The Dobbs Diner...

Brad Bowers · Feb 10, 2010

That's a nice Dobbs you've inherited. Good thing it fits!

It's from the late-'50s at the earliest, perhaps through the late-'60s, but more likely on the earlier side.

Brad

Boatwright · Feb 11, 2010

Brad Bowers said:
That's a nice Dobbs you've inherited. Good thing it fits!

It's from the late-'50s at the earliest, perhaps through the late-'60s, but more likely on the earlier side.

Brad

Thaks for the info. The date range you suggested sounds just about when I guessed my Father in law got the hat.

simmonsgc · Feb 12, 2010

Nice find!

Hi all--

Posting this up for my fellow Lounger, flute. I'll let him supply the details in a reply, but seems to me this nice Dobbs is a pretty good score!

Way to go, flute!

Cheers,
GC

fluteplayer07 · Feb 12, 2010

Hey-

I found this one at a vintage apparel store for $28. A black Dobbs Homburg with no real damage. The worker hypothesized it was from the 1940's-50's, and I'm tempted to agree. But I'll leave the dating to the pros... Any idea how old, guys?

Thanks,
flute

Brad Bowers · Feb 12, 2010

That liner tip dates from the mid-'30s to the early-'40s. I'd say it's circa 1940. Interesting texture on the leather. Great find!

Brad

simmonsgc · Feb 12, 2010

Well, there you go, flute. The Dobbs oracle has spoken! I was wondering about that logo.

Cheers,

GC

fluteplayer07 · Feb 12, 2010

Thanks! Good thing I bought it; I almost passed it up, but grabbed it at the last moment.

--flute

Brad Bowers · Feb 12, 2010

I've always liked the Dobbs in the roundel. I sort of wish HATCO would revive it as an option.

Brad

jeffconnors · Feb 14, 2010

Dobbs twenty with a wide brim

I have scene a lot of twenties from the same era all with short brims, this on has a nice 2 5/8 brim. Looks like the previous owner thought the hat was too tight and slashed the sweat band in two places for a more comfortable fit..weird eh[huh] I love the gray burgundy color combo, shes snug but i ware it anyway, it just to fine to let sit around.

Mario · Feb 14, 2010

Beautiful color combo! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

jeffconnors · Feb 14, 2010

Dobbs 15 with headspring sweatband..very comfortable

jeffconnors · Feb 14, 2010

Newish Dobbs Boater when I feel like being just like Fred Astaire

Wolfen · Feb 18, 2010

Back in December I posted this hat (http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?p=930071#post930071) that I got from ebay. I took it to JW Hats here in Utah and had them fix it up for me. Here is how it looks now:

They had to replace the ribbon and couldnt get an exact match so it is now a little darker. I like the double bow thing that its got going on:

Sweatband was also replaced:

They resized it so it fits me:

JW also replaced the damaged sweatband from the other Dobbs I have (originally seen here http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?p=930066#post930066).

fluteplayer07 · Feb 18, 2010

Hey Wolfen, it looks great! Like that ribbon treatment. And,

fftopic: , the suit is real nice.

Salty O'Rourke · Feb 27, 2010

Dobbs Twenty Homburg

Just fished this out of the bay - when it arrives I'll poke around under the sweatband and take some pics.

I'm thinking 1960's?? I'm not really up on Dobbs - when was the "humpback" carriage logo used on the sweats? Since this is a black formal hat I'm not going by the black sweatband as a dating indicator (although its width might be a clue), but the cloverleaf bow should tell us something, right? Also, the brim binding doesn't seem as wide as i'm used to seeing on older hats. At the price I got it for I don't care if it was turned out last month, but it's always nice to have an idea of when a hat was produced.

Thoughts?

Brad Bowers · Feb 27, 2010

Salty O'Rourke said:
Just fished this out of the bay - when it arrives I'll poke around under the sweatband and take some pics.

I'm thinking 1960's?? I'm not really up on Dobbs - when was the "humpback" carriage logo used on the sweats? Since this is a black formal hat I'm not going by the black sweatband as a dating indicator (although its width might be a clue), but the cloverleaf bow should tell us something, right? Also, the brim binding doesn't seem as wide as i'm used to seeing on older hats. At the price I got it for I don't care if it was turned out last month, but it's always nice to have an idea of when a hat was produced.

Thoughts?

Looks like you snagged a nice Homburg.

The use of the coach logo dates back to 1935, but I've yet to see a sweatband from the '30s that features it. It's mostly seen in advertising. On a side note, in 1932 the Dobbs store in New York bought a coach and two horses to deliver hats around the city as an advertising gimmick. I don't know how long the practice continued, or how successful it was. The fact that they created a logo with the coach three years later suggests that it the coach and Dobbs association had become fixed in people's minds, and they might as well capitalize on the marketing possibilities.

The logo might have first started being featured on Dobbs sweatbands by the late '40s, but the best evidence right now suggests that it didn't started being used until around 1954 or 1955. It lasted at least into the late-'60s on a regular basis.

I'm guessing your hat is late-'50s, around the time of the '58-'59 Derby revival, which also featured a Homburg resurgence as well. It could even be early-'60s.

The narrow binding on the brim is not unusual, as many Hat Corporation of America brands featured Homburgs with that narrow binding, including Cavanagh, Dobbs, and Knox. Again, I think it was a style change associated with the late-'50s revival.

Brad

carouselvic · Feb 28, 2010

1943 Stockman Ad

Dobbs and Stockman going after Borsalino's market share, 1943.

By carouselvic at 2010-02-28

jimmy the lid · Feb 28, 2010

Great find, cv! So -- confirms the unavailability of Borsos during the war, and the fact that American companies were scrambling to provide alternatives, like the Dobbs Avorio and the Stetson Stratoliner.

I love the fact that these are called "Avorios" -- the color ("Ivory") of the comparable Borso lids.

Good stuff.

Cheers,
JtL

Musashi · Mar 1, 2010

Saw this Motheaten Dobbs 20 in an Antique store today. Its in awful, awful shape. looks like the band is disintegrating into the felt on the bottom edge, the felt itself is riddled with moth holes, and its a size 7... i wear a 7 1/4..

So why post this? Because if it weren't so destroyed, i would love it! I loved the color, i loved the brim width (most dobbs 20's I see on ebay have stingy brims. This isnt grandiose, but it does seem 'just about right'. And finally, the felt (whats left of it) just feels nice, its pliable and soft and differs from my current few (and modern) hats. Maybe this is what the rage about vintage is about..

As for the color it's a quite light grey, but with a tinge of brown. Lighter in person than in the photo, and also quite even. the iphone added a lot of color noise. Very nice and a departure from my couple Stetsons i which i would call a true or 'cool' grey. (they are also the much darker grey)

I'd really like to pick up a Dobbs like this in my size. Are they rare? In high demand? actual age doesn't matter but the brim and crown height do.

Anyhow I just wanted to share this 'near miss' and wonder aloud to anyone who'd listen if it were possible to acquire one like it in decent shape. Is Dobbs 20 just a quality/price level with no relationship to the brim width/style of the hat?

Brad Bowers · Mar 1, 2010

It certainly has seen better days, but still has character. What were they asking for it? Could the felt be salvaged at all?

Yes, Twenty just refers to the price and has nothing to do with the style or features. Wider brims like that in 7 1/4 will be harder to come by and will be pricier on eBay, but they can be found. Just have to keep searching, and decide how much you're willing to pay.

Brad

The Dobbs Diner...

I'll Lock Up

New in Town

Familiar Face

One Too Many

I'll Lock Up

Familiar Face

One Too Many

I'll Lock Up

A-List Customer

I'll Lock Up

A-List Customer

A-List Customer

One of the Regulars

One Too Many

Practically Family

I'll Lock Up

I'll Lock Up

I'll Lock Up

One of the Regulars

I'll Lock Up

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