What Hat Are You Wearing Today 1?

[gtdean48]

....like it was specifically made for me.

Looks that way to me! Sweet TAR Josh. Don't see you in them enough....

 

[hatophile]

Dynamite hats today folks! I can not comment on the plethora of superb hat pics, but suffice that I enjoy every post fellows.

...... Perhaps I should have selected challenging myself to rid myself of imaptient tendancies, instead of dating super models for Lent!:eusa_doh:...This is my attempt at "impatient humor."

Nice hats folks, Eric -

Yes, I am giving up the supermodels too. My wife is happy about that.

 

[hatophile]

Josh, I see why you can't resist that Resistol!

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Yes, I am giving up the supermodels too. My wife is happy about that.

It is way easier than I thought, as the first and greatest barrier is that my wife does not allow me to date!

Josh; That is true good luck - it is a superb olderster hat.

Eric -

 

[casechopper]

You look ready for some serious trekking Sam!

That serious trek up the single flight of stairs to the office is about as far as I'll be going today.

Sam, You look great in the Anton Peschel Trachten Velour! IMO fun hats to wear!

Thanks Mayerswegener. The felt is definitely something special and a small brimmed sporty hat does have its place.

Sam - big change from your usual wider brim style today

This isn't a brim size I'd normally go for but this came in an ebay lot with a couple of other hats. The velour felt on this though is enough to make me keep it. It's a very soft flexible velour.
I really like your new avatar by the way.

Sam; Your pics this winter really show off that you can wear hats and caps sir. Your confidence shows thru the pics. You wear todays hat wel. I really like yesterdays hat on you.

Thanks SBG. You're wanderer is something I'll have to copy off some day. The mid ribbon with bound edge works well.

Nice Resistol Joshbru, it's always a good feeling when a bet like that pays off.

 

[Joshbru3]

Looks that way to me! Sweet TAR Josh. Don't see you in them enough....

Josh, I see why you can't resist that Resistol!

Josh; That is true good luck - it is a superb olderster hat.

Nice Resistol Joshbru, it's always a good feeling when a bet like that pays off.

THANKS so much, Gentlemen!! I can honestly say that I have never owned a Resistol that I didn't like. Even their stingies from the 60's, though not my style, are made very well...especially those Kitten Finishes. I have yet to own a late 40's/early 50's Resistol Kitten Finish. Just one from the mid 60's.

Tom, your absolutely right, I really don't wear TAR's nearly enough. I am going to start wearing them more. I almost never wear a brim larger than 2 3/8, but an OR just doesn't look right without its 2 3/4 inch brim. I don't like the way I look in wider brims, except for OR's. Theres just something magical about the look and dimensions.

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks for the nice comments on this Knox 20.

I love the crown on that 20, Alan! Great choice for a cold day. I honestly think that the Hat Corp of America 20's are substantially better than the Stetson 3X's. The Knox 100 that I owned was miles better than any Stetson 100 that I've handled.

The early 50s HCA twenties I've handled have been sweet... smooth and dense and reasonably adept at holding a dry crease. The fancy little trolley buttons and paper crown liner protectors were nice finishing touches to a well styled hat. I've yet to handle a Sovereign or Stetson 25 from the same period, but the $15 3x that I've owned have not been as refined.

 

[scooter]

Tom, Alan, Eric, David, winners all. Great hats, fellas.

Sam, that is a DIFFERENT look for you! Not bad, but definitely different!

Josh, I know what you mean about the Resistols. One of my favs, along with Champ. By the way, I think you should reconsider the wider brims, looks good on you!

 

[Joshbru3]

The early 50s HCA twenties I've handled have been sweet... smooth and dense and reasonably adept at holding a dry crease. The fancy little trolley buttons and paper crown liner protectors were nice finishing touches to a well styled hat. I've yet to handle a Sovereign or Stetson 25 from the same period, but the $15 3x that I've owned have not been as refined.

I completely agree. I have owned a late 40's Dobbs 15, Early 50's Dobbs 20, Early 50's Knox 20, Mid 50's Dobbs 40, and an Early 50's Knox 100. I have also had to pleasure to hold and handle a late 40's/early 50's Dobbs 40 and Dobbs 100. There is really something indescribable about the 20, 40, and 100 felt from HCA during the late 40's/Early 50's. It goes beyond being soft, well pounced, and its ability to hold a dry crease I believe. The color saturation of these hats are just spectacular to the point that a camera flash usually will not even expose light or dark "spots" in the felt. Also, they are SO dense its incredible. The level of shellac is perfect for holding a dry crease and keeping the hat shaped without "crumpling" under its own weight. The shellac "distribution" is also wonderful. From the examples that I have handled, there hasn't been firm or soft sports from too much shellac or too little in any particular spot. The felt isn't super thin, nor is it super thick. Its literally perfect in my opinion. The trimmings that were used in the late 40's/early 50's HCA 20's,40's,and 100's are also high quality. The sweat leathers, liners, ribbons, etc were very nice.

My Mid 50's Dobbs 40's was still some of the best felt that I have owned. It was soft, smooth, molded like clay, was perfectly colored, and had a wonderfully wide and soft sweatband. If I compare apples to apples, I have also owned late 40's/Early 50's Stetson 3X's, a Mallory 15 (Stetson owned), and a Mallory 20 (Stetson owned). I have handled Stetson Beaver 50's, 100's, and 7X's. In my mind, there really is no comparison.

If I compare my Mallory 15 to my Dobbs 15 of the same vintage, the Dobbs wins with flying colors. The finish was nicer on the Dobbs, the sweatband was softer and of higher quality, and the felt creased much nicer with the Dobbs.

If I compare my Mallory 20 with My Knox 20, again the Knox wins.

While the Stetson 50, 100, and 7X are VERY nice hats and beat anything made today, I feel in a side by side comparison, the HCA comparables were better.

 

[fashion frank]

Today I'm wearing my NOS Early 50's Resistol OR clone. I just received it from ebay yesterday. It was a buy-it-now auction with no size specs. I took a chance and I was absolutely shocked when I opened the box. It fits my head perfectly....like it was specifically made for me.

Man you scored on that hat ,it looks like it was literally "never worn" it just looks so pristine!
I laughed when you said " I was absolutely shocked when I opened the box " ,I know what you mean ,I have gotten a few hats that for whatever the reason ie: bad lighting ,whiting out of the pictures etc. on ebay that the hats were "sleepers" ,
no one seems interested in them because of the above ,but when I opened the box " I was
absolutely shocked " the hat was mint ,just like what you experienced .

This 10x was one of the sleepers i was mentioning.

I wanted to show you the ebay original photos so you could see the difference but the images
are no longer archived just the data of the transaction .

Any way good luck with that hat it's awesome !

All the Best ,Fashion Frank

 

[Detective_Noir]

are you in hat heaven?

 

[bowlerman]

Perry, these are great! What I wouldn't give to be in that biome right now. Sweet hat band too-- is it a four winds?

Rusty, the new pics of Mike's shop are fantastic. Getting me drooling for the Buckaroo he's got cooking for me.

 

[bowlerman]

FANTASTIC, everyone. A few highlights for me:

Steve-- superb melone. Is that the true color? It is absolutely sublime.

Eric-- Do you wonder as you wander in that VS? All your hats are great, but I particularly enjoy seeing this silver belly on your head.

Josh-- You found a pot of gold with that gamble! I agree with scooter re: wide brims look great on you.

I've been sticking to this Resistol Kitten Finish "Monroe" 2 1/4" mode edge.

 

[carouselvic]

Today I'm wearing my NOS Early 50's Resistol OR clone. I just received it from ebay yesterday. It was a buy-it-now auction with no size specs. I took a chance and I was absolutely shocked when I opened the box. It fits my head perfectly....like it was specifically made for me.

That is a great looking hat Josh! I'd sure like to learn more about dating Resistol hats. What exactly are the things that would distinguish this as early 50's rather than mid or late 50's?

 

[hatophile]

Hi Jeff,

I don't know what that band is, I got it a few years ago off the 'Bay. I have a very nice one I bought in Sedona at the Cowboy Corral, I put it on a Western I bought in Jackson Hole about 15 years ago. Maybe I'll post pics of it in the Western thread.

 

[Joshbru3]

Any way good luck with that hat it's awesome !

Josh-- You found a pot of gold with that gamble! I agree with scooter re: wide brims look great on you.

Thanks so much, Frank and Jeff!!

 

[Joshbru3]

That is a great looking hat Josh! I'd sure like to learn more about dating Resistol hats. What exactly are the things that would distinguish this as early 50's rather than mid or late 50's?

Thanks, Vic!!

I'm by no means an expert in dating Resistols because I haven't done nearly as much research on them as I have with other brands. I do know how to date the hats with ballpark figures. I said early 50's on this hat because I know that this logo...

was used in the 50's and early into the 60's. The logo is covered with plastic and other Resistols that I have owned and seen without this plastic and a similar logo tend to date more towards the mid-late 50's. Though I am not 100% on this, its just been an observation. Somewhere in the mid-late 50's, Resistol started going to black sweatbands as HCA did as well. They also used less wide sweats as the years went on. All these things made me believe the hat is early 50's.

I do know that this logo is a 40's logo:

[/IMG]

and this logo is a 60's logo: (There are MANY more 60's logo/liners, this is just one example)

During the late 50's and 60's Resistol used a good amount of different liners for their hats. It appears that through the 40's and early 50's, there were only a couple different styles.

 

[rlk]

I do know that this logo is a 40's logo:

This was used at least into the OPS period of the 50's as I have two examples. Then followed by the sword without heavy plastic, although not certain of any consistency with the plastic tip cover.

 

[Joshbru3]

This was used at least into the OPS period of the 50's as I have two examples. This seems to be followed by the swords less heavy plastic, although not certain of any consistency with the plastic tip cover.

Thanks for adding that Robert. I am not sure when they started and stopped using certain logos, but I was pretty sure this logo was used all through the 40's. Now I know it was used at least until between 1951 - 1953. Have you ever seen an early Resistol? The brand was officially started in 1927, and I don't believe I've ever seen anything from the late 20's/early 30's.

 

[rlk]

The Sword and Fleur de Lis Logo was filed in 1957 and registered in 1958 but it could have been in use.