Post New Hats Here!

[BobHufford]

Wait a minute Stefan.......you ice skated 100 km?

Please don't say "pics or it didn't happen" ... I don't need to know what @steur wears under that wool overcoat.

 

[Cornshucker77]

Please don't say "pics or it didn't happen" ... I don't need to know what @steur wears under that wool overcoat.

View attachment 175561

LOL!!

 

[Cornshucker77]

Friday was a good day for hats (for me at least). The postman brought a package containing the results of another hat-exchange. @M Hatman was the purveyor this time (thanks, Mark). Let's start with the first one.

Stetson Stratoliner in light grey. I can see why this is such a popular model (even though the Open Road seems even more popular here). Very nice proportions and great hand to the felt. The only Stratoliners I've handled so far were made under license and not in my size. So well pleased with this one. It seems these hats sort of invite you to put a cattleman's crease in them, but it's in Europe now, so a center dent and side pinches will do, thank you. No label under the sweat. Sweatband and size tag point to the mid-fifties, right?

View attachment 175117 View attachment 175118 View attachment 175119 View attachment 175120 View attachment 175121 View attachment 175122 View attachment 175123 View attachment 175124 View attachment 175125

Love it! And what a great haul you made this week from Mark.

 

[Cornshucker77]

So I received word midday from my daughter than my new Hufvud had arrived at the house. Needless to say I couldn't wait to get home.

I walked in, spotted the box on the table, and swept everything else off onto the floor (no, I didn't – haha).

Actually, I washed my hands and face. I never handle a new hat until I'm clean.

I get to work on the box and notice that it's not like an American cardboard box. I can't quite figure out where the seams are. It's so beautifully sealed I can hardly tell where the seams are.

So I start going at it with a sharp instrument. Well, it didn't open as neatly as I wanted it to, but I can still use it to keep the hat in, with a little help from some clear packaging tape.

So, the hat. Waddaboutda hat? I don't think I have enough superlatives to describe how happy I am with this hat. The colors are spot-on. Felt is sage green. Ribbon is copper. The flying V bow is perfect.

I was very specific about the proportions of this hat.

Wait, let me just say here that the entire conversation for this transaction was handled completely via FB PMs. It could not have been easier or more clear if Mikael and I were standing in the same room.

I wanted a Raiders/Streets of Cairo-style hat, but with some important-to-me differences. First, obviously, were the colors. Second were the dimensions.

As far as numbers go, a Raiders hat is known to be 4 1/2” to the top of the front pinch. The brim is dimensional, with the side dimensions no less than 2 1/2”, and sometimes an eighth to a quarter more, with the front back and eighth to a quarter more than whatever the front is.

I have a few Raiders/Raiders-style hats, all with the 2 1/2” side brim dimension. All their front pinches have been modified by me to fall into the 4 ¼ to 4 ½” range, because sometimes nailing exact dimension is not possible, so they all fall in that 1/4” range, but never outside it.

But no matter where the crown sits, the 2 ½ x 2 5/8” dimensional brim overpowers my face just a bit. 2 1/4” brims look right on me but are too conservative for a Raiders hat for my head.

So Mikael and I settled on a 2 3/8 x 2 1/2” brim for this hat, and I asked him to set the front pinch in that 4 ¼ to 4 ½” range, where, in his opinion, worked best with the set brim widths of this hat.

So, the colors and dimensions are perfect. I love that it's not symmetrical. The liner is beautiful.

View attachment 175291 View attachment 175293 View attachment 175294 View attachment 175295 View attachment 175297 View attachment 175298
View attachment 175299

The quality of the hat, itself, is outstanding. I specified his rabbit/hare blend felt, and it feels and looks as good as some beaver hats I have, and considerably better than all the rabbits I have, custom or factory-made.

The sweat is amazingly comfortable, again better than anything else I possess – factory new, factory-vintage, or new-custom.

When I first saw the hat online I was flabbergasted at how good it looked. I was hoping the in-person product would look and feel as good, and I am not at all disappointed.

I had said I was thrilled when I saw those first pictures, and now I am doubly so. I may never take this one off my head.

Great looking hat Scotty.

 

[Cornshucker77]

Okay, I received the 3X I talked about last week in the "Ask A Question" thread. It came in a cheap box and the crown was crushed, but I think I can work it out. The liner does appear to be the oil skin one, but you see what you think. The sweat is flaking badly, so not sure if I should wear it as long as possible, or go ahead and have a new one installed. Any thoughts? It has an app. 6" crown, and 3 5/8" brim. A bit of discoloration where the leather band was, but not that bad, and I can cover it with another band if necessary, (more tassels!).
Once I get it back in shape, will post more pics then.
View attachment 175370 View attachment 175371 View attachment 175372 View attachment 175373 View attachment 175374 View attachment 175375 View attachment 175376 View attachment 175377 View attachment 175378 View attachment 175379

Love it. I think it looks great with the open crown.

 

[Cornshucker77]

The seller said his father was a real estate agent in East Texas and had won the hat for being top salesperson in 1973. The holding company was in Nevada and the hat was purchased there and sent to Texas. The seller said Parker's in Reno had some historical significance but I have not tried to look it up yet.

View attachment 175384 View attachment 175385

I have a Nutria Stetson form Parker's in Reno. I remember reading that John Wayne stopped in that store when he was filming The Shootist.

 

[Cornshucker77]

Then the seller told me that his father never wore the hat, just put it up in his closet where it has been since 1973. In fact, the seller said, his dad never did anything with the hat. I was amazed when I got the pictures - never creased, never curled!

View attachment 175405 View attachment 175406

That is outstanding.

 

[steur]

What a haul, Stefan! Every one a beauty, and a few stand out from the crowd. Can’t stop looking at the Strat and the mode edge. I have dreamed of finding a hat like my grandfather’s sage Stetson mode edge. If I’m lucky, I’ll inherit it someday from my dad. Never seen another like it.
Congrats!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, Jeff. Both are indeed exceptional hats. Really chuffed that Mark was willing to exchange them with me and give them a home on this side of the pond.

 

[steur]

Wait a minute Stefan.......you ice skated 100 km?

I did, although I admit I was a fair bit younger when I did it. We Dutch are funny when our waters freeze up.

 

[steur]

Please don't say "pics or it didn't happen" ... I don't need to know what @steur wears under that wool overcoat.

View attachment 175561

I'll PM you if you change your mind about that, Bob

I should have a commemorative medal somewhere. I looked something like this, but far more tired:

 

[steur]

Love it! And what a great haul you made this week from Mark.

Thanks, Scott. Mark was very generous and I'm very pleased with these hats.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

Very nice looking hat Max. Congrats.

Thank you, Scott. [emoji4]

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

 

[Cornshucker77]

I did, although I admit I was a fair bit younger when I did it. We Dutch are funny when our waters freeze up.

That I understand. I have cousins who liver near Rotterdam and they do love their ice skating.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

I did, although I admit I was a fair bit younger when I did it. We Dutch are funny when our waters freeze up.

I can't ski or skate, and I hate cold weather. If I didn't, I'd live in Chicago.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

 

[Rmccamey]

Very interesting!

I have a Nutria Stetson form Parker's in Reno. I remember reading that John Wayne stopped in that store when he was filming The Shootist.

 

[Hat and Rehat]

Sure, sure. At least until the next hat comes along that gets you thinking. The only thing I don't like about that hat is that it isn't mine.

I tend to keep issues like this as simple as possible, so my first question would be "Can I wear the hat as-is?" If the answer was "no", I'd replace the sweatband without giving it another thought. Keeping the original to preserve the hat's provenance as @M Hatman advised isn't a bad idea if there's a possibility you might need that information some day.

I don't know if I'm alone, but I glued key parts of a vintage sweat to the inside of a replacement.

 

[Hat and Rehat]

I've been proud of my frugality while acquiring a significant number if vintage hats, some of them quite nice. I have yet to pay for a price tag over $100.

Today I pulled the trigger on a 50s Stratoliner for $99.99. Shipping put me into the next century.

I got message tonight that the seller is away from his store and won't ship until Tuesday.
Oh .... C'mon!

Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk

 

[Hat and Rehat]

Indeed! And I'm not taking it for granted as I know it was a one-in-a-million opportunity and I'm going to think long and hard before put the first crease in it. Yes, I have great "luck" with this one!

WTL?

 

[jonesy86]

Picked up this Mayser imperia:

Designed in Germany, hand-woven in Ecuador, finished in Slovakia.

“Genuine” Panama straw
4” ventilated crown, with adhesive reinforcement at the pinch
2-1/2” brim
Cloth sweat band
1-1/2” light blue grosgrain hat band

A faint stamp on the straw looks like grade 4 Cuenca. It is a decent semi-colada with an underwelt brim, and the reinforced crown, I think will help it hold up to my humid tropical lifestyle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mayserwegener]

Nice to see a current production Mayser. They moved production from Lindenberg, Germany to Slovakia in 2011.