I need some HAT help!!!!

[harrytemp]

Could be old because of the script. I think that is the number 4 written in a certain script.

At the same time the label doesn’t look as used and old as the sweatband or the hat. Usually things like that will also wear or show perspiration.

I hunt down old Louis Vuitton trunks and some of the trunks are claimed to be in the 40’s but the labels are brand new. Usually with age there is some sort of patina that will develop.

Your hat is hard since it doesn’t have a manufacturer’s mark. “US Army” could be the brand with no affiliation to the actual army. Just like Federal Express (fedex) is not a government entity.

 

[BobHufford]

I believe it could be an army campaign hat? Not sure of the era or anything else about it. Maybe it's a Halloween costume....but then why bother with the cool label that nobody will see?

I see similar old-style labels on reproductions used by reenactors.

The real thing:

 

[Hurricane Jack]

then why bother with the cool label that nobody will see?

It’s an older reproduction of a Civil War Officers Hardee Hat. Is that screen printed on cardboard?

 

[kiakayak]

It’s an older reproduction of a Civil War Officers Hardee Hat. Is that screen printed on cardboard?

Yup, it's printed on cardboard. Is it interesting to anybody? Does it have any value? Thanks!

 

[nchillbilly1950]

I bought this hat in 2019 in Gatlinburg Tennessee and I have worn it alot.It had a small tag inside that said made in usa 100% wool and that was the only marking on it.Im wanting to get another one but can't find one like it.

 

[belfastboy]

I bought this hat in 2019 in Gatlinburg Tennessee and I have worn it alot.It had a small tag inside that said made in usa 100% wool and that was the only marking on it.Im wanting to get another one but can't find one like it. View attachment 559251 View attachment 559252 View attachment 559253

Wool felt hats in general don't get much love here in the Lounge. Without markings/labels it is impossible to tell anything about the hat. Be glad you got such good lengthy wear out of an inexpensive wool hat. You done good.

 

[Rmccamey]

There are many, similar (actually better) trilby, short brimmed vintage felt hats on Ebay. Here is one I've been watching for a while.

Vtg Churchill Ltd Brown Fedora - Homburg -Brass - Hat Sz 7-1/4 | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">This is a Vintage Churchill Ltd Fedora - Homburg Hat</p> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Color: Brass / Brown </p> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Hat Sz 7-1/4.</p> <br> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0...

www.ebay.com

 

[nchillbilly1950]

Wool felt hats in general don't get much love here in the Lounge. Without markings/labels it is impossible to tell anything about the hat. Be glad you got such good lengthy wear out of an inexpensive wool hat. You done good.

I'm sorry I didn't know that.I was just seeing if anyone had any idea about it.thank you

 

[nchillbilly1950]

There are many, similar (actually better) trilby, short brimmed vintage felt hats on Ebay. Here is one I've been watching for a while.

http://[URL]https://www.ebay.com/itm/256142925882

[/URL]

I like that but the thing is I wear a 7 5/8 hat and they are hard to find in vintage hats.

 

[BobHufford]

I bought this hat in 2019 in Gatlinburg Tennessee and I have worn it alot.It had a small tag inside that said made in usa 100% wool and that was the only marking on it.Im wanting to get another one but can't find one like it.

Fruit Jar Alley in Newport, TN used to sell hats similar to Mark Ramsey's (from "Moonshiners").

 

[Rmccamey]

Understood. Check with our friend and member @deadlyhandsome who is also your size. Brent often has large size hats for sale.

| eBay

I like that but the thing is I wear a 7 5/8 hat and they are hard to find in vintage hats.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I like that but the thing is I wear a 7 5/8 hat and they are hard to find in vintage hats.

Quality hats in the bigger sizes are indeed hard to find on the vintage market, and when you do find them they usually aren’t cheap.

Do to the rarity of 7 ⅝ to 7 ¾ vintage hats, I’ve focused mostly on custom made hats. They are more expensive than most wool felt fashion or souvenir hats, but in perspective they can be quite affordable. You can get a custom made fur felt hat starting at $200.

Another option for you is to have someone like Terry @T Jones rework a western hat into a fedora. Such a hat will take a lot of hard use and still look great. The heavier rabbit and beaver blend felt is rugged while still being able to look better than the common wool hats. Depending on the donor hat, this can be a very inexpensive option.

 

[Woodtroll]

I'm sorry I didn't know that.I was just seeing if anyone had any idea about it.thank you

Welcome to the Lounge!

No need to apologize, and I hope you don't feel you're being brushed off here. It's just that a wool hat sold in a "tourist" area like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is most likely pretty generic and could have come from any number of sources. It's just impossible to tell without some kind of markings or identifications. Not knocking the tourist mecca in East Tennessee either - heaven knows I've spent quite a bit of time there over the years. And I hear they even have pretty mountains there somewhere close by, too.

The suggestion to find an older rabbit/beaver felt hat to upgrade from a wool hat is a really good one. If you watch you can find Resistol westerns in 7-5/8 at pretty reasonable prices, and several of the folks here offer customization/refurb services if you don't want to tackle that yourself. Wool hats serve a purpose, but if you've found that you like a brimmed hat (and it looks like that one has received lots of head time, so I think you've decided) then you won't regret a fur felt hat, especially if it's a working/outdoor hat. I walked that very same path myself (but watch out for the money pit at the path's end!).

Good luck to you!
Regan

 

[wsmontana]

Welcome to the lounge! If you want a non-vintage example, I think an Akubra Stylemaster could give you a similar style and be able to handle the elements much better and last much longer than wool.

Good luck and have fun in your hat journey!

 

[RAH]

Hello group,

I recently attended an estate sale where the gentleman of the house was obviously a collector of hats. It was a pretty amazing and eclectic display of hats and caps and everything else. I picked up a dark blue bowler that actually fits me well. I'd never purchase one online. It's just one of those stiff hats that you have to try on personally.

Anyway, there's no info on the brown sweatband. All that is there is that it was made for Meyers of Lexington, Kentucky. Underneath the band, it says size 7 1/2. I imagine this was a Kentucky Derby sale type of hat but I'm not sure. There are a few listings on Etsy and the like, but that's it.

Does the group have any info for this brand? Maker? Age range?

Also, some of the felt has rubbed off in a few places on the crown. Any suggestion on what to do about this besides call it lived in?

Tnx!

 

[RAH]

I attended an estate sale recently where the gentleman of the house collected a slew of different style hats. The seller said that the owner would travel the world, ask someone to purchase their hat, and take it home. One of the two hats I purchased was a pinched-front fedora-type hat from Lock and Company. I'm looking to get an age range for the hat from the group.

The hat style is Monaco. They Monaco Lock and Co. currently offer is not the same. I re-shaped it with the telescope crown.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[alanfgag]

Guessing your hat is from Carl Meyer's of Lexington KY. From the manufacturing details, I'd guess it's a hat from the 1960s-1970s or thereabouts... but just a guess. It is not a pre-WWII stiff hat.

 

[RAH]

Thank you Alan. It's not as stiff as others I've seen and felt at antique shops.

Guessing your hat is from Carl Meyer's of Lexington KY. From the manufacturing details, I'd guess it's a hat from the 1960s-1970s or thereabouts... but just a guess. It is not a pre-WWII stiff hat

 

[Pinbak]

First my head size is 22 3/4 Inches so basically between 57-58 cm. Stetson sizing puts me at 7 1/4.

I have 3 Open Road purchased within the past two years. Royal Deluxe and 2 Cowboy 6x. All of them are 7 3/8, what yes that is correct 7 3/8.

I got the Royal Deluxe first and tried it on at a store and it felt the best on my head. I did try a 7 1/4 my actual hat size and it was just too tight, felt like if I wore that a few hours it'd hurt. I cannot stand any tightness on my head.

So with that being said, the Royal Deluxe is a bit loose after wearing it a while, it hasn't shrunk at all, it touches the back of my head and the front of my head, but the hat wobbles side to side. So, I put a 4mm shim in it and it fits fine now.

The 2 Cowboy 6x fit well, one doesn't need any shim in it and one I have a 3mm shim. Both feel good and do not wobble. I can hold my head over and neither fall off.


This is why i am asking mainly about the sizing, I got burned on a Stetson Range 6x 7 3/8, thing is super huge and will NOT shrink no matter what I do. I wet the brim and crown and took a hair dryer to it, steamed it and put on a lamp shade, put in my truck window for 5 hours in the heat of the day, wet the sweatband with water until it was soaked and took a hair dryer to it, left it sitting on a vent overnight with the heat on and nada, the thing will not shrink one bit.


Here's the fun part, reading on how to get the Stetson Range to shrink, now I want to purchase an Akubra Campdraft.

I have done all I can to find out how a brand new Stetson OR vs Akubra CD size against each other. Please if anyone has knowledge on how a brand new Stetson OR(not a classic or one from 10-15 years ago) but 1 purchased in the last year or so measures up in size against an Akubra CD purchased within the past year or so.


Short Version TLDR -- Basically I need to know, if i took a normal average Stetson OR in 59 and put it against an Akubra CD in 59 will they be the same size? And I understand, all hats fit different, I have 3 new OR and all fit different, BUT they are close enough to correct.

Will an Akubra CD be the same(will it take some minor shimming to correct) or is the Akubra 59 super huge compared to OR 59?

Thank You

Don

 

[deadlyhandsome]

First my head size is 22 3/4 Inches so basically between 57-58 cm. Stetson sizing puts me at 7 1/4.

I have 3 Open Road purchased within the past two years. Royal Deluxe and 2 Cowboy 6x. All of them are 7 3/8, what yes that is correct 7 3/8.

I got the Royal Deluxe first and tried it on at a store and it felt the best on my head. I did try a 7 1/4 my actual hat size and it was just too tight, felt like if I wore that a few hours it'd hurt. I cannot stand any tightness on my head.

So with that being said, the Royal Deluxe is a bit loose after wearing it a while, it hasn't shrunk at all, it touches the back of my head and the front of my head, but the hat wobbles side to side. So, I put a 4mm shim in it and it fits fine now.

The 2 Cowboy 6x fit well, one doesn't need any shim in it and one I have a 3mm shim. Both feel good and do not wobble. I can hold my head over and neither fall off.


This is why i am asking mainly about the sizing, I got burned on a Stetson Range 6x 7 3/8, thing is super huge and will NOT shrink no matter what I do. I wet the brim and crown and took a hair dryer to it, steamed it and put on a lamp shade, put in my truck window for 5 hours in the heat of the day, wet the sweatband with water until it was soaked and took a hair dryer to it, left it sitting on a vent overnight with the heat on and nada, the thing will not shrink one bit.


Here's the fun part, reading on how to get the Stetson Range to shrink, now I want to purchase an Akubra Campdraft.

I have done all I can to find out how a brand new Stetson OR vs Akubra CD size against each other. Please if anyone has knowledge on how a brand new Stetson OR(not a classic or one from 10-15 years ago) but 1 purchased in the last year or so measures up in size against an Akubra CD purchased within the past year or so.


Short Version TLDR -- Basically I need to know, if i took a normal average Stetson OR in 59 and put it against an Akubra CD in 59 will they be the same size? And I understand, all hats fit different, I have 3 new OR and all fit different, BUT they are close enough to correct.

Will an Akubra CD be the same(will it take some minor shimming to correct) or is the Akubra 59 super huge compared to OR 59?

Thank You

Don

Are you a long oval by chance. It sounds like you might be.

There isn’t always consistency of sizing without a brand, as it sounds like you can attest. I think most would say that Akubras run more or less true to size, but they hare usually a little small on my head. This may do to me being a long oval.

With some notable exceptions, I’ve found most quality fur felt hats made in the US and Australia run close to true to size. Soft hats conform more easily to your head shape which is different from your size. Firmer western felt can be difficult to get it to conform to your head if it doesn’t fit right when new.

Some of the online stores that sell Akubras will go through their stock and look for one that is a bit larger or a bit smaller or right on the labled size. Call them and see if they can do this for you when you’re ready to buy.

If a fraction of a size is all you’re talking about you should invest in a good hat stretcher. I’m not of fan it stretching hats up a size, but if it’s a fraction of a size I’d definitely try it.