarks

 

[Steve1857]

Thank you! That's what I thought too (not that specific): looks a bit older. But then, the argument with "her Majesty" is really good : )

And am I right, that the company went out of business 1955? That would pinpoint it.

They were sold off, but the new owners continued to use the name. It was about the mid 80s when the name of Lincoln Bennett finally died.

However, apparently, there is a plan to revive it. The new resurrection will, of course, bear no relation to the wonderful hat manufacturer of a bygone, hat making day.

 

[Wangenheim]

Ah, interesting! And yes, I lately saw somewhere, that the Lincoln Bennett Logo ist redesigned. But it looked, like they really wanted at least this to be old style.