The instant vintage Newsboy Cap collection!

[Mike1973]

It started with a thread in classifieds posted by Cookie for a job lot of newsboys on ebay. The link had been deleted but it didn't take long to find, and even better, it still had 9 hours to run!

The description didn't go into too many details, but I liked what I saw and thought it was definitely worth a shot, so I set my alarm to wake me up 10 minutes before it ended some ungodly hour of the morning, and put in a snipe. Lady luck was shinning on me, and I won them for one buck less than my bid. So cheers Cookie for posting the thread!

 

[Mike1973]

Here they are in more detail...

Three of the caps are the same maker, Sam Berger Hat Co., and the same model 'Fashion Club CAPS DE LUXE'. (The top three 8 panels)
This one is my favourite of the three...

The hat band is a nasty oilskin type material, brittle with age. And what's the story behind the 'reused wool' label? How does it work? My better half says the material reminds her of a grannies old coat...
How was wool recycled? I've no idea.... were old garments shredded and the fibres rewoven?
I love the material, but I'm struggling to put a date to it, any guesses?

 

[Mike1973]

And the other two Sam Berger caps...

 

[Mike1973]

next up, the Wizard!

This one is the best of the bunch by a long way...

The sweat at the peak is leather, the band is card.

The label makes me think this one could be '25 - '35...

Hidden between the peak and body are two small holes about an inch apart. Not sure what they are for... Maybe some sort of method of adjustment? Or just a way of letting air escape from the inside of the cap? (I should have taken a picture... )

 

[Mike1973]

The CCC Cap...

The only one peice out of the seven...

And the rather snazzy fabric...

Again, I'm really struggling with a date... half of me thinks it is early, maybe 20's, the other half as late as the '60's... (The label makes me lean towards early...)

 

[indycop]

is there any significance to no panel, 7 panel, 8 panel?

 

[Mike1973]

And the last two...

These are really cheap and cheerful. No liner, no label, 25cents?, card sweatband...
Really reminds me of the Lewis Wickes Hine photos of the Empire State going up, and the guys having lunch on the girder...

Well that's it.... Any help with some dates for any of these would be appreciated!


And apologies that you've got to scroll through so many photos of me wearing them (Must invest in a display head.... would make photographing hats on my own so much easier as well :eusa_doh: )

 

[Mike1973]

is there any significance to no panel, 7 panel, 8 panel?

Not sure if there is any significance, just variations on a theme? But the last two are only 6 panel, and they are definitely budget caps. The better ones are 8 panel.

 

[cookie]

My eBay Heads Up

There seems to be some reticence by the Bartenders to allow members to give other members a heads up in the classified thread with items that they are not interested in but see randomly. Members troll through eBay and see vintage stuff that does not fit but could be a gem to another Lounger.

I think this instance shows that it should be possible ...as the benefits accrue over and to the entire Lounge - and like here... unexpectedly! This vintage treasure hoard is an excellent example.

Mis dos centavos...[huh] [huh]

By the way what were the sizes?

 

[deanglen]

What a jawdropping wonderfully awesome and fascinating cap collection, MikePara1973! Can't thank you enough for posting it!







dean

 

[Mike1973]

By the way what were the sizes?

The first three are all 7's, the Wizard is a 7 1/8 - 7 3/8, the CCC is 7 1/8, and the 6 panels are 7 1/8 and 7 1/4.

I'm a 6 7/8 with a short back and sides, but I can get away with wearing most of these here. The first three fit a treat, the CCC one panel is OK too. The two 6 panels are roomy but wearable. Bad news that the one I like most, the Wizard, it just a tiny bit too big :eusa_doh: I can still get away with it, but I wouldn't like to wear it when the wind gets up...

Cheers for the heads up on the caps Cookie :eusa_clap I would have missed them otherwise. I do look regularly, but not routinely, so these slipped the radar...
As for deleting the direct link because it was a vendor... why not delete the description as well if it's an issue? Or delete the whole thread? [huh] I found them straight away from your description

 

[Mike1973]

What a jawdropping wonderfully awesome and fascinating cap collection, MikePara1973! Can't thank you enough for posting it!

dean

Cheers Dean! I thought about putting these up in the cap faction, but I think they deserved their own thread!

BTW, you seem to have involved me and fellow lounger Mikepara in a head on collision...

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Mike -- what a great collection, lots of blues and tweeds, beautiful colors. Looks like you scored.

Don't know how old those caps are, did the seller say they came from an estate? I know you can hardly find leather sweat bands anymore, except for B!Wear caps.

I think they look better on you than they would on some mannequin head. Nothing like the real deal.

Can't decide which looks best on you, probably the first one, but I like that purplish one, too.

Congrats on a good eBay buy.

karol

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

A wonderful collection of wonderful caps. May I ask how wide are the crowns?

 

[deelovely]

Three of the caps are the same maker, Sam Berger Hat Co., and the same model 'Fashion Club CAPS DE LUXE'. (The top three 8 panels)
This one is my favourite of the three...

The hat band is a nasty oilskin type material, brittle with age. And what's the story behind the 'reused wool' label? How does it work? My better half says the material reminds her of a grannies old coat...
How was wool recycled? I've no idea.... were old garments shredded and the fibres rewoven?
I love the material, but I'm struggling to put a date to it, any guesses?

Ok..... I am starting to like caps more after seeing yours and how good they look on, and... now I REALLY want a cup of coffee!! lol

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Great caps. I suspect reused wool is garments being cut up and reused rather than the fabric taken apart and rewoven. I'm thinking they were reusing the fabric from badly damaged jackets, overcoats etc. If the jacket was dirty but the inside was okay, the panels could be made "inside-out", as it were. the pattern's the same whichever way.

again, a wonderful score!

bk

 

[tonypaj]

How come there's never stuff like this for us baldies with massive brains requiring a massive casing Did everyone really have smaller heads back then... I keep looking for caps like these with a euro size of 60, but it ain't happening...

Congratulations to you and thanks for the pics.

tonypaj

 

[Mike1973]

... now I REALLY want a cup of coffee!! lol

Never touch the stuff myself.... that's one of the dozen or so cups of Rosy Lee I have through the day. (Whih reminds me... must have been over an hour since my last brew...)

I suspect reused wool is garments being cut up and reused rather than the fabric taken apart and rewoven.

Baron, I think you may be right about cutting up of old garments. It just sounds odd... more of a cottage industry type thing, rather the mass production...? I wonder how big the Sam Berger Hat Co. was? If they are recycling old garments no two caps would have been the same. I would love to see them all displayed in a shop window, they must have looked great!

Did everyone really have smaller heads back then...


tonypaj

Tonypaj, I'm afraid I have no answer for you question [huh] So many people seem to have a larger head size than me, I think I'm in the minority... Not sure if that was the case back in the day? But then why are so many vintage hats and caps S/M, not M/L?

 

[deanglen]

Sorry abut the confusion, Mike! Got it straight now!








dean