The Stratoliner Society {VINTAGE}

[barrowjh]

I wondered about OFAS for a while, but another recent thread revealed it as "Our Favorite Auction Site." The Stetson name gets hammered on ebay, every junk dealer jumps in at the bottom-feeder price levels, and then the serious collectors show up in the final hours (final 30 seconds). Stratoliner is really chased, because we all know that those are genuine, that name died when Stetson went out of business in '64, so there are no Stevens or Hatco Strats.

 

[Newteh]

So before commiting to a hat on eBay one should check for what signs that make it genuine?

The sweatband logos and box? Or just the general look of the hat?

Regards,

Newton

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Newteh, I know everything else has been counterfeited, but this doesn't seem to be a problem with what we collect, YET! As prices keep going up...

 

[mingoslim]

I have been looking for 5 years . . .

I have been looking for a Strat in my size (73/8 LO to 7 1/2) for 5 years . . .
I have picked up a few in that time that were close (7 1/4). . . but so far, none have fit . . . even though I tried stretching, etc.

One seems to come up in this size every couple of weeks . . . sometimes several come up in a short time, sometimes you can go a month or two with no larger sizes coming up . . . but I would say the average is every other week. For several years, I have bid on almost every one on the bay . . . But I have been sniped a couple dozen times or more, losing at the last minute . . . often by $1 . . .

Finally (keep your fingers crossed) I think I won my Strat on OFAS just two days ago, and at a fairly reasonable price . . . So it can be done . . . it just takes determination, patience, and luck . . .

Mind you . . . if money isn't an object, you can probably outbid your way to the Strat of your dreams on the bay within a couple of weeks. As I said, one in 3/8ths or 1/2 shows up every other week or so . . . But to make sure you win, you are going to have to be willing to spend $200 . . .

 

[Newteh]

If the hat is right then I would be prepared to pay $200.

Would you be able to link to the listing you won on eBay so we can see the hat?

I'm going to keep my eyes peeled, but I may consider a similar style of hat brand new.

Regards,

Newton

 

[Samsa]

I wondered about OFAS for a while, but another recent thread revealed it as "Our Favorite Auction Site." The Stetson name gets hammered on ebay, every junk dealer jumps in at the bottom-feeder price levels, and then the serious collectors show up in the final hours (final 30 seconds). Stratoliner is really chased, because we all know that those are genuine, that name died when Stetson went out of business in '64, so there are no Stevens or Hatco Strats.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what OFAS meant.

 

[tonyb]

If the hat is right then I would be prepared to pay $200.

Would you be able to link to the listing you won on eBay so we can see the hat?

I'm going to keep my eyes peeled, but I may consider a similar style of hat brand new.

Regards,

Newton

Mingoslim's advice is right on the money, Newton. Patience, persistence, luck. You'll need one or two or all three.
Take it from a guy with several relatively recent (as in the past dozen years or so) Borsalino Alessandrias -- the kind of money they retail for ($250 or more these days) would likely be much better spent on that elusive Stratoliner, or any number of other vintage hats. Those new Alessandrias look quite nice when new, but they don't stay that way for long. If they were closer in price to a Stetson or an Akubra, you could do worse than buying one. But they aren't.

 

[barrowjh]

Newteh - you asked about how to know if it is genuine, and I should confess that everything I 'know' was read from strings that are still active, still on this BB, and I have been lurking around for less than a year. Search Hats for dating, thin ribbon, etc. and you will 'know' in short order. Hatco owns the Stetson name now (maybe Churchill also?) and they could bring back the Stratoliner name at any time if they choose, I guess, it seems that I saw a post recently that talked about a new Whippet, which was also a style name that I thought had ceased when Stetson went out of business (I might be wrong about this - memories jumble with age!). There are some reliable markers, especially in the Stetson line - the nice wide roan leather sweatbands (2 inch) generally identify a hat as having been made before the MBA crowd got into the act, controlling costs by lowering quality. Custom or 'bespoke' hatters are still using nice sweatbands, but to my knowledge, probably not many factory-made hats with those since the 1970s, and I think no Stetsons made after they went out of business in '64 would have come with a 2 in roan leather (maybe an isolated custom-made Stetson for a wealthy client, but not factory standard). Hatco does have a rep on this site, and maybe he will step in and clarify.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Those new Alessandrias look quite nice when new, but they don't stay that way for long. If they were closer in price to a Stetson or an Akubra, you could do worse than buying one. But they aren't.

Somebody said something good about new Stetsons. HATCO, are you listening?

 

[tonyb]

Not so much a positive statement about Stetson as a somewhat-less-than-positive observation about modern Borsalinos, J.T.
Speaking only for myself, as something of a hat nut, I say that just about any modern factory-made hat is a waste of money, and, due to its high price, a Borsalino is decidedly so. At least a new Stetson (an Open Road, say) doesn't cost so much that a person would reasonably expect something special in exchange for his hard-earned dough.
Those new Borsalinos ARE superior in some ways, but nowhere near superior enough to justify the price.
But, you know, the vast, vast majority of people will never know or care even remotely as much about hats as some of us here do. For those more typical people, a new Stetson is a good enough value.

 

[deanglen]

Newton,

Might be a good idea to post a request in the Classified Forum http://www.thefedoralounge.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16 to get a Strat you might want.

dean

 

[indycop]

Newton,

Might be a god idea to post a request in the Classified Forum http://www.thefedoralounge.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16 to get a Strat you might want.

dean

deanglen are you sure God wants him to post in the classifieds?

 

[deanglen]

deanglen are you sure God wants him to post in the classifieds?

Aw, for goodness sake! I'm a freakin' idiot! I HATE TYPING! Thanks for pointing that out, Indy. Pretty funny actually! lol lol lol

dean

 

[Solid Citizen]

Alternative

Newteh, just surfed Ebay Open Roads look kind of slim right now. Saw a 40's grey Portis 7/ 3/8 w/ some moth dents (Buy it Now/Best Offer) still looks wearable, may want to check it out Newteh.

Solid Citizen :rolleyes

 

[RBH]

deanglen are you sure God wants him to post in the classifieds?

If anyone is SURE... I am sure it is Dean!

 

[deanglen]

If anyone is SURE... I am sure it is Dean!

Bless you, R!

dean

 

[mingoslim]

Would you be able to link to the listing you won on eBay so we can see the hat?

Here is the listing . . .

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200152088818&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=010

Not sure this is going to be it . . . looks good, but the size issue worries me.
As I said, I am keeping my fingers crossed . . .

 

[Dinerman]

Sure have been a lot of them on the bay as of late. Prices have come down a bit on them, as well.

 

[indycop]

If anyone is SURE... I am sure it is Dean!

I probably should'nt have gone there since i will be working sundat instead of going to church!:eusa_doh:

 

[D00R]

I'm looking for a gray Strat or Open Road to but in a size 22..