Vintage Fedora Collecting or just too many hats in too little time...

[Wil Tam]

I have an ever expanding hat collection that started with my grandfather's Bond Executive, which I found in a beat-up hatbox over a year ago. Since then I collected about 20 more from hard to obtain Borsalinos to the easy peezy Stetsons. I had my share of duds & gems and they were mostly from eBay auctions although the majority of my gems were from second hand clothing shops that didn't know what they had ... for example: I bought 2 Borsalinos in good condition & in my size for $6.00 each ... all they needed was a good steam cleaning & re-bash ... then again I 'won' a few on eBay that looked decent but needed to be totally refurbished for about 10 times as much ... so I guess it evens out in the end.

I've gotten a few Knox Hats off the bay that were listed as mint & when they arrived they seemed as such... but after a few outings the sweatbands started to crumble, these are the only hats that have this problem... also I found that with the Knox hats the liner was 'glued' in, not stitched like many of the others... which I guess reflects on the quality of workmanship from label to label.

Right now, in my collection, I have 5 Borsos, 5 Stetsons, 1 Dobbs, 1 Resistol, 3 Knox, 1 Bond [my grandfathers, which started my odyssey], 2 Goyers & 1 Cavanaugh.

What do you have... and what started your obsession? What have you learned & what are your gripes? Do you think that you spend too much on your hobby & is your better half slightly annoyed that you need to point out her obsession with shoes & bags?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

here are most of them, the softer fur hats are kept in hat boxes [the Borsos]

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[PabloElFlamenco]

Hi Will Tam, I've been wearing hats from time to time as from when I was 22 or so. Didn't feel very confident about it, either, and some of my earlier ones were stolen "by drunk Englishmen"...anyway...in the early 1980's I didn't resist the Borsalino hats in Florence, and bought a few, one for me, and the other ones for my bro and mother in law, but eventually these hats all came back to me because they ended up not wearing them. Ladies hats (which I didn't know at the time lol lol lol ). But I kept wearing them and then I bought a new hat (POS -as sung by Neil Young is best- black 6X Justin) I'm wearing today, right now as I'm writing these words. But then I started consulting the Fedora Lounge, and concurrently I bought some very, very nice real Stetson hats and then, then, then.... as they say, it's like chips.

Season's greetings to all.

Paul

 

[tinmanzzz]

Tooooooo Many Hats

Will, below is a post I made Sometime back. The matter has only Gotten worse.


"Today will be the 1st Day with temps in the 60's (we missed the 70's), so yesterday I also, desided to make the switch to Felt.

I gathered up my summer hats ( a reasonable number of 8) and started pulling out my stored Felts and then I pulled out the ones I had hid from my wife and then I pulled out the one I had hid from myself........

And as I sat there with Straws to the right of me and Felts to the left of me (and for that matter to the front and rear of me), I Thought, Damn I have way toooooo many Hats!!!!!!!

Then I thought of my Grandfather who wore a Hat everyday and never owned more than 2 of them at a time...

Is there is a Moral here ??
Oh Well, I need to Check on another hat at ebay now. "
__________________

I'm ready to join the FHA (Fedora's & Hats Anonymous)
and start the twelve step program

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

I'm compulsive too. What can I say?

{One thing you should know is that the experience you had with Knox hats must have more to do with the era in which they were made than with the Knox name. My 1940s Knox hats are superb in every vintage way. Real icons of the fedora in the golden era. So don't rule them out - - just keep getting more, older ones! }

My brother is ten years my senior. He told me that when I was about four, my mom got admonished by a sales clerk at a department store because I kept grabbing hats and putting them on.

When I was six we moved from Detroit to Orlando and had property with horses and cows. I wore westerns starting from that point.

In my tens or teens, I discovered a stand-up comic named Harry Anderson (prior to his "Night Court Days") and I really dug his time-traveller style. I began wearing fedoras and newsboy caps then, including an old Milan straw hat that had been my grandfather's.

I'm up to an obscene number of hats now: http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/harpplayergene/ (Visit link and view category links on left, if you like.)

These days, it takes a lotta' hat to impress me enough to buy it but every time I think I've wrapped up this collection, one of those comes along. Still, a part of the sport of it for me is getting tremendous deals on these oldies, and I've had very good luck on most of my acquisitions.

As far as the better half; one thing which helps matters is I DIDN'T MARRY. It's bad business and I don't believe in it. I've been with my gal for 15 years and I'm not looking any further. She has to accept that my commitment to her is more solid than many couples whose weddings we've attended and whose divorces we've witnessed over the years. My gal is a real sweetie and she makes it easy to be nice to her but she knows that there is no percentage in nagging me about how I spend the money I earn. I have been able to indulge in hats, clothes, shoes, guns, knives, woodworking tools, and other pursuits while being able to stay on top of our financial obligations, restoring our 1883 home, and working in some nice vacations for us both along the way. So her attitude is actually one of support and interest in my hat hobby.

Nice way you phrased your thread topic, Will. Gives us insight into your thinking and impels others to share in kind. But as far as getting us to say that you have 'too many hats', or 'stop collecting', or 'we spend too much on our hobby',... well, I'm afraid you're not gonna' get much of that sort of insight around here.

All the best,

G

 

[zetwal]

Evidently I was crazy about hats (and tools) as a toddler. Almost every picture of me from the time I could walk shows this. In my case too it may have come from seeing my grandfathers wearing hats - maybe not.

I don't collect hats. But I do own several and wear them. I tend to wear clothes hard, and hats are no exception. I've neglected and ruined several old gems and now regret it.

Thinking about it now I realize that several of my favorite hats over the years have been given to me by women - love interests mostly but not exclusively.

To sum up, I currently have three Borsalinos, two stetsons, and one wife.

 

[Wil Tam]

Holy Smokes Gene!!

Thems alot of lids .. nice ones too .. How long did it take to accumulate such an impressive collection? I'm in search of a wider brim fedora, 3" - 3 1/2" but not the cowboy or outback type [I don't think that I would be able to pull it off] any suggestions? Thanks for the heads-up on Knox, I really dig their hats so I'll only go for the older 40's era from now on, if I can find any in my size.

Happy Christmas & Merry New Year to you & everyone on the forum ... lol


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[HarpPlayerGene]

Well, some of those leather ones and wool hats and westerns I've had so long, I can't remember really. However, it has only been in the last couple years, maybe less, that I binged on nicer, fur felt, fedoras.

I started by buying a couple Stetson snap brims - modern production hats, the Temple and the Chatham. I like the Chatham well enough but the Temple I consider a bit of a miscue. They are OK hats but I caught on soon enough that they lack that vibe of the real '30s and '40s hats. I also am not fond of a perfectly molded crown crease. I prefer the crinkly crease of an open crowned vintage hat that has been more casually bashed by hand, as in the old days.

So, as I am wont to do when I get on a particular kick, I gobbled up a lot of nice examples and a couple duds in a relatively short period. Having an understanding girlfriend and this great online forum where I can share the effects of the affliction has assuaged any guilt I might otherwise have harbored.

Merry Christmas and a Sloppy New Year to you all!

 

[Macheath]

I tend to be quite compulsive too, which is partly why I don't own any serious hats. I'm afraid that I'll go beserk if I acquire a taste for the good stuff.

fftopic: It was vintage watches for me when I was about 16. I stopped at 31 watches, most of them bought within a week of each other. Then I discovered I have hyperhidrosis, and unfortunately, my brand of sweat eats leather, so now I can only wear my modern metal-banded watches.

On the plus side, if I ever decide to take up watch restoration for my midlife crisis, I'll have a box of dusty watches to get me started. Much more exciting than motorcycles.

 

[Wil Tam]

OMG! acid sweat!

Then I discovered I have hyperhidrosis, and unfortunately, my brand of sweat eats leather....

are you serious? that's a terrible affliction .. so that means that you can't wear hats that have leather sweatbands then.... or any kind of leather that may come in contact with your body... that sucks sorry to hear that brother...


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[Macheath]

are you serious? that's a terrible affliction .. so that means that you can't wear hats that have leather sweatbands then.... or any kind of leather that may come in contact with your body... that sucks sorry to hear that brother...

I only have PALMAR hyperhidrosis, hence the problem with leather watch straps. I imagine hats with leather would be fine, but currently, I don't have any. (Although I wonder if all the pomade in my hair would effectively condition the leather because it's largely petroleum based?)

It does make driving a bit difficult, specially with shifting from 2nd to 3rd, so I often wear leather gloves, and for dancing, since my slippery paws make it uncomfortable (instead of fun) for both me and my partner.

Reminds me sometimes of how "Gloves" Donahue (played by Humphrey Bogart) in All Through the Night wore gloves all the time, except to eat his cheesecake. I wonder if his character suffered the same affliction.

 

[Lefty]

I can't be the only one who's thinking this:

Nice collection Wil.

I'm a closet cleaner. I can sell, donate, toss out, or otherwise dispose of anything that I haven't worn in the last appropriate season. I don't collect and I don't form attachments to objects. It's not zen, it's just a hatred of clutter. I've sold all of my starter hats, and many that might be considered "advanced." This is the reason that, while I'd love to get more custom hats, it's pretty tough to get back what you paid for a custom, while it's pretty easy to make a profit on a good vintage hat. My tastes change, and I try to at least break even when they do.

Right now I've got 3 Borsos (1 modern, 1 vintage beater thin ribbon, 1 nice vintage Savoy), 1 Art, 1 Optimo milan, 3 Stetsons (OR 25, OR 7x clear beaver, Casual), 1 Art/Panama Bob, and 1 Lee (Trinity). That's 10 fedoras (2 of which are just for Summer), and the next time I buy one, I'll probably sell either the Lee or the Stetson Casual. They just don't get enough wear.

Here's the one I've worn more than any other since Fall - a Borsalino Savoy with a cav. edge that I picked up at an antique mall for about $20.

 

[Wil Tam]

@ Lefty -- thanks .. my hat sculpture is more like grapes on a vine ... not bats hanging off of a tree :eusa_doh: lol ... what is your hat size? ... I would be interested in any of your 'discards' that you would be selling or 'donating' if it's a 7 1/8" LO

@ Macheath -- get a pair of nomex flight gloves, they're mainly used by pilots & military folk .. since they're really thin I can literally pickup a needle from a flat surface with them on .. they're the best pair of gloves I've owned since my Northface repelling gloves which were thicker compared to these

SealSkinz are great too, which may be better for when you are driving

and a pair of tux gloves when you go out dancing

 

[Lefty]

@ Lefty -- thanks .. my hat sculpture is more like grapes on a vine ... not bats hanging off of a tree :eusa_doh: lol ... what is your hat size? ... I would be interested in any of your 'discards' that you would be selling or 'donating' if it's a 7 1/8" LO

Grapes make for a far better metaphor, aging and all that, but Ill go out on a limb )) and say that bats are cooler.

Sorry, but as to any future sales, I'm a 7 1/2.

 

[donCarlos]

No, I don´t think I´m collecting hats. I don´t see neither reason, nor opportunity for such a thing.

Right now, I own a very reasonable number of seven hats, one of them is straw, one too big and one too small. However, when I see a hat which looks old and is near my size and in a repairable state, I buy it, no matter what.

I always say that I save and protect them from people who don´t know how to treat them.

 

[Vintage Betty]

Hello Mr. Tam, and welcome to the Lounge!

My hat collecting is apparently genetic. My grandfather used to be a haberdasher, and owned a tailoring and hat shop. My father remembers helping my Grandfather make hats.

One of my first baby pictures is of me wearing the cutest little baby bonnet. Maybe it started there?

I received my first "real" hat at age 15 (standard black wool felt with a veil), after I did all the costumes and props for a High School Play plus organized the entire Wardrobe area. The Drama Teacher gave me the hat from the wardrobe as a thank you, because I loved it so much.

I've collected hats from around the world, and have been the lucky recipient of gift hats too. My most used hat is a modern millinery velvet cloche from a Scottish milliner who I met and had sign the label of my hat! I've used the hat as everything from a normal hat to keep my head warm, to a storage container for fragile items to a pillow when travelling. That hat was worth every penny I paid for it. I've put it through the wringer and it is still in wonderful condition.

I unfortunately have a collector's mentality. That means I latch onto a subject and than collect everything about that subject. I currently have over 200 hats :eusa_doh:, and am in the process of weeding through them to reduce that number.

A suggestion for your hat tree: keep a close eye on your hats, as the moths might attack the hats especially the ones underneath in the dark.

Cheers-

Vintage Betty

 

[Wil Tam]

Thanks for the warm welcome, Betty!

Hello Mr. Tam, and welcome to the Lounge!

My hat collecting is apparently genetic. My grandfather used to be a haberdasher, and owned a tailoring and hat shop. My father remembers helping my Grandfather make hats.

One of my first baby pictures is of me wearing the cutest little baby bonnet. Maybe it started there?



Vintage Betty

Now I feel that I've arrived... & at my first milestone of posting

I hear ya on the collectors' mentality, I have it too :eusa_doh: it started with Matchbox cars & now it's vintage fedoras... I enjoyed the 'hi'story of your process, it is relieving to know that there are other like-minded individuals out there!

Will do on the tip... I already have a moth trap set up in there as well as a cedar cachet within the tree


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