The Worth of Vintage Boaters

[Paul-ette]

Howdy all,

I was wondering if you could give me a ballpark idea of how much a vintage boater is worth....I have a customer who has about 10 of them, and wants to know.

Paulette

 

[tonyb]

Let me be the first to say ...

It depends. Could be next to nothing, could be a whole lotta dough.

I've seen a truly splendid old boater or five I wouldn't take multiples of hundreds of dollars for, each, it they were mine. And I've seen others I'd sooner use as a dog food bowl as ever be seen wearing.

 

[tonyb]

And ...

Prices of all sorts of "nonessential" merchandise are lower than they were a coupla-three years ago. People just aren't as loose with their bucks as they were. And most people don't yet realize how essential a vintage boater truly is. If I were counseling this customer of yours, I'd advise him to hold on to his hats.

The readiest way to get a sense of what almost anything collectible is worth is to check what it sells for on eBay. But even then, an item that goes for X number of dollars one week might sell for several times that the next. And then there are the other variables, such as seller's description, etc.

So, I suppose it's worth what you can get someone to pay for it. Yeah, I know, that's a cliche if ever there was one, but there's a reason cliches catch on.



EDIT: Another HUGE factor is size. If they're all 6 5/8s, they'd attract much less interest than if they were 7 3/8s.

 

[Lefty]

I agree with everything Tony posted. If you need something a little more specific, provide the make, size, and condition - though photos is possible.

 

[dhermann1]

Go on Ebay and "watch" every boater you see. Then check the final selling prices and compare that to the size, condition, quality, etc. That will give you as reliable a rule of thumb as anything.

 

[besdor]

Vintage Boaters are fairly common compared to other vintage straw hats. Most will sell for between 15 and 100 depending on the size , name of the company and condition. Larger sizes will sell for more.



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[skyvue]

If your friend has any as large as 7 7/8, I'd be interested in a possible purchase.