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When I think Akubra, I think @johnnycanuck. I wonder if he can shed some light on it. All the information I’ve seen so far suggests it may be vintage.
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The Shoe
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An update: I sent a message to Akubra. They messaged me back and told me that it’s definitely a vintage hat most likely from the 60s. It’s size 60 and Australia went metric in 1966, so most likely late ‘60s - just like me.
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johnnycanuck
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Doing a quick little internet ting, it was a felt weight thing. I remember when I bought my Akubra Squatter it came in imperial felt and superfine. Imperial felt was unlined with the sticker in the crown while superfine was their “dress hat felt” and the hat cane with a full liner. I think the liner was still red back then. In fact they just stopped producing superfine when I ordered mine. That was roughly 10 years ago. It’s interesting they don’t offer a “dress” felt anymore. Probably to streamline production to keep costs down. Hope that helps.
Johnny
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Thanks, Johnny.
Here’s what the guy from Akubra said:”It is definitely a vintage hat. My guess is from the 60's. If therea size in it you can work out if it is pre decimal. Pocketweight was a term used to mean lighter weight felt (eg summer weight)”
The one I’m looking at has the sticker.
johnnycanuck
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Sweet find. Looks like an overwelt brim. That size is obscenely common and hard to find in vintage. Any more pictures? Mr. Lucky.
Johnny
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The Shoe
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johnnycanuck
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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Great looking hat. I can’t tell. What colour is it?
Johnny
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It’s black.
Gary
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Sweet looking hat. Will look great on you I’m sure
The Shoe
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Purchase made. With points and a coupon, it ended up costing me about $US37. Happy with that.
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Excellent... I’m glad you were able to grab it
FedoraRedHat
One of the Regulars
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Just remember "please" and "thank you" can go a long way.
I'm a big fan of Akubra hats and currently have three Fed IVs--two Imperial felts and one Heritage. I think they're excellent hats for the price. But it appears my head is taller than I ever thought it was because even something as simple as a shallow Center Dent crease gets pushed out to an open crown by my head as soon as I put the hat on, so I've never been able to crease any of my hats without that center dome/bubble, including my Feds. But I've seen other members do it, so your luck might be different.
I ended up not specifying. I think that a stiffer felt may create easier symmetrical creases. I can't tell which of your three hats is the Heritage. Chalk one up to Akubra's quality control.
Now that I see the three hats, I could say that the Tawny Fawn color could substitute for a decent, more durable Panama. If it only came in Federation Navy...
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You could be right about the stiffer felt, but my experience has been the opposite, i.e. that the stiffer the felt, the more difficult it was to manipulate into the shape(s) I wanted. But then, I don't have an adequate way to apply steam to the felt so I use room temperature distilled water; heat might make a difference.
I can say there's a noticeable difference between the Imperial and Heritage felts. The Heritage isn't thicker, but it somehow feels more "substantial" than the Imperial and, all things being equal, I'd guess the Heritage felt would outlast the Imperial. I also had to shape the crown on the Heritage three times before it took the shape I wanted, and I had to shape the front of the brim five or six times before it finally retained it's shape. Oh, that's another thing--none of my Fed IVs have the ability to snap the brim up and down because the flange is too shallow (not enough tension on the brim), so I simply shaped the brims how I wanted and left them that way. So far it's worked out well. And the leather they use for the sweatband on the Heritage is cut wider and feels softer, and doesn't "shrink to fit" nearly as much as the leather they use on the Imperial hats. It might also be a bit more comfortable on the forehead, but I can't really detect a difference there. The last time I looked there was a $30 (U.S.) price difference between the Imperial and the Heritage felts, and I haven't seen too many members here go on record to say the Heritage hats are worth the extra cost. Mine was shipped to me accidentally; I ordered an Imperial Moonstone, and they shipped the Heritage. If it weren't for that I'd probably never have known the difference first-hand because I don't have a problem with my Imperial felt hats and would probably never have spent the extra cash for a Heritage. BTW, I did notify The Hattery of their mistake when I received the hat, and they told me to keep it.
Oh, my Moonstone Fed IV is the Heritage felt. I rather like that no one can tell the difference at a glance.
The Tawny Fawn is my favorite color until Akubra decides to start making hats in Whiskey. It's not quite as "warm" as it appears in photos, but I like it regardless.
FedoraRedHat
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I've seen pictures of fedora brims for both bound edge hats and raw edge hats. It seems that the raw edge ones are shaped differently (appear flatter) in the same areas that bound edge hats are curved. I think the bound edge provides extra support which serves the purpose of creating a better snap. I don't know if you've had this experience.
Since people still have respectable-looking 30-year old Akubras, it's unlikely to say which quality hat lasts the longest. I guess the rest is left to the history books.
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The edge binding does seem to increase the amount of the tension on the brim that allows the wearer to snap the brim up and down; the bound brims on my Campdrafts and Hamptons snap up and down easily.
I'm in my late 50s and my oldest hat (or at least the oldest that I can verify) is a little over 10 years old. It was bought new, so it and all of my other hats will probably outlive me at this point.
jlee562
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Binding does add stability to the brim, but the curvature is still the flange. AFAIK, there's no inherent correlation between binding and degree of flange.
Louis Mountbatten
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I had a Fed IV once. I was not a fan. It looked fine, of course, but the felt was just too floppy. Any wind blew the brim all around. I sold it.
johnnycanuck
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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Bound edge or not bound an Akubra treated well will last for years..... with that said the bound edge is made from the same stuff as the bow. Dirt, sweat, fraying, sun bleaching all affect it over time. If you “work” in your hat and I mean sweat, get dirty. Bump into things. A bound edged hat may not look as pretty years down the line. Just a though/observation.
Johnny
Johnny
dkstott
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Delmonico Hatter in New Haven is having a 15% off sale on everything until the end of July.. Since they're within 30 minutes of me, I like to stop in and see what's going on & see what's also on deep discount sales for walk in only.
I was checking out some hats and asked about the difference between modern Stetson Royal quality and Royal Deluxe.
Ben the current owner told me that standard Royal Quality is strictly Domestic Hare whereas Royal Deluxe is a combination of Domestic & European Hare and "about" 10% Beaver.
Wondering if he's in the know or just spouting off the cuff knowledge.
I was checking out some hats and asked about the difference between modern Stetson Royal quality and Royal Deluxe.
Ben the current owner told me that standard Royal Quality is strictly Domestic Hare whereas Royal Deluxe is a combination of Domestic & European Hare and "about" 10% Beaver.
Wondering if he's in the know or just spouting off the cuff knowledge.
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Either an educated guess or he was privy to something a contact told him. Stetson doesn't normally divulge their fur content "recipes."