Wanted: vintage 7 5/8 PLEASE!!!

[airforceindy]

As many of you know, it's pretty slim pickins out there for us folks with somewhat larger-than-normal noggins! As a nooby getting into this hobby/lifestyle, I've had about as much luck finding something decent on OFAS as a blind man trying to discern between a Monet and a Jackson Pollock!

SOOO... if there are any kind, big-headed souls out there looking to off-load a hat or two, please let me know, and I will attempt to convince my wife of the necessity of the purchase!

Regards, Andy

 

[indycop]

As many of you know, it's pretty slim pickins out there for us folks with somewhat larger-than-normal noggins! As a nooby getting into this hobby/lifestyle, I've had about as much luck finding something decent on OFAS as a blind man trying to discern between a Monet and a Jackson Pollock!

SOOO... if there are any kind, big-headed souls out there looking to off-load a hat or two, please let me know, and I will attempt to convince my wife of the necessity of the purchase!

Regards, Andy

Haha! As one big 7 5/8 to another, Good luck on anything vintage! Just keep checking the classifieds and be patient there are folks on here who part with hats from time to time. If you find something on OFAS the competition is usually big.:eusa_doh: I don't remember who it was but somebody in that size mentioned parting with one possibly soon so just keep an eye out!

 

[carter]

As many of you know, it's pretty slim pickins out there for us folks with somewhat larger-than-normal noggins! As a nooby getting into this hobby/lifestyle, I've had about as much luck finding something decent on OFAS as a blind man trying to discern between a Monet and a Jackson Pollock!

SOOO... if there are any kind, big-headed souls out there looking to off-load a hat or two, please let me know, and I will attempt to convince my wife of the necessity of the purchase!

Regards, Andy

Andy, Do you have anything specific in mind or are you just looking for a Vintage (which decade) fedora?
As Indycop has noted, there are far fewer vintage hats on the market in larger sizes than there are people looking for them.
You might want to mention a few hats that you are interested in and see if anything is available.
Most of the folks with big heads have both modern and vintage hats as well as both production and custom-made (bespoke) hats.

 

[airforceindy]

Big Heads Anonymous

Indycop, thanks for the encouragement It IS a jungle out there!

Carter, being new to this yet I'm still trying to get a good idea about brands and models. The items that have caught my eye most are the Open Road (versatility), Stratoliner, and a particular Mallory that Douglas was showing recently that I believe he called his best yet (it was gorgeous!). Getting into the custom realm, that can get very expensive, as you well know. I've said it elsewhere already, but I am having an Adventurebilt made right now, and my new-to-me Federation Deluxe SHOULD be arrriving at Optimo for a once-over any minute now. The only other hats that had me instantly drooling are Art Fawcetts. MY GOD!!! Just amazing... My favorites that he has posted on his site right now are the Trackside and Jazzman, although I have read that he likes to have just a picture of a face and base his design off that. They (the Trackside and Jazzman) are just fantastic, and they epitomize what the hats of that era looked like to me. I may need to be a bit older before I start looking at homburgs and stingies ( I'm only 25; Dinerman, allow me to join the Young'uns Club!), but the fedoras are right up my alley. Heck, I've freaked out my wife a bit by going out and renting:
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon
The Godfather (I and II)
The Untouchables
Lonely Hearts (heard Art had a couple hats in there, plus the clothes are great)
Indiana Jones (I already own those, but they bare mentioning!)
...among others which are are just not coming to mind right now.

So, I've caught the bug, and between discusssing hats here, ogling bespoke suits at Indy Magnoli's, and dishing over Indiana Jones stuff 'til we're blue in the face over at COW, one could say that I've become somewhat obsessedlol
My son is calling for breakfast...
Regards, Andy

 

[Ecuador Jim]

Hmm....I wonder

if we should start a Brotherhood of the big-head, or the Circle of the non-normal noggin'.

As a fellow size-challenged hat lover, the patience advice really rules. I keep looking, but always seem to be a day late and a dollar short. Consequently, I've been forced more to buy (OUCH) at full retail.

I also fell in love with beaver, which complicates the issue for me.

You are spot on with your choices though. Don't let your youth discourage you from wearing fedoras. Wear the hat...don't let the hat wear you, if you know what I mean.

Welcome to the lounge. Let your enthusiasm run free!

 

[carter]

Try this: Search 7 5/8 Fedora in "All Categories" on Ebay.
They may not all be vintage hats but there is usually something, like an OR, there. Sometimes there is even a BIN.

 

[A.R. McVintage]

Member of the big head club too (thought I'm also 6" and built like a linebacker, so it fits). Carter killed me the other day when he won the Mallory I was going for. Lucky son of a bi...er...gun!

 

[feltfan]

I'll be putting some up on Classifieds sooner or later...

In the meantime, I recommend that each of you
invest in a hat stretcher. What I'm talking about here
is not a hat jack or whatever they're calling them on
OFAS these days. I mean one like this (or the wooden version):

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=148252&postcount=1

It stretches the whole crown, not just the base.

This is why you don't want to use a hat jack:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=6251

The hat jack is fine for minor adjustments or to prevent a hat from
shrinking, but not for resizing.

About hat stretching:

http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=3232

My head is 7 1/2 Long Oval and I often wear a 5/8.
Many of the hats I wear started life as 7 3/8 or 3/8 LO.
I find it's not too difficult to convert them to my size
and they look just fine. Some of them are suprisingly
large on arrival- some fit without adjustment.

 

[airforceindy]

Where does one...

... find such a rig? OFAS? Seems to me they might be a tad spendy. About the stretcher; makes me thankful I didn't win that old metal one the other day. Thought better of it at the last minute and gae it up.

Good advice, feltfan, thank you!

 

[carter]

Member of the big head club too (thought I'm also 6" and built like a linebacker, so it fits). Carter killed me the other day when he won the Mallory I was going for. Lucky son of a bi...er...gun!

That Mallory turned out to be a 7 5/8 wide oval Aristocrat Quality Coast to Coast originally sold by Leiner's Hat Store in Tiffin, OH.

It is very near perfect. You'd never have guessed from this photo.

or from the way the seller folded it up and stuffed it in a box. Sheesh! :eusa_doh:

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Over the last three years I have only ever found 3 size 7-5/8 hats in all my travels. 2 of which were military, and 1 fedora of fairly recent vintage that I didn't much care for so I sold it.
So it seems that finding one is a once in a year phenomenon.

 

[rebelgtp]

yeah as a fellow 7 5/8 wearer they are darn hard to find, guess that is one reason i'm working on starting to make my own. i'll post some results once i get a couple made.

 

[panamag8or]

I looked, but everything I have is 7 1/8.[huh]

 

[airforceindy]

Carter, you dog!

I saw that Mallory too, but the price was going up a bit too quickly for my wallet! Dang it! Enjoy, it's a fine looking lid, even from where I'm sitting!

Regards, Andy

 

[A.R. McVintage]

That Mallory turned out to be a 7 5/8 wide oval Aristocrat Quality Coast to Coast originally sold by Leiner's Hat Store in Tiffin, OH.

It is very near perfect.

With that showing off of yours, I might have to tweak your nose, sir. Tweak it, I say.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

To add insult to injury, I once got a Dobbs Homburg that was advertised as a 7-1/2 and it turned out to be a 7-5/8. I sold that to a Lounger.

My big green 1930s Dobbs has a tag inside that says 7-5/8, but it must have shrunk over the years because it fits me fine, and I'm halfway between a 7-3/8 and a 7-1/2.

 

[carouselvic]

Stetson Playboy 7 5/8 Black

Check out item #110155794145 on ebay. The dust is gone. The hat is mint. I wear a 7 3/8. As you can see it was not cheap.

 

[airforceindy]

Playboy...

WOW! Beautiful... Do you stuff some foam behind the sweat to wear it? $113 is a LOT of denaro for somehting that doesn't fit...

 

[carouselvic]

Playboy

I have foam in it now and have worn it once for less than one hour. I have replaced it with a vintage Borsalino. The Playboy is so mint that the original Stetson price tag is still in place. $10

 

[airforceindy]

Curious...

... I highly doubt my wife would authorize me to spend that much on an old hat, but I must ask anyway: what will you do with it? Stash it away, or re-sell it? It would seem a shame for it to sit and collect dust on account of being in such immaculate shape!