The Penney's Marathon

HamletJSD · May 25, 2011

eBay Marathon acquisition:

No lining, though not particularly lightweight. Its a great color. Better color than my flash shows, anyway. It's a nice chocolate brown. Probably older than most, if not all, of my other hats (that being said, I don't have a lot of vintage hats). I'll defer to experts if anyone has knowledge on dating these hats.
The felt feels slightly smoother than a modern Akubra... not rough and wooly, but not as smooth as my OR or Churchill. I guess that's consistent with the "work horse" statement that's been made of the Marathon.

Brim is sewn into an underwelt edge. It's in the 2 1/4" range.

Not sure how I feel about a back bow, but I will not be changing it any time soon. Need to see how it grows on me, first.

Overall, I think it's a great find for $39!

Orangegrad · Oct 9, 2011

I purchased this Marathon via ebay from a fellow lounge member. It appears to have not been worn prior to my wearing it.

The felt is quite stiff and lightweight - a nice warm-weather hat. Crown is 5" at front, dipping to 4" at the back. It's a taller crown than I'm accustomed to, and I"m thinking I might stick with lower crowns.

The photo was taken today at a wedding.

jimmy the lid · Oct 9, 2011

Very nice looking Marathon! :eusa_clap

randooch · Oct 9, 2011

jimmy the lid said:
Very nice looking Marathon! :eusa_clap

Agreed! Thanks for posting, and I'm glad it found a handsome home. :eusa_clap

monbla256 · Oct 9, 2011

Orangegrad said:
I purchased this Marathon via ebay from a fellow lounge member. It appears to have not been worn prior to my wearing it.

The felt is quite stiff and lightweight - a nice warm-weather hat. Crown is 5" at front, dipping to 4" at the back. It's a taller crown than I'm accustomed to, and I"m thinking I might stick with lower crowns.

The photo was taken today at a wedding.

Andy,
That Marathon looks good with the suit, shirt. tie and your face. Nice looking aquisition and it works for you

Rodkins · Oct 9, 2011

That crown height looks great on you.

Orangegrad · Oct 9, 2011

Thanks, guys, for the positive feedback. I rarely wear a suit, and both my wife and I were pleased with the way the hat complemented my clothes.

Good to hear that you think the crown height works for me. A couple weeks ago I stopped into Mike the Hatter (Cleveland). This year they have Alessandrias, some Guerras, and a few Stetsons. The Alessandria I tried on had a fairly shallow center dent, and the crown height was about the same as my Marathon. But with the thin ribbon, it just didn't look good on me. Or at the very least it would take some serious getting used to. Amazing how ribbon width can really affect the look of the height of the crown.

The quality of construction (and especially the stitching and the ribbon) of this Marathon is superior to both my Stetson and Akubra. And better also than the Borsalinos and Guerras I've handled. This was a reasonably price entrance into vintage hats.

Widebrim · Oct 9, 2011

I agree that it looks good on you, Andy, crown height included.

Widebrim · Oct 9, 2011

HamletJSD said:
eBay Marathon acquisition:

No lining, though not particularly lightweight. Its a great color. Better color than my flash shows, anyway. It's a nice chocolate brown. Probably older than most, if not all, of my other hats (that being said, I don't have a lot of vintage hats). I'll defer to experts if anyone has knowledge on dating these hats.
The felt feels slightly smoother than a modern Akubra... not rough and wooly, but not as smooth as my OR or Churchill. I guess that's consistent with the "work horse" statement that's been made of the Marathon.

Brim is sewn into an underwelt edge. It's in the 2 1/4" range.

Not sure how I feel about a back bow, but I will not be changing it any time soon. Need to see how it grows on me, first.

Overall, I think it's a great find for $39!

It's rare to see a Marathon with a back bow, but as you said, see if it grows on you...

Terry "The Hat" · Oct 9, 2011

Orangegrad said:
I purchased this Marathon via ebay from a fellow lounge member. It appears to have not been worn prior to my wearing it.

The felt is quite stiff and lightweight - a nice warm-weather hat. Crown is 5" at front, dipping to 4" at the back. It's a taller crown than I'm accustomed to, and I"m thinking I might stick with lower crowns.

The photo was taken today at a wedding.

I believe I may have the exact same hat in the exact same condition. I bought it from a lounger here too (not on Ebay) and it's beautiful. The Extreme Quality (I believe that's what it says inside) is a very good quality felt and it fits me perfect. Here is a picture of me wearing the hat at the birth of my Grandson three weeks ago. The real color of my hat is much closer to yours than what it appears in the picture.

Terry "The Hat" · Oct 9, 2011

RBH said:
My grey Marathon...

That sir is a beautiful hat. I'd love to have one like that to go with the hat pictured in the post above. What size do you wear and if you ever want to sell?????????????????

Terry "The Hat" · Oct 9, 2011

Here is another shot of mine sitting on a Champ Box. Not the best picture but it shows the lines of the hat.

jimmy the lid · Oct 9, 2011

Terry1955 said:
That sir is a beautiful hat.

Agreed. Rusty, that hat looks right at home. It's gotta be darn close to the original "Seabiscuit" hat. Great stuff. :eusa_clap

gtdean48 · Oct 9, 2011

My "Seabiscuit" Marathon.... I think it is darker than Art's original...

Orangegrad · Oct 9, 2011

Terry1955 said:
Here is another shot of mine sitting on a Champ Box. Not the best picture but it shows the lines of the hat.

Nice hat.

Our hats are quite similar. My ribbon is a very dark blue, which contrasts with the brim binding which matches the felt color. Mine doesn't mention a quality level on any labels. Perhaps the Marathon didn't set any new trends, but it certainly provided a decent hat for the money.

jimmy the lid · Oct 9, 2011

Here's another Marathon to add to this thread. It originally sold for $7.90 at Penney's.

The felt is a nice shade of tan, with a beautiful complementary edge binding, which is combined with a blue/green ribbon. The ribbon color is hard to photograph -- but the black hat box provides a reference color.

Open crown is 5 1/2", brim width is 2 3/4", and the ribbon is 1 1/2". Felt on the crown is relatively lightweight, with the brim being more substantial. The sweat is very reminiscent of the thinner sweat on my Stetson Vita-Felt.

Cheers,
JtL

Orangegrad · Oct 9, 2011

jimmy the lid said:
Here's another Marathon to add to this thread. It originally sold for $7.90 at Penney's.

The felt is a nice shade of tan, with a beautiful complementary edge binding, which is combined with a blue/green ribbon. The ribbon color is hard to photograph -- but the black hat box provides a reference color.

Open crown is 5 1/2", brim width is 2 3/4", and the ribbon is 1 1/2". Felt on the crown is relatively lightweight, with the brim being more substantial. The sweat is very reminiscent of the thinner sweat on my Stetson Vita-Felt.

Cheers,
JtL

Stunning. Thanks for posting the photos.

Terry "The Hat" · Oct 9, 2011

gtdean48 said:
My "Seabiscuit" Marathon.... I think it is darker than Art's original...

Aw Man, you've been holding out on me-LOL!

jimmy the lid · Oct 9, 2011

Figures that gtdean would have a beautiful Seabiscuit Marathon, as well! Fantastic!

[BTW, orangegrad -- you may want to edit your previous post so that my photos aren't all repeated. Saves some thread real estate...

Glad you like the lid!]

gtdean48 · Oct 9, 2011

Terry1955 said:
Aw Man, you've been holding out on me-LOL!

Not holding out but the only reason I sold you that Marathon you have....

The Penney's Marathon

A-List Customer

Practically Family

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I'll Lock Up

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Practically Family

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I'll Lock Up

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I'll Lock Up

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I'll Lock Up

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