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Dobbs Fifteen - 1940s
Soft Moldable Medium Grey Felt
4 1/2 Crown as shaped (5 1/2 open)
1 1/4 Light Silver Ribbon
2 3/4 brim with Bound edge
This Dobbs Fifteen was one super dirty (and rather pungent) hat upon its arrival. I was kinda surprised as I couldn’t detect the dirt in the seller photos… really only appeared to be misshapen and I guess what I thought was shadows and crevices was soiled areas. Heavy brushing did not do much to help rid the dirt. So I went after it with a damp rag and a bowl of water with a little Dawn dish detergent. I Scrubbed the entirety of the exposed areas of the felt and the ribbon. It seemed to help a lot… as I can’t so much tell where the dirty areas were. Steam and a whole lot of sunshine helped to curb the smell and whip it into shape.
The felt is the soft, thin and moldable felt we’ve come associate with 1940s. It is a medium grey with subtle blue or green tones depending on light. The 1 1/4 silver ribbon is not typical of the ribbon materials I am used to. It has a texture to it and is very soft to the touch. The 2 3/4 brim is bound with sort of lavender grey grosgrain binding. The liner is extremely dirty… but I can make out some remnants of the gold Dobbs Roundel tip. The sweat was super dirty and flattened out.. I cleaned that up and lubricated the leather with some MCT oil which really seemed to help soften it up. Under the sweat, I did find a 1940s HCA manufacturing tag. All and all… I’d say this was probably a heck of a nice hat in its day.