Found under band.

[St.Ignatz]

First time I've seen one of these. Won a Hardeman beaver on the bay and this was under the sweat. Pics to be posted of hat on new hats thread.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Good idea for a thread.

This was in the latest Panama straw I scored:

Hat could be older but probably not newer.

 

[St.Ignatz]

Postal zone would make it up to the late 50's? Adds a person to the hats personality.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Postal zone would make it up to the late 50's? Adds a person to the hats personality.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Here's something from another straw:

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

And here's still the original price tag inside a fairly fine weave Panama with an older blocking style and a functional wind string:

 

[Baron Kurtz]

First time I've seen one of these. Won a Hardeman beaver on the bay and this was under the sweat. Pics to be posted of hat on new hats thread.

Very interesting. 1933-36 for that hat, then. Did you post the hat somewhere? Can you provide me a link?

bk

 

[Lefty]

This is a photo from an ebay action. I don't remember the hat it came from, but I think the label is English.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Yep, that's an English union label. Saw that one, too.

Brad

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I have a couple of hats with that label. They are both from the 1930s, but i imagine the union existed before and after the hats were made. I'm totally clueless about using it as a dating tool, though …

bk

 

[Brad Bowers]

I been working on dating American hats (well, okay, only those made in the C&K factories) by their union labels, but it hasn't been as fruitful as I would hope. If a C&K-produced hat (C&K/Dobbs/Disney) has a United Hatters of North America label, the hat was made between 1896 and 1909. After that, the union was gone from their factories. Hat Corporation of America became a union shop again in 1946, so if your hat (C&K/Dobbs/Cavanagh/Knox/Dunlap/Berg/Byron) has a United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union label, it was made after that year.

Does this mean that a hat without a label was made between 1909 and 1946? Not necessarily, as the label could have been removed, fallen out in a cleaning, etc. But it could be a good indicator.

So, it's not a perfect system, but it's helpful for indentifying a post-war hat.

This did help prove that the tiny C&K Derby I have is at least 100 years old, as it has the earlier label.

I'm pulling together information on the unions, so I'll post something on identifying hats by union labels at some point. The trouble is that different factories were organized at different times, and weren't always union shops, so there are a lot of dates to sift through.

Brad

 

[alanfgag]

Handmade in South America on the sweat, United Hatworkers of North America under the sweat

 

[Oldsarge]

And a damned good-looking hat, whoever was responsible.

 

[alanfgag]

Large UHWNA label (1.25") under the sweat of these c.1910 NOS hats.

 

[hatophile]

Handmade in South America on the sweat, United Hatworkers of North America under the sweat

Ahhh, it was made in South America by North American workers????

 

[Thunderball]

Is that a left handed hand shake?

 

[Paul Roerich]

Is that a left handed hand shake?

Yes. Wonder if it's somehow Masonic?

 

[-30-]

I have always thought unions to be left. (Handed)
(LOL)

Regards.