Vintage Hats

[Al]

What determines a "Vintage" Fedora. I understand they are better made and higher quality than new modern ones. How can I tell if a hat is truly vintage.

How old it is? A particular date or era? I would like to seek them out, but, what do I look for and what should I know and understand before I purchase.

-Al

 

[carter]

In the Reading Room

What determines a "Vintage" Fedora. I understand they are better made and higher quality than new modern ones. How can I tell if a hat is truly vintage.

How old it is? A particular date or era? I would like to seek them out, but, what do I look for and what should I know and understand before I purchase.

-Al

Al, A great place to start is by reading threads in the HATS forum of the Lounge. Yes, there is a LOT OF INFORMATION but it's all in one place. Enjoy!

 

[Al]

Al, A great place to start is by reading threads in the HATS forum of the Lounge. Yes, there is a LOT OF INFORMATION but it's all in one place. Enjoy!

Thanks Carter,

Must have overlooked it, I'll check it out.

Best wishes for Health, Happiness and Prosperity for 2008.
Remember, drink and don't drive or drive and don't drink.

-Al

 

[Brad Bowers]

For many of us here on the Lounge, vintage means anything pre-1955 or so! But, in general, hat quality went way down between 1971-1972, with the closing of the large Stetson and Hat Corporation factories. Other hats, like Borsalino, were the better quality up until 1984, I think it was.


That being said, it's really hard to condense it into a few words.

Styles changed throughout the decades, and there are plenty of exceptions, but a basic look for older hats might include taller and straighter crowns, and wider brims than you see on modern hats, though one or two manufacturers, such as Akubra, currently make hats that fall into this category.

And generally, anything with a lower, tapered crown, and a brim of 2 inches or less is of the more modern style, from the late-Fifties on up.

If you held a vintage hat in one hand and a modern production hat in the other, you could spot the differences right off. On the modern hat, the sweatband is of a lower quality leather, the liner is glued in instead of stitched, the ribbon is tacked on with monofilament in the middle of the ribbon, instead of hidden stitches on the edges with color-matching thread. The finish of the felt is not nearly as nice as on the vintage hat. The felt on vintage hats can be a lot thinner than modern, but still dense enough to hold a nice crease.

Now, if you're looking to win a vintage hat on an online auction, this is where you have to educate yourself by reading threads about vintage hats. Since links to live auctions aren't allowed, you can't just ask "How old is this hat?" So, as Carter said, just browse through the threads and check out the photos. Threads where someone has won a hat can be helpful, as a lot times they ask for the hat's age, and we usually reach some kind of consensus. Start with searches on names you recognize, like Stetson, Dobbs, Borsalino. Also, look for threads with titles talking about old photographs and old hat advertisements. Sure, there'll be an overwhelming amount of information, but since we don't have a tutorial available, it's the best way to learn, and a lot of fun. But time-consuming!lol

Have fun.

Brad

 

[Al]

Many Thanks

For many of us here on the Lounge, vintage means anything pre-1955 or so! But, in general, hat quality went way down between 1971-1972, with the closing of the large Stetson and Hat Corporation factories. Other hats, like Borsalino, were the better quality up until 1984, I think it was.


That being said, it's really hard to condense it into a few words.

Styles changed throughout the decades, and there are plenty of exceptions, but a basic look for older hats might include taller and straighter crowns, and wider brims than you see on modern hats, though one or two manufacturers, such as Akubra, currently make hats that fall into this category.

And generally, anything with a lower, tapered crown, and a brim of 2 inches or less is of the more modern style, from the late-Fifties on up.

If you held a vintage hat in one hand and a modern production hat in the other, you could spot the differences right off. On the modern hat, the sweatband is of a lower quality leather, the liner is glued in instead of stitched, the ribbon is tacked on with monofilament in the middle of the ribbon, instead of hidden stitches on the edges with color-matching thread. The finish of the felt is not nearly as nice as on the vintage hat. The felt on vintage hats can be a lot thinner than modern, but still dense enough to hold a nice crease.

Now, if you're looking to win a vintage hat on an online auction, this is where you have to educate yourself by reading threads about vintage hats. Since links to live auctions aren't allowed, you can't just ask "How old is this hat?" So, as Carter said, just browse through the threads and check out the photos. Threads where someone has won a hat can be helpful, as a lot times they ask for the hat's age, and we usually reach some kind of consensus. Start with searches on names you recognize, like Stetson, Dobbs, Borsalino. Also, look for threads with titles talking about old photographs and old hat advertisements. Sure, there'll be an overwhelming amount of information, but since we don't have a tutorial available, it's the best way to learn, and a lot of fun. But time-consuming!lol

Have fun.

Brad

Brad,

Thank you again for taking the time to share your knowledge and insight, It is truly appreciated.

I have a lot of searching and reading to do, and I'll have fun doing it; Again, Many Thanks and Best Wishes for the New Year.

-Al

 

[barrowjh]

One of the most reliable markers (if you had to choose just one), is the width of the leather sweatband. Sweatbands on vintage hats tended towards 2 inches (1 3/4 ~ 2). As hat making was cheapened to satisfy consumer demand, the sweatbands tended more towards 1 1/2 inch (1 1/4 ~ 1 5/8). The decrease in the quality of the leather (from thin roan leather, generally brown, to black or dark brown thicker leather), factory-glued liners, cheaper ribbon treatments, etc all seemed to coincide with the shift to the narrower sweats.

None of these markers are absolute. When hats were cleaned and blocked in vintage times, I think I read here that the liners were just glued back in, so you can find fine vintage hats with liners that are not stitched. If the sweatband had to be replaced, the replacement might have been narrower. Ebay advises those sellers to show ample pictures of the hat, and with a little experience it becomes fairly easy to spot a hat that appears to be of vintage quality vs more recent 'vintage' of more forgettable quality.

 

[carouselvic]

Hat sales on ebay

It is my belief that 90% of the ages given of hats offered for sale on ebay aren't even close, and I mean there off by decades. Buyer beware.

 

[Al]

Thanks guys for all the good insight. There is quite a bit more to "Vintage" than I thought.

Happy New Year to All.

-Al

 

[pgoat]

It is my belief that 90% of the ages given of hats offered for sale on ebay aren't even close, and I mean there off by decades. Buyer beware.

+1
Doesn't mean the hats aren't worth buying but sellers often toss around "1940s" etc and the hats are clearly from the 60s or 70s or newer. If in doubt, don't bid. There'll be other hats.