What am I missing here?

[Tango Yankee]

I've been watching hat auctions on ebay as many of us do to keep an eye on prices and such. Today two auctions from the same seller ended with prices that had my jaw hitting the keyboard. Though nice hats, I'm at a loss as to why these hats final prices went so high.

The first one is a Knox Forty. Listed as a 7 3/8 in light grey with a Cav edge, it sold for $324.59.

The next one is an Oviatt silver beaver in dark brown, also 7 3/8 with a Cav edge. It sold for $427.22.

To my non-expert eye these look like nice hats, but not spectacular. The listings are typical. So any ideas as to why the prices went so high (other than that on the Knox the bidder has zero feedbacks, so might have been a bit eager)? Is it the Cav edge? Is it just a lucky seller catching two fluke final prices in a row? What am I missing?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[toobacat]

The strange thing is the Knox 40 had a buy it now of $199.

 

[Damon Falzone]

Call me crazy, but I'd rather have one of Art Fawcett's custom beauties for the same price as the Knox and much less than the Oviatt!

 

[Ande1964]

Eek!

I guess that explains the even larger Borso up now, with a Buy-It-Now of $400.

It's funny, I went to look at these auctions, anticipating that they would be really well-listed. They really weren't that spectacular... pretty good photos, and so-so descriptions.

What can you do? This is what the market will bear right now, for just the right hat to just the right buyer.

Anj

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I can't help but suspect hanky panky.

 

[bolthead]

I guess that explains the even larger Borso up now, with a Buy-It-Now of $400.

It's funny, I went to look at these auctions, anticipating that they would be really well-listed. They really weren't that spectacular... pretty good photos, and so-so descriptions.

What can you do? This is what the market will bear right now, for just the right hat to just the right buyer.

Anj

You're right Anj. The hats are very nice, but I wasn't very impressed with how they were listed or shown either. I think "rilico" does a 10x better job with his lids. I also agree with Damon, if I were gonna spend that kinda coin....you can bet I'd be on the phone with Art, in a heartbeat.

 

[jake_fink]

The strange thing is the Knox 40 had a buy it now of $199.

lol lol lol lol :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

We need a "sucker" smiley.

Biproducts of the Fedora Lounge are sellers with more language to use for barking - sometimes even using it correctly - and a ready made field of trophy hunters.








now I'm depressed

 

[Brad Bowers]

My guess is it's a combination of factors: large size, wide brim, Cavanagh Edge, and higher-end hat. That, and someone willing to pay high prices for that combination.

I'm amazed these days at how Fedora Lounge information is being used to give weight to hat auctions, including my Cavanagh Edge research, which is why I put up the lengthy post about it the other day. But that information in auction also tends to drive up interest, and thus, prices. So I'm as guilty as anybody at aiding and abetting the sellers. I just don't get a kickback.lol I have no idea if the sellers are Lounge members, or they just find us by Googling for info.

Those prices were pretty much unheard of a few years ago.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

What I noticed is that one of the buyers is a newbie. Anything goes with a new member, they don't know that value of things and will bid high to win something.

The second one has more buys, perhaps got caught in the adrenalin rush of a bidding war. Some people don't like to lose and will bid high, higher, highest so they can win.

Or, it might be the market these days. I've stopped looking for fedoras on eBay as the prices are so bizarre.

karol

 

[surely]

Let's say you're new to the hat market; you read western felters are having big time problems getting pelts & that custom hat prices may go up 10-15% in the near run. You've read that cav edge are where its at & that a Knox forty is high end. The hat is the right size, you don't have much time, you want badly to get into the vintage market & you got lots of $$$$$. Sooo, you bid what it takes.

 

[toobacat]

What I noticed is that one of the buyers is a newbie. Anything goes with a new member, they don't know that value of things and will bid high to win something.

The second one has more buys, perhaps got caught in the adrenalin rush of a bidding war. Some people don't like to lose and will bid high, higher, highest so they can win.

Or, it might be the market these days. I've stopped looking for fedoras on eBay as the prices are so bizarre.

karol

The second one wasn't a bidding war, it was a snipe. I was watching it and it went up $200 in the last few seconds. Looking at the bidder's history, it looks like he wins what he bids on.

I still don't understand the Knox, the buy it now wasn't one of the ones that go away after the first bid, it was there when it was approaching $200. The Knox was just on ebay recently and I contacted the seller about it. He said someone had offered him $150 for the hat, so he ended the auction, but the buyer backed out.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Call me crazy, but I'd rather have one of Art Fawcett's custom beauties for the same price as the Knox and much less than the Oviatt!

I disagree. I haven't been near an Oviatt, but that was a very very high end men's store. Their hats would not be low quality. A Knox 40 is an extremely high quality felt. And with the Cav edge? Irreproducable today.

bk

 

[feltfan]

Call me crazy, but I'd rather have one of Art Fawcett's custom beauties for the same price as the Knox and much less than the Oviatt!

Have you ever held a Knox 40 or an Oviatt with
a Cavanagh Edge? Those are some nice big
crowns with wide brims. The materials are simply
better than can be made today. It's a lost art
(lower case), never to be repeated. A hat like
that looks like nothing else.

Art's VS hats will probably fit better, but those
are top flight hats. I'd certainly take one of those
in my size before I'd order an Optimo.

That said, it's big bucks for a hat you can't even
try on before buying. But if I didn't have anything
of that quality and I didn't want to fool around (my
time was more valuable), hey why not?

 

[metropd]

Have you ever held a Knox 40 or an Oviatt with
a Cavanagh Edge? Those are some nice big
crowns with wide brims. The materials are simply
better than can be made today. It's a lost art
(lower case), never to be repeated. A hat like
that looks like nothing else.

Art's VS hats will probably fit better, but those
are top flight hats. I'd certainly take one of those
in my size before I'd order an Optimo.

That said, it's big bucks for a hat you can't even
try on before buying. But if I didn't have anything
of that quality and I didn't want to fool around (my
time was more valuable), hey why not?

I agree.

 

[Colby Jack]

and remember...there are folks out there right now with tax refunds burning a hole in their pockets...[huh] :eusa_doh: ...i suspect we'll see something like this again when those other checks come out this summer.

 

[bolthead]

Have you ever held a Knox 40 or an Oviatt with
a Cavanagh Edge? Those are some nice big
crowns with wide brims. The materials are simply
better than can be made today. It's a lost art
(lower case), never to be repeated. A hat like
that looks like nothing else.

Art's VS hats will probably fit better, but those
are top flight hats. I'd certainly take one of those
in my size before I'd order an Optimo.

That said, it's big bucks for a hat you can't even
try on before buying. But if I didn't have anything
of that quality and I didn't want to fool around (my
time was more valuable), hey why not?

I can agree to this also, but like you said, it would have to fit perfectly Pretty hard for a Vintage hat....and it would have to be Mint, for that kind of coin. That hat wasn't.

 

[Art Fawcett]

I have a bit of a different outlook Gents. My opinion? I think they are finally bringing what the hats in question deserve. The Knox Forty was one rung under pure beaver ( Knox 100) and is unquestionably an unreproduceable hat today. I know of no hatter that can match it in quality, myself included. The Cav edge makes all the difference in the world. Oviatt...OMG an original OVIATT??? For those unaware, the highest ( my opinion) quality men's store in the LA basin EVER was Oviatt. Walk in under LaLique (sp) crystal chandeliers.. Now, that said, they didn't make their own hats, but rather sold only top of the line clothing and accessories. You needed to walk into that store with your BIG wallet..small wallets need not apply. To see it go for over $400 doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[EricH]

Guess I should hang on to that Oviatt I was wearing today Mine was made for them by Borsalino. Eric

 

[bolthead]

Guess I should hang on to that Oviatt I was wearing today Mine was made for them by Borsalino. Eric

Are you serious Eric?

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Good observation

You're right Anj. The hats are very nice, but I wasn't very impressed with how they were listed or shown either. I think "rilico" does a 10x better job with his lids. I also agree with Damon, if I were gonna spend that kinda coin....you can bet I'd be on the phone with Art, in a heartbeat.

Hey bolthead, I agree with you about "rilico". His name is Richard and he's pure class from the several transactions I've had with him. Been wondering if anyone would ever mention this seller here and didn't want to bring it up and seem like I'm pimpin' for the guy - but he does a good job with his vintage hat auctions.

More to the point of topic; in auto racing there's something we refer to as "the red mist". It's when you've just got to make that pass, going too hard into the turn and breaking too late, and thinking you can pull it off, because nothing else matters!!!.... Maybe this happens to some bidders trying to "win" a hat at an auction.

?
Gene