The One that got away

[Bud-n-Texas]

I was hoping to be able to post this hat as one in my collection. I would love to be able to tell everyone of its buttery softness, the way I feel when donning this trophy. Ah, but I was outbid in the last moments. Such is life, I have no hard feelings about it and hope that it may be a fellow lounger that picked it up. That having been said, I feel this hat and the story behind it should be shared.
First here is the hat

THE STORY

The owner of the race horse Demon Hanover was a fellow named Harry Hoyt from Danbury, Ct.. This fellow was known as the "Happy Hatter", and yes was a hat maker. Not only did he own the horse, he also added to his resume, that he was the jockey. Demon Hanover won the 1948 HAMBLETONIAN, and in admiration for this horse and its winning ways, Mr Hoyt made these hats.

 

[DocBob345]

Sorry to hear....

Bud,

I'm sorry to hear that you lost that one. The story is almost as nice as the hat itself!

Best,
Robert

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

I had seen the hat and was initially interested because I do not have one this color. After doing the research on the horse and the man, the hat almost took a backseat to the story.

 

[RBH]

WOW Bud!

That is one SWEET looking fedora. Sorry you missed out.
But thanks for sharing the story and the pics, as I wear a 7 1/2 I sometimes do not look at the lesser sizes, so I had missed this one.

Would you mind letting us know what it went for?

 

[DOUGLAS]

Very nice,that would have been a great hat to wear. Sorry man, i have had similar outcomes.

 

[besdor]

I would love to see that hat. The lining alone is worth the price. Ahh, they made beautiful hats years ago.


Steven
Bencraft Hats

 

[mjbrekke]

The story from 1948: time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,799018,00.html

 

[handymike]

the hat that's been haunting me

Hello all,
For the past 4 years I've been trying to recover from an incident that occurred one Saturday morning in Santa Fe.
I'd been there on work and surrounded by vintage Stetsons all week (the group I was with had quite the collection). I however only brought along a Dodgers cap. After a week, I was jonzing for a fedora. I had never purchased one at that point, mind you. Well, situated down a certain small street was the Santa Fe Hat Company. I walked in and casually tried a few on...nothing rang my bell. Then, the lady working there pulled out a dove grey fedora that really sang. Better yet, it fit and looked fantastic. I was about to pull the trigger when I saw the price. Not being a hat aficionado, I stood there stunned....
I struggled with the decision to buy it or not..
In the end I passed.
BUT
I've never forgotten that hat, and I've been looking for something comparable ever since...with no luck.
Anyone else have a "one that got away" story?

 

[John Galt]

Mike, I have done this too many times to count, but darn it, I just can't buy them all! I'm sure that if you nab some pics of the style, crease, color & trim you want, any one of the pros on the lounge can build one for you. I've just become a Tom Gomez fan, and (maybe) a customer. You might give him a ring. He's an artist, IMHO, in both felt & straw.

 

[fedoracentric]

The Demon Hanover hat is somewhat rare. I guess we see only 1 to 3 a year come up on ebay. The box the hat came in is extremely rare. I have only seen two boxes before. And one of them was here on one of the Lounge pages. Saw the other one go for $100 or so on ebay a few months ago. (NOT to me, though.)