Is the vintage hat market dead?

Rmccamey · Sep 20, 2021

You don't see that sheen on just any old hat! That one has to draw a conversation wherever it goes!

mayserwegener said:
Long live Vintage / Antique Hats! No Felt like this today.

J. Hückel´s Söhne "Superior Crystall Velour"

deadlyhandsome · Sep 20, 2021

mayserwegener said:
Long live Vintage / Antique Hats! No Felt like this today.

J. Hückel´s Söhne "Superior Crystall Velour"

Yeah, Man! You can’t get anything close to that new no matter how much you’re willing to spend.

mayserwegener · Sep 20, 2021

Rmccamey said:
You don't see that sheen on just any old hat! That one has to draw a conversation wherever it goes!

Randy, Thanks! This is what keeps me going. There will always great finds.

mayserwegener · Sep 20, 2021

deadlyhandsome said:
Yeah, Man! You can’t get anything close to that new no matter how much you’re willing to spend.

Brent, Thank you! As we know there are still great finds to be made. Nothing is over!

Louis Mountbatten · Sep 20, 2021

mayserwegener said:
Brent, Thank you! As we know there are still great finds to be made. Nothing is over!

Nothing is over until WE decide it is...

belfastboy · Sep 20, 2021

Louis Mountbatten said:
Nothing is over until WE decide it is...

or at least until that birthing person that has exceeded the acceptable BMI starts to sing!....and I don't here it.

RJ and Parkins · Sep 21, 2021

deadlyhandsome said:
I have some modern custom hats that will give vintage hats a run. I also bought a modern Stetson a few years back that was a revelation! The now discontinued Stetson New York LE in phantom grey has thin dense felt that by feel alone I’d swear was 70 years old. It still has all the poor build quality issues of modern Stetsons, but I had no idea it was possible to even still make felt like that. I also have the same hat in tobacco brown that is nice, but not as amazing as the grey.

Thats good to hear that!

belfastboy · Sep 21, 2021

RJ and Parkins said:
Thats good to hear that!

I have a modern Stetson from 2015 that Brent gave to me and I have begun the rebuild project. It is the Excellent grade felt as is the NY LE that Brent speaks of. I have never handled one of those but I can say the felt on my Excellent quality is truly excellent. It takes a dry bash easily, is soft to the touch but has substance. Has a nice sheen to the now cleaned felt. I agree with Brent that it does have the shoddy modern Stetson build issues....glued in liners, cheap ribbon with glaring tack stitch marks, cheap sweats on a $300++ hat...... but I would buy another based on the felt. The other issues I can fix but I can't make the felt.

Chiliarches · Dec 12, 2021

Looking through my hats again.

So, since we've established that there is a core group of folks still interested in vintage hats...is there a thread or set of rules around asking for valuation advice on the forum to prep for a listing?

jonesy86 · Dec 12, 2021

Chiliarches said:
Looking through my hats again.

So, since we've established that there is a core group of folks still interested in vintage hats...is there a thread or set of rules around asking for valuation advice on the forum to prep for a listing?

What size?

Frunobulax · Dec 12, 2021

Chiliarches said:
Looking through my hats again.

So, since we've established that there is a core group of folks still interested in vintage hats...is there a thread or set of rules around asking for valuation advice on the forum to prep for a listing?

Most of us are pretty leery of putting a resale value on someone else's hat. As with any collectible, the value can change over time and depends on the audience, as well. My best advice is, if you're going to sell a hat, to look at similar listings for an approximate value.

Rmccamey · Dec 13, 2021

Very much like finding real estate comparables. Look through the usual suspects (Ebay, etsy, etc) to find comparable samples and price accordingly. Pristine samples/NOS and larger sizes tend to bring higher prices.

Chiliarches said:
Looking through my hats again.

So, since we've established that there is a core group of folks still interested in vintage hats...is there a thread or set of rules around asking for valuation advice on the forum to prep for a listing?

Frunobulax said:
Most of us are pretty leery of putting a resale value on someone else's hat. As with any collectible, the value can change over time and depends on the audience, as well. My best advice is, if you're going to sell a hat, to look at similar listings for an approximate value.

Zombie_61 · Dec 13, 2021

Chiliarches said:
Looking through my hats again.

So, since we've established that there is a core group of folks still interested in vintage hats...is there a thread or set of rules around asking for valuation advice on the forum to prep for a listing?

In addition to the information provided by these nice folks who all have far more experience than I do, keep in mind that the true value of any item is only what someone is willing to pay for it. I or anyone here could examine an item thoroughly and tell you it's worth "X" amount of dollars, but if the highest bidder is only willing to pay half of that amount that's what the item is worth. That's life.

That said, best of luck with any sales. And if you come across any half-decent hats size 7-1/2 (60 cm) that you'd be willing to part with ridiculously cheap...

mayserwegener · Dec 13, 2021

It's far from dead. People are making amazing finds. End of Story.

Bill Hughes · Dec 13, 2021

Speaking for myself only - as time has gone by my personal collection has improved greatly in quality. Therefore, it now takes a pretty special hat to catch my eye. A hat that would have greatly interested me 5 years ago may not have the slightest interest today. There has been numerous times I’ve bought a fedora just to turn around a few months later and sell the same hat because I already have a nicer version on hand. So I have to be careful to not overpay. But I am always looking for hats that are better than those I currently wear. When I see one I try to get it at a decent price. If I do get it than I wear it a couple of times and compare with the one I have. I keep the one I like better and sell the other.

It’s a never ending hunt. That is - the vintage hat market is going strong. But it takes time and patience to get the really nice ones.

glider · Dec 13, 2021

It seems like vintage hats have really increased in value the last few years. Some of the prices I've seen on the bay are nuts, not unusual to see a hat priced at 500 or more. 200 is about my limit and that would be a very, very nice hat. At 500 we're starting to get in new custom hat territory.

buler · Dec 13, 2021

Chiliarches said:
Looking through my hats again.

So, since we've established that there is a core group of folks still interested in vintage hats...is there a thread or set of rules around asking for valuation advice on the forum to prep for a listing?

Chiliarches, another forum member out of the past. I think I sold you a hat or 2 back in the day.

Having been on this forum since 2008 (time flies), I would say your best bet is to use ebay. Really hate to say that, because I'm not a big fan of the site. But over the many years of buying/selling hats and other things, it's still the best place to go to appeal to the most people.

I've found that your hat size (7 1/8) is a really tough sell. That's just my opinion from experience and others may disagree.

My advice is to list some on ebay and see how it goes. Good luck!

PS. I would add that the vintage hat market is not dead. Over the 13+ years I've been in it there have certainly been some interesting trends. I remember when Strat's where THE thing and brought very high prices. Then Whippets went crazy (I know some went in the $600-700 range).

B

JazzIsTvRicky · Dec 6, 2023

Chiliarches said:
Howdy, all.

I have a decent collection of beautiful vintage hats that I no longer wear...so I will probably sell most of them over the coming months.

I popped over to the classifieds section to see what was listed...since I haven't really engaged on the forum in a decade...and I see almost no hats listed on the first three or four pages. Does no one buy and sell old hats anymore?

Yes people will buy those with verifiable history. I am like you going to sell my collection which I have branded boxes for. Stetson Sovereign, Dobbs Jet, Borsalino Alexandria for sale…. Soon. Where do I post them?

JazzIsTvRicky · Dec 6, 2023

jonesy86 said:
What size ya got?

7 5/8

BobHufford · Dec 6, 2023

JazzIsTvRicky said:
Where do I post them?

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/forums/classifieds.15/

Is the vintage hat market dead?

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