Unusual Mallory, last minute on eBay 5/9

[feltfan]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum and will post on more general topics
having to do with hat history, I imagine. For the moment,
I thought I'd bring to your attention a Mallory hat (pre-Stetson)
with an unusually large brim someone is selling on eBay.
I was going to buy it and went through what seem to be a
common song and dance trying to figure out the size. Finally
the seller brought it to a hat shop where she was shown a
tag stating 7 1/4, which is too small for my 7 1/2 - 7 5/8 head.

Anyway, have a look and tell me what you'd call it!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=8304245133

Feltfan

[jamespowers]

Looks like a newer model to me. The liner and sweatband say 1960s to me for some reason. The style is similar to the Open Road.

Regards to all,

J

[K.D. Lightner]

Feltfan -- Nice hat, I have several in that style, and it is too big for me.

What is that hat you are wearing in your avatar? Looks like a samurai's helmet.

karol

[jamespowers]

Nice hat, I have several in that style, and it is too big for me.

Ok, let's have pictures. I need proof.

Regards to all,

J

[K.D. Lightner]

James -- I have two old 50's Borsalinos, plus some other hats that are old. I have photos of them on my computer, but will need to try to get them onto the photobucket site and then on to the Fedora Lounge.

In earlier threads, I did show a photo of myself in the Borsalino, but do have some hats I have scored since.

Let me work on it; I would love to show them on the site.

karol

[jamespowers]

Sounds good to me---especially the Borsalinos.

Regards to all,

J

[Dylanfan]

I agree with JP, it not a particularly old Mallory, probably from the '60's. I believe it to be a post Stetson Mallory, judging from the liner. Check out the liner in the much older Mallory ten.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW
Cheers,
Jeff

[feltfan]

Yes, that's a samurai helmet in my picture. Thought it'd be an amusing
new look for the group. I must admit the picture is from the SF Asian
Art Museum- I don't wear those things regularly.

As for the Mallory, I don't think hats were made under that name
after Stetson bought the company? Someone have proof otherwise?
I've seen only the *model* "Mallory" "by Stetson" from after the purchase.

I have four Mallorys - a derby, a "Coast-to-Coast" probably from the
30s (in powder blue- love it but cracked its sweatband stretching it),
a "knockabout" probably from the 40s (a lightweight felt without liner-
casual hat), and a black "Century" I picked up not long ago from Art's
shop (Mr./Lady Powers may remember meeting me up in the shop that day)
that he had reblocked. I assume the "Century" means it was a model
made in 1923, a century after the company was founded- looks it.
They made nice hats. Always glad to find another.

feltfan

[jamespowers]

The Mallory hats with the "medallion" lining are some of the nicest hats Mallory produced. I have a Mallory with that lining and it is as soft as can be. I wish that hat you posted was my size.
Feltfan, ok, now I remember you. Mallory and Stetson were close even before the buy out. Mallory made bodies for Stetson before the closure of its Stetson's factory in the early 1970s. In fact, after Stetson closed its factory, the Mallory factory was making Stetson hats---not the other way around. The Mallory factory was just more efficient and closer to their source of fur. The factory was really nice. You never had any inconsistencies with hat sizes in their hats because the blocks were never allowed to dry out. They were always in water so the temperature didn't have an effect on the hat size at the preblocking or final blocking stage.

Regards to all,

J

[Dylanfan]

Hi:
According to Jeff Snyder's Stetson book, Stetson acquired Mallory on 8/16/46. The logo changed sometime after and not all were listed as affiliated with Stetson. I thought the red Mallory liner print was after the purchase, could be mistaken. I really like all the Danbury made hats. My best Mallory is an Aristocrat quality probably from the 1930's, amazingly in my size 7 5/8. Perhaps someone knows about the medallion liner, some of the old one's say established in 1817, some say 1823. I have their centennial package they sent out in 1923 containing several nice booklets on hats and hatmaking. There is a mention of moving to a new factory in 1823, does anyone know when or why the date changed on their liner? Thanks.
Cheers,
Jeff