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Messages
15,023
Location
Buffalo, NY
Lee Water-Bloc

Late 30s to early 40s would be my estimate on this one.



6000f46173c3f0f5926e97e9ffd48444.jpg

Glad the Lee turned out so nice... a beauty. Frank H. Lee Company filed for a patent for the a moisture control sweatband in 1943 (published in 1945). I found the Water-Bloc trade name listed in a copyright publication from 1946. Might help to locate this example in the march of time. Is the crown of the liner protected in some way, or a different color material?
 
Messages
15,023
Location
Buffalo, NY
Sandmann Wien XV, measures 58cm, Crown 6 inches, Brim Curled 2 inches maybe 1930s. I believe it's a multi color Wool or a Wool - Fur blend. The felt is really fantastic (colors, finish, hand) most likely a Flamand. It doesn't have any paper label and I believe it had a crown patch at one time. Heinrich Sandmann was Chairman of the Austrian and Vienna Hat Makers associations (as of 1926) but I haven't been able to find any other details. This hat is part one of a two Sandmann Wien XV find. I was contacted by the seller (from Vienna who I have purchased a number of hats from in the past) during by trip so I was able to pick up the hats along the way.

38117718511_fc5deaf206_b.jpg


38086625582_be9c63fa90_b.jpg


24265883858_162d7bbbd5_b.jpg


37408935924_a148fb871d_b.jpg


24266005898_c28f21f500_b.jpg


Open Crown

24266074948_c27ce6ab63_b.jpg


37409111624_be2a03de77_b.jpg

Wonderful!
 
Messages
12,384
Location
Albany Oregon
Amazing stuff moon

Anyhow, I recently sent @steur a homburg that was slightly small for me, he offered to send back a staalmeester in exchange but ended up sending it and a beautiful Habig too which was incredibly generous. I've been pretty busy so haven't posted these before now, I've yet to even brush them properly, or adjust creases. The staalmeester has a 2" brim and a binding, the darker Habig 2 3/8th. The felt on the Habig feels very nice.

View attachment 91808 View attachment 91809
Both are very beautiful Karl. The finishes are to die for.
 
Messages
12,384
Location
Albany Oregon
Sandmann Wien XV, measures 58cm, Crown 6 inches, Brim Curled 2 inches maybe 1930s. I believe it's a multi color Wool or a Wool - Fur blend. The felt is really fantastic (colors, finish, hand) most likely a Flamand. It doesn't have any paper label and I believe it had a crown patch at one time. Heinrich Sandmann was Chairman of the Austrian and Vienna Hat Makers associations (as of 1926) but I haven't been able to find any other details. This hat is part one of a two Sandmann Wien XV find. I was contacted by the seller (from Vienna who I have purchased a number of hats from in the past) during by trip so I was able to pick up the hats along the way.

38117718511_fc5deaf206_b.jpg


38086625582_be9c63fa90_b.jpg


24265883858_162d7bbbd5_b.jpg


37408935924_a148fb871d_b.jpg


24266005898_c28f21f500_b.jpg


Open Crown

24266074948_c27ce6ab63_b.jpg


37409111624_be2a03de77_b.jpg
Very nice, it is great that you were able to pick it up directly from the seller. Did he have any great ones?
 
On a GRAIL HAT...................I just got.....Royal Deluxe Stetson St. Regis with Wind Cord.......dates from the 40's no less..AND is in MINT condition....really does not appear to have been worn...absolutely spotless......NO mothing....NO sweat stains on the liner...or anywhere.....pristine......................ANOTHER hard learned lesson.....one I SHOULD have already known.....DO NOT LIFT THE SWEAT if it appears the least bit dry.....use Lexol FIRST!!!! :oops::eek::mad: Even then...MAYBE .......lift the sweat. It gave me ALL the signs.....slightly dry feel....some chipping and flaking on the inside edge of the sweat....BUT THEN I got excited lifted the sweat....looked all around, sweat was dryer than I thought.....that's right...when I flipped it back down It broke in a couple of places at the stitching......CCCRRRRAAAAAPPPP or words to that effect..... While I did get some great info....I added insult to injury by NOT photographing the results :eek::oops::rolleyes::mad::oops:......What a dope I am.....
It did have the store sales tag...sold for $12.50....Does have the oilskin sweat protector ......Does have the old red stetson blocking tag of the period (is a 7 1/2 NOT the 7 5/8 advertised but does fit me).....is a really really sweet lid......well perhaps I can Lexol it down and still wear it occasionally or remove the sweat (and keep) and replace it.....I am leaning to the former...I THINK I can wear it as is without hurting it more.....

Well,
A lesson learned AGAIN....I DO get too excited sometimes....Sigho_Oo_Oo_O:oops::oops::oops:
M;)
I will be posting more in the Homburg Nation thread later......
The hat.jpg

IMG_20171103_103518.jpg IMG_20171103_103525.jpg IMG_20171103_103540.jpg IMG_20171103_103940.jpg
 

B1ggles

Familiar Face
Messages
89
Location
Suffolk, England
I'm a bit of a sucker if I find a vintage hat that (a) is of a style I don't yet have, (b) is a reasonable price and especially (c) is My Size - many vintage ones are too small.

So I was rather chuffed to find this Austin Reed grey topper in an antique shop this week. It was still in its original box and appears to date from the 1950s. Austin Reed may not have been the greatest make ever but it's in pretty good condition and will just need a little cleaning up and was under £40, so I'm quite satisfied with my purchase.

I am baffled by the label on the back of the sweat, though, proclaiming it to be 'Union Made' I don't recall that being something we exercised ourselves much about in the UK in the '50s, maybe the sweat was made in the US?

NB I'm not sure why the pics are all different sizes, they were all loaded the same way. Never mind.
IMG_20171102_1046256.jpg
P1010422a.jpg
P1010426a.jpg
P1010428a.jpg
 
Messages
17,928
Location
Nederland
On a GRAIL HAT...................I just got.....Royal Deluxe Stetson St. Regis with Wind Cord.......dates from the 40's no less..AND is in MINT condition....really does not appear to have been worn...absolutely spotless......NO mothing....NO sweat stains on the liner...or anywhere.....pristine......................ANOTHER hard learned lesson.....one I SHOULD have already known.....DO NOT LIFT THE SWEAT if it appears the least bit dry.....use Lexol FIRST!!!! :oops::eek::mad: Even then...MAYBE .......lift the sweat. It gave me ALL the signs.....slightly dry feel....some chipping and flaking on the inside edge of the sweat....BUT THEN I got excited lifted the sweat....looked all around, sweat was dryer than I thought.....that's right...when I flipped it back down It broke in a couple of places at the stitching......CCCRRRRAAAAAPPPP or words to that effect..... While I did get some great info....I added insult to injury by NOT photographing the results :eek::oops::rolleyes::mad::oops:......What a dope I am.....
It did have the store sales tag...sold for $12.50....Does have the oilskin sweat protector ......Does have the old red stetson blocking tag of the period (is a 7 1/2 NOT the 7 5/8 advertised but does fit me).....is a really really sweet lid......well perhaps I can Lexol it down and still wear it occasionally or remove the sweat (and keep) and replace it.....I am leaning to the former...I THINK I can wear it as is without hurting it more.....

Well,
A lesson learned AGAIN....I DO get too excited sometimes....Sigho_Oo_Oo_O:oops::oops::oops:
M;)
I will be posting more in the Homburg Nation thread later......
View attachment 91922
View attachment 91924 View attachment 91925 View attachment 91926 View attachment 91927
Sorry to hear it. Been there, done that and know how you feel. Still an impressive hat though.
 
Messages
17,928
Location
Nederland
I'm a bit of a sucker if I find a vintage hat that (a) is of a style I don't yet have, (b) is a reasonable price and especially (c) is My Size - many vintage ones are too small.

So I was rather chuffed to find this Austin Reed grey topper in an antique shop this week. It was still in its original box and appears to date from the 1950s. Austin Reed may not have been the greatest make ever but it's in pretty good condition and will just need a little cleaning up and was under £40, so I'm quite satisfied with my purchase.

I am baffled by the label on the back of the sweat, though, proclaiming it to be 'Union Made' I don't recall that being something we exercised ourselves much about in the UK in the '50s, maybe the sweat was made in the US?

NB I'm not sure why the pics are all different sizes, they were all loaded the same way. Never mind.
View attachment 91929 View attachment 91933 View attachment 91936 View attachment 91937
Great looking ascot. Austin Reed was not a manufacturer, so it was probably made for them by one of the Denton or Stockport based makers. The union is actually an English one (based in Denton); it's been around since 1872. It was formed to represent men working in the hatting industry. It started life as Amalgamated Society of Journeymen Felt Hatters and Allied Workers and one of their early campaigns was against the employment of women in the industry in the West Midlands. There's more info on this union on wikipedia.
 

moontheloon

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,590
Location
NJ
Glad the Lee turned out so nice... a beauty. Frank H. Lee Company filed for a patent for the a moisture control sweatband in 1943 (published in 1945). I found the Water-Bloc trade name listed in a copyright publication from 1946. Might help to locate this example in the march of time. Is the crown of the liner protected in some way, or a different color material?
it is not protected in any way ... the material does seem to be a slightly different color

thank you for the info
 

moontheloon

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,590
Location
NJ
It's a beaut. I wore my evergreen Stetson in celebration of your new addition.
I'm trying to figure out what this color might have been called

a friends father who is a fedora collector and who used to work in the mens department of a clothing store selling hats told me that he would call it Peacock Green
... sounds good to me ... I wonder what Lee called it
 

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