German & Austrian Hutmachers

Mean Eyed Matt said:

Today I also have something new:
Hückel "Elastic" Melone/Derby - as we have seen from Steve and others here often. Any Dating? 30s?
Condition of this one is ok, unfortunately already before and then a little more dented by the transport.
But the flexible stiff felt - this is completely new to me - will be able to compensate the marks.
The hat has not yet been treated properly with steam and brush: please forgive me.

The sweat is also quite well intact and above all still supple.

The real reason for my purchase is the fantastic green liner,
which is glued and not sewn in - usual for stiff felts?

The label...

And here is an interesting detail behind the leather at the front:
A wavy piece of felt (black) with plain felt (white) over it - sewn in.
Reminds me of a mixture of cork strips and the intermediate piece at the Borsalinos.
Is this typical for the "Elastic"?

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Mean Eyed Matt said:

Thanks for the comments and dating!
The location is "Andernach (am Rhein)":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andernach
And I got it from a seller in Andernach

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Mean Eyed Matt said:

The real reason for my purchase is the fantastic green liner,
which is glued and not sewn in - usual for stiff felts?

And here is an interesting detail behind the leather at the front:
A wavy piece of felt (black) with plain felt (white) over it - sewn in.
Reminds me of a mixture of cork strips and the intermediate piece at the Borsalinos.
Is this typical for the "Elastic"?

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Centaurus3200 said:

Hi all, first post!

I go to thrift stores on a regular basis but finding decent hats has been surprisingly difficult.

I decided screw it, just go to a store. Mars mercantile in Berkeley always has a large selection of German Trilby hats for some reason. Wonder if the owner is into them or something?

I have no idea what to look for, other than I recognize the name Mayser. But what signifies a quality and collectible German, Austrian hat? They had possibly older ones, but i didn't want anything that overtly screamed oktoberfest! Haha!

None were amazing deals, but acceptable if you just wanna "get er done".

The brown Mayser was $14. $18 for the other two. The beat Wilke was a $4 that I picked up last year.

I'm guessing the Maysers are 70s or 80s? I'll also assume the the "furry one" (rabbit fur?) is M. W. Diamant? That one is a little big, but too cool looking to leave behind. I have adhesive faux leather tape. Was gonna put it behind the sweat band over the tears. And maybe a little black Rit dye to mask the damage?

Would it be a horrible idea to use a hand held, steamer and a blow dryer to shrink it a bit?
View attachment 273236 View attachment 273237 View attachment 273238 View attachment 273239 View attachment 273240 View attachment 273241 View attachment 273242 View attachment 273243

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mayserwegener said:

Good to meet you!

The Maysers could 1970s or later. The both look to be in decent condition. You might want to purchase a hat brush. Brush the felt counter clockwise. You can search here on how to use steam while brushing. Also apply some leather cleaner / conditioner to the sweatband.

The Wilke is probably 1970s. I believe F.W Schneider had the Wilke mark in this time period. I would brush with steam as instructed above. The sweatband is shot so I would do whatever you want to make it wearable.

The M. W. Diamant is Max Wiese Berlin.

https://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/topic/98-m-b-w-hutfabrik/

It could be later 1960s. Don't try to shrink it with steam. Use spacers behind the sweatband. You can buy felt sheets at a hobby store and cut strips. I would brush with steam as instructed above.

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mayserwegener said:

Matt, I forgot to answer your questions.

I have only seen JHS Stiff Felts with glued or taped in liners. It's not common to see a Stiff Felt with a stitched in place liner. Here is an example from PH. Möckel Hutfabrik.

https://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/topic/14-ph-möckel-hutfabrik-homburg-vor-der-höhe/?do=findComment&comment=674

I checked my JHS "Elastic" you mentioned and it doesn't have the vent / pad system. Here is one in an older (WWI era) JHS Stiff Felt. It could mean yours is older than mine but I would have go through all of my JHS Stiff Felts. I believe some my other Stiff Felts have a similar vent / pad system.

https://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/topic/6-johann-hückel´s-söhne-hückel-hutfabrik-weilheim/?do=findComment&comment=248

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Mean Eyed Matt said:

Thanks Steve: learned something new again.
Of course it makes sense to glue the lining into stiff felts!
Interestingly, the vent / pad system is not sewn with the sweat
as it is normally known from many Borsalinos.
These two stripes (black "waffle" and white "felt")
are exactly the same construction on your WWI copy as on mine.
This makes it unlikely, in my opinion, that this construction
was only sewn in later on at the customer's request when it was sold.
Nevertheless, I would be very surprised if mine was really that old!?
I now know the logo on the lining of mine from your hats
and it corresponds to the logos of the Hückels of the 20's/30's
- but you surely know better.

I will try my best to take some good pictures
after I have put some more steam on the felt.

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M Hatman said:

1939 Large format postcard.......
View attachment 274323 View attachment 274324

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Steve1857 said:

Great find, Matt. Super autumn colour indeed.

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M Hatman said:

Thanks,
MARK

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Steve1857 said:

Sorry, Mark. I know you're Mark, I've been following some of Matt's posts, so my thick head and thick thumb got confused.

Profuse and abject apologies!

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M Hatman said:

I have done the same!!!

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mayserwegener said:

Matt, Your JHS "Elastic" Stiff Felt is definitely later than my WWI era JHS Stiff Felt. I said your JHS "Elastic" might be older that my JHS "Elastic" with the brown liner. The paper label changed after WWI but not sure when in the 1920s. I probably have some later examples (same time period as your "Elastic") of the vent but I would have to look through all of my JHS Stiff Felts. I seem to recall other companies having similar vent systems but I would have to check all my Stiff Felts.

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Mean Eyed Matt said:

rare find: Rockel Velour Superior
nice velour felt, although (as Steve already said) not as high class as JHS-Velours
charcoal with violet tint - interesting lining in a great blue - no manufacturer's label found
I would have thought late 30s; Steve says: probably 1940s - he surely knows better...

I have only secured this rare find: with 55 cm - US 6 7/8 - UK 6 3/4 too small for me,
so I'm happy to pass it on to anyone who is interested...

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mayserwegener said:

Matt, Super find! I really like the color and Velour finish. Also great bow design. Very difficult to find an old Rockel.

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Mean Eyed Matt said:

Thanks, Steve. Yes, a rare find, which is why I saved it.
I also like the colour and finish - and second you with the bow:
it goes great with the narrow brim and the sporty look of the hat.

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