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The School of Hard Knox

Bill Hughes

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,165
Location
North Texas
Knox Foxhound arrived today. I believe it is 1950s. Does the O.P.S. tag help to narrow down the data range? It's a lighter sage color.

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Messages
15,259
Location
Arlington, Virginia

moontheloon

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,592
Location
NJ

great hat my man ... and yes the OPS tag puts it directly in the '51-'53 range

seriously wonderful piece ... those Foxhounds are just fantastic ... and that edge treatment is a knockout
 
Messages
12,384
Location
Albany Oregon
Fantastic Knox! And from a famous men's store in my neck of the woods. They eventually had stores in Seattle and Tacoma. The Portland store dates back to the 1920s I believe.
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drmaxtejeda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,363
Location
Mexico City

Richard Morgan

One Too Many
Messages
1,642
Location
Central Tesxas
Messages
18,443
Location
Nederland

Jerry Probst

One of the Regulars
Messages
109
Hi,

I was hoping some of you "Old Hats" might be able to help me identify and date this wonderful Knox estate sale find. Please don't ask how much it cost. I hope to be a respected member of Fedora Lounge and jealousy and hatred won't help my reputation. lol:)

First, does anybody recognize the style? I am seeing similar modern called "low top hats" and an older one called a "Cahill" The differerence with the Cahill is this has a flat brim ... the Cahill is rolled.

Next construction. The condition of the fur is perfect. The only condition problem is with the grosgrain edge ribbon as you can see in the photos.

Can anyone tell me how this hat is constructed. It is not felt. It feels like a hard board of some kind covered with fur. The underside of the brim and crown are covered with fabric. It feels very sturdy and stiff all around. Can I assume given it's apparent age and quality that the fur is beaver?

Would you recommend that I repair the damaged ribbon edge or leave it be?

Lastly, age. This is where I really hope for some expert help. My sense is telling me 19th Century ... but that is only a guess. When was this style popular?

I picked it up as a possible steampunk style ... but ... my spider senses are saying it doesn't deserve to have pipes and watch parts stuck to it. lol

Thanks in advance.

Jerry
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Messages
12,384
Location
Albany Oregon
Hi,

I was hoping some of you "Old Hats" might be able to help me identify and date this wonderful Knox estate sale find. Please don't ask how much it cost. I hope to be a respected member of Fedora Lounge and jealousy and hatred won't help my reputation. lol:)

First, does anybody recognize the style? I am seeing similar modern called "low top hats" and an older one called a "Cahill" The differerence with the Cahill is this has a flat brim ... the Cahill is rolled.

Next construction. The condition of the fur is perfect. The only condition problem is with the grosgrain edge ribbon as you can see in the photos.

Can anyone tell me how this hat is constructed. It is not felt. It feels like a hard board of some kind covered with fur. The underside of the brim and crown are covered with fabric. It feels very sturdy and stiff all around. Can I assume given it's apparent age and quality that the fur is beaver?

Would you recommend that I repair the damaged ribbon edge or leave it be?

Lastly, age. This is where I really hope for some expert help. My sense is telling me 19th Century ... but that is only a guess. When was this style popular?

I picked it up as a possible steampunk style ... but ... my spider senses are saying it doesn't deserve to have pipes and watch parts stuck to it. lol

Thanks in advance.

Jerry View attachment 129394 View attachment 129395 View attachment 129396 View attachment 129397 View attachment 129398 View attachment 129399 View attachment 129400
Wow! It really appears to have some substantial age to it. Are there any markings under the sweat? Be careful looking for them. Sometimes you can take a photo in a mirror if it is brittle. The underside of the brim appears to be satin? Common in "Tuxedo" hats as they were known.
 

Jerry Probst

One of the Regulars
Messages
109
Wow! It really appears to have some substantial age to it. Are there any markings under the sweat? Be careful looking for them. Sometimes you can take a photo in a mirror if it is brittle. The underside of the brim appears to be satin? Common in "Tuxedo" hats as they were known.


Here are some more photos. The lining is a two piece satin. One part is the black oval lining containing the label underneath the top. The other piece is a sewn "tube" that fits around the inside. This second part is lined with either a cotton or wool batting (probably wool). It is sewn to the inside of the break. There is a very thin wire sewn near the top that draws the edges of the tube together very neatly to meet the top label. The satin tube is in very good condition and is very pliable. I was able to turn it inside out and replace it very easily (see picture). There are hand written markings inside the crown. They appear to have been made with a black grease pencil. I cannot decifer the meaning. There is possibly a unit number of some kind. Possibly a size (there appears to be a 1/2). There is also some letters written is script. I wonder if that is an inspector's mark. Unfortunately, that is all there is. I see no evidence of other labels or tags.

Thanks for your help. My spider senses, just looking at it's form suggest somewhere in the 1840s to 1850s ... but that is just a guess. Anyone know where I can find old Knox labels and when they were used?

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AbbaDatDeHat

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,850
Here are some more photos. The lining is a two piece satin. One part is the black oval lining containing the label underneath the top. The other piece is a sewn "tube" that fits around the inside. This second part is lined with either a cotton or wool batting (probably wool). It is sewn to the inside of the break. There is a very thin wire sewn near the top that draws the edges of the tube together very neatly to meet the top label. The satin tube is in very good condition and is very pliable. I was able to turn it inside out and replace it very easily (see picture). There are hand written markings inside the crown. They appear to have been made with a black grease pencil. I cannot decifer the meaning. There is possibly a unit number of some kind. Possibly a size (there appears to be a 1/2). There is also some letters written is script. I wonder if that is an inspector's mark. Unfortunately, that is all there is. I see no evidence of other labels or tags.

Thanks for your help. My spider senses, just looking at it's form suggest somewhere in the 1840s to 1850s ... but that is just a guess. Anyone know where I can find old Knox labels and when they were used?

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Interesting hat to say the least!
What is the diameter of the brim? Front to back and side to side.
Also, how tall is the crown?
Interesting 3 ribbon “block” bows, 3,2,1 pyramid style.
B
 

Jerry Probst

One of the Regulars
Messages
109
Interesting hat to say the least!
What is the diameter of the brim? Front to back and side to side.
Also, how tall is the crown?
Interesting 3 ribbon “block” bows, 3,2,1 pyramid style.
B

Front to back = 8 1/4
Side to side = 6 1/2
Crown height = 4 1/4
Brim = 2 3/4

BTW I passed on two other Tophats. One was a silk foldable opera hat. It had some lining and other issues but was in generally very good condition for $60. The other was also in very good shape but was very small. I saw them at an estate sale for an old judge. He also had some military hats -- officer's hats, montana peaks, and campaign hats. I'm wondering now if I should go back and get them.
 

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