Knox question...

Tampahound · Feb 17, 2009

Hi Folks!

I'm trying to figure out what era my Knox hat is from. I have not found any threads that give hints on what to look for on a Knox specifically. If I have started a thread that exists already, please delete and refer me.

The only distinguishing thing that I see is obvious...plastic on the liner! When did Knox begin adding plastic to their liners? I have read in other threads that suggests that this is a feature of a hat from the 1960's, but I don't know if Knox still existed at that time!

pic1
pic2

Thank you in advance for any information on when Knox began using plastic in their liners.

Wil Tam · Feb 17, 2009

like this

Tampahound · Feb 17, 2009

Thanks Wil!

I'm following the directions in the FAQ but I guess I'm just clueless...

Thanks for taking care of that for me!

Wil Tam · Feb 17, 2009

Looks like one of my Knox Premiers

get some pics of the liner ... to post from the bucket .. go to the full pic & it's the bottom one on the right .. the one that says IMG Code then just copy & paste here .. no need to use the pic link on the posting window

Heres a article from Time if that helps

Tampahound · Feb 18, 2009

Thanks Wil! Wonderful advice! Sorry it took so long to reply..I had to break out the good camera.

Wow took a few tries to get it right...had to re-size the HUGE images I posted. Very hard to get a picture of the plastic...no flash and still not great images.

Michaelshane · Feb 18, 2009

The inside looks exactly like my two homburgs.

Tampahound · Feb 18, 2009

Michaelshane said:
The inside looks exactly like my two homburgs.

Interesting...when I first saw the hat I thought it might be a homburg. I'm going to use a little steam and see what turns up! I'll post a new picture later.

carter · Feb 18, 2009

Here's a brief history of Raleigh Haberdasher, Washington, D.C.

Raleigh Haberdasher
Submitted by Old Time D.C. Resident on Tue, 12/16/2008 - 12:00pm.
Raleigh Haberdasher, or Raleigh's as we used to call it, began as a shop inside the hotel back in 1911. Just one of the many local emporia that were distinctively Washington, D.C.

The Raleigh Hotel at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington circa 1920. National Photo Company Collection glass negative.

Display Window from Raleigh Haberdasher, 1925

From Wikipedia:
The first store opened on February 16, 1911, at 1109 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, in the Raleigh Hotel. Mr. Clarence Grosner was the first store operator.[1]

Men who give thought to care and taste in their dress will be interested to hear of the opening today of The Raleigh Haberdasher at 1109 Pennsylvania avenue. Mr. Clarence W. Grosner, who for many years has been well known in Washington as a popular caterer to the sartorial wants of man, will be in charge of this new emporium, which is an assurance that everything will be strictly up-to-date and first class. The place has been thoroughly remodeled and the fixtures are of the latest and most attractive design. The aim of the Raleigh Haberdasher will be to sell the very newest and best in exclusive furnishings and hats for men at the lowest prices.

In 1952, Sidney Lansburgh and his family purchased the company from the estate of Clarence Grosner. He would remain President and Chief Executive Officer of the Raleigh Stores Corp. until his death in 1983.[2] Raleigh's remained an independent,family owned corporation until 1984, when it was acquired by an investor group headed by New York retail entrepreneur Neal J. Fox. In 1987, Fox purchased the Garfinckel's department store chain for $95 million in a leveraged buyout. The following year, Fox was ousted by investors and Raleigh's was acquired by Hartmarx. In September 1992, after Hartmarx sold Raleigh's along with other retail stores to the investors group HSSA Group Ltd., they announced the decision to close the chain six days after purchasing it. The chain closed in December 1992.

Flagship Store
In the 1923 the downtown store moved to 1310 F Street, NW. That store would remain the flagship store and headquarters until 1971*, and remain open until January 1980. It was demolished and replaced by The Shops at National Place.

*In 1971, the company moved its flagship store to 1133 Connecticut Ave., NW, in a location formerly occupied by Erlebacher's. In 1986, that store was sold for $7.5 million and the store moved to a "temporary location" across the street 1130 Connecticut Ave., NW.[6] It would return to its former flagship for its liquidation sale in late 1992.

Wil Tam · Feb 18, 2009

my best guess...

superfine nice .. mid range light felt .. 1960's to 70's .. IMHO they have some of the best colors .. besides Barbiso

Tampahound · Feb 18, 2009

Great info Carter thanks!
Also thanks for the link Wil Tam

Michaelshane "The inside looks exactly like my two homburgs."

Here is a couple pictures of the hat after a mild steaming.

What do you think?[huh]

Michaelshane · Feb 18, 2009

mine,the colors aren't quite right in this pic.

[/IMG]

Tampahound · Feb 18, 2009

Those are some nice hats. Seeing those does not make me think that mine is a homburg. I think I like the look with the brim down better than up. I do appreciate all the input!

Michaelshane · Feb 18, 2009

The ribbon and edge binding have some age related color change going on.These hats were stored in boxes and unworn.I dont think the ribbons would look like that if they were from the 60's.I think they might be older.....but I yield to someone who has more expertise.

Tampahound · Feb 18, 2009

Wil Tam said:
superfine nice .. mid range light felt .. 1960's to 70's

That sounds like what I expected. Not bad for $20.

funneman · Feb 18, 2009

Welcome Tampahound!

It's great to have another fellow Floridian on the lounge.

There are others better suited to this than I, but judging
from the plastic in the liner, the width and the color of
the sweatband, I'd guess 60s or 70s.

It's a great looking lid, and it looks good on you.

It looks really good in your avatar photo.

I like the taper in the front and the way the sides
flatten out.

Tampahound · Feb 18, 2009

funneman said:
It's a great looking lid, and it looks good on you.

It looks really good in your avatar photo.

I like the taper in the front and the way the sides
flatten out.

Thanks funneman. The avatar pic is actually a new Stetson Temple (in Caribou) that fits a bit better when my hair is longer than it is right now. It is a 7 3/8 and I'm probably really more of a 7 1/4. Darn baseball caps ruined my sizing ideas!:eusa_doh:

I think the Knox will stay like this for awhile.

HarpPlayerGene · Feb 18, 2009

Wil Tam said:

Man, you remind me of Robert De Niro.

Christopher Smith · Apr 8, 2020

Greetings,

I just recently purchased a Knox Flying Cloud fedora off of eBay. I had some questions that maybe someone could help me answer. I'm attaching some photos I took of it to hopefully help in answering them.

My first question is when were the Flying Cloud fedoras made? This is mainly a dating question. I'm wondering when the hat I purchased might be from.

My second question is on the inside lining, the lines around the ship that indicate wind look like there might be letters hidden in the lines. Does anyone know what might have been written on the inside of the Knox Flying Cloud fedoras, if anything.

Third question, what's with the pin on the side? Does anyone know what it represents? I'm thinking it might be a flag of some kind. I know the flag of Scotland is blue with a white X but I'm not 100% sure why a Knox fedora would have that on it.

Hoping some of the pics help with answering these. Thank you!

Just Daniel · Apr 8, 2020

Great liner! I don’t track Knox hats too closely, but I assume the Flying Cloud came around in the 50s and 60s.

The liner protector and that reorder label can help with figuring out a decade for this hat. I believe that is a 50s era Hat Corporation of America label. One of the other guys can be more accurate.

In case you want more images or info on the Flying Cloud, here is a link to Fedora Lounge site search results on google. I looked and specific information seems predictably scattered around the site.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sit...&gbv=2&ei=zAuOXqudCdCxggfgq53oAg&start=0&sa=N

Enjoy the hat! It looks great.

Daniel

PS The pin definitely looks owner-added.

Knox question...

One of the Regulars

Practically Family

One of the Regulars

Practically Family

One of the Regulars

One Too Many

One of the Regulars

I'll Lock Up

Practically Family

One of the Regulars

One Too Many

One of the Regulars

One Too Many

One of the Regulars

Practically Family

One of the Regulars

I'll Lock Up

New in Town

One Too Many

Similar threads

Log in

Forum statistics