1980s Davis Hats fedora

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

This hat was custom made by the Davis Hat Company of New Mexico (Not to be confused with the Davis Hat Company of Texas). The location of Albuquerque given on the sweatband dates the hat from between 1978 to 1998. From the styling, I’d guess the age as mid 1980s, riding the Indiana Jones boom. The hat has a tan body and a darker brown ribbon. The hat has a wide centerdent with front pinches, and a raw edged brim. Inside, the hat has a black leather sweatband, and a liner with the name of the custom shop which made it.

Moth bites scattered on top and bottom of brim and on crown. Of particular note, a large moth bite at the back of the underside of the brim, near the sweatband seam, and a patch of mothing on the underside of the brim at the edge near the front, one of which goes all the way through. Sweatband is in need of replacement- curled, stiff and cracking

Size: 7-1/4
Brim Width: 2-3/4″
Crown Height: 5″
Ribbon Width: 1-7/16″

1940s Adam Homburg

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271262932483
This vintage homburg was made by the Adam hat company in the late 1940s. It is gray fur felt, with a black ribbon and wind string and a bound brim. The hat has a brown leather sweatband, marked “Adam Executive, Cushioned for Comfort”, and “A product of Adam – America’s famous hatter”. The hat has a fancy pleated lining with the Adam logo. The size tag also bears the Adam name, and indicates that it is a 7-1/4, though it seems to have shrunk slightly. The hat has a center dent and front pinches. Despite the formal reputation that hats like this now have, at the time, they were worn in a variety of situations, from casual to semi-formal. The pinches dress the hat down a bit.

Size: 7-1/4
Brim Width: 2-3/4″
Ribbon Width: 2″
Crown Height: 5-1/2″

Stetson Stratoliner

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271262893621
This vintage fedora was made by the John B. Stetson company in the 1950s. It is their legendary “Stratoliner” model, named after the Boeing 307 Stratoliner airplane. The model was similar to Stetson’s “Open Road”, but with slightly more flange to the brim. While the Open road was marketed with more western iconography, the Stratoliner was sold as a modern, sporty hat. This one was made with fur felt of the “Royal” designation. It has a brown leather sweatband, with Stetson’s 1950s crest. It has a three color liner logo, which indicates a date of manufacture towards the end of the decade. This hat was sold by Cronin-Peterson Men’s Wear of Rochester, Minnesota. It still has the original price tag on the sweatband.

Size: 7-1/4
Brim Width: 2-1/2″
Ribbon Width: 3/8″
Crown Height: 5-3/8″

1910s Stetson overwelt homburg

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281120385608

This vintage Stetson was made in the 1910s. It is a medium brown fur felt, in a transitional style somewhere between a fedora and a homburg. It has an overwelt brim edge (typical of fedoras), but with a more typically homburg style flange to the brim. There is a wide brown grosgrain ribbon. The trailing edge of the bow has a frayed edge, as was the style of the day.
Inside, the hat has a dark rose colored lining, with gold colored piping, and a detailed “Gold Medal” style imprint. The sweatband is a creamy beige, with a gold embossed Stetson logo, touting their gold medal victories in 1876, 1878, 1889 and 1900. The hat has premier quality felt. It was sold by Jos. Polczynski hatters, 9307 Jos Campau, near Holbrook, Hamtramck, MI. This would later become Henry the Hatter.

Size: 7
Brim Width: 2-3/8″
Crown Height: 5-1/2″
Ribbon Width: 2″

7-1/4 1940s Stetson Flaship

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281107387634

This vintage fedora was made in the 1940s by the John B. Stetson company. It is an early version of their “Flagship” model. It has a double-stitched pressed underwelt brim edge, and a rust colored ribbon. The sweatband has an early style “stars” crest. The felt designation is worded “Royal Stetson DeLuxe”, instead of the usual (later) phrasing “Royal DeLuxe Stetson”. It has a narrow, unreeded sweatband.

Size: 7-1/4
Brim Width: 2-3/4″
Crown Height: 5-1/2″
Ribbon Width: 1-1/2″

1900s 7-1/4 Nutria hat

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271206298753

This vintage hat was made right around the turn of the 20th century. It is not marked as to the maker, but the sweatband is marked XXX Nutria Warranted. This style was popular as a city style in the 1900-1910 period. It has a western style curled brim, and a short, uncreased crown, similar to what was on a Stetson Boss of the Plains.

Size: 7-1/4
Brim Width: 2-1/2″
Crown Height: 4-1/2″
Ribbon Width: 1-1/4″

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1920s Berg 7-1/4 fedora hat

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271206307932

This vintage fedora was made by Berg hats in the late 1920s or early 1930s. It has a stitched underwelt brim edge. It has a long bow with an intentionally frayed trailing edge, as was the style of the time. The other side has a very nice period styling detail, a twisted ribbon. Inside is a black leather sweatband, with a blind embossed “Berg” logo. The sweatband has finely spaced stitching, and a decoratively embossed top edge. While brown leather sweatbands became the norm in the 1930s-1950s, black sweatbands like this were relatively common in the 1920s. The leather is still wonderfully soft and supple. It has a taped rear sweatband seam, also a typical detail of the period. The hat was sold at D’Toggery Inc., of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Size: 7-1/4
Brim Width: 2-1/8″
Crown Height: 5-3/4″
Ribbon Width: 1-1/2″

7-3/8 Henri Henri fedora hat

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271206311852

This hat was made in Germany and sold by Henri Henri of Montreal, Canada. The raw edge brim with minimal flanging makes me think this hat was released in the wake of the release of Indiana Jones, when this style made a resurgence. The hat originally sold for $245.

Size: 7-3/8
Brim Width: 2-3/4″
Crown Height: 5-1/4″
Ribbon Width: 1-1/2″

7-1/2 Borsalino Homburg

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271202841266

This vintage homburg hat was made by Italy’s premier hatmaker, Borsalino. It is a classic, understated homburg style, with a relatively wide brim and beautiful soft fur felt. It was made for the European market and sold by Fratelli Cevini, P. Borsa 4, Trieste. As such, it is sized in the European “Punti” system. A “Punti” 7 equates to a US 7-1/2. While the felt and trimmings are in great shape, the inside of the hat has some issues. The reed has come through the reed tape, and stitches are dropped around the sweatband, so I would recommend replacement. The liner’s crown protector is missing, and there is a hole through the tip logo.

Size: 7-1/2
Brim Width: 3″
Ribbon Width: 1-3/4″
Crown Height: 5-1/2″

Champ Featherweight fedora hat

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

It feels like a while since I’ve been in the fedora business. It used to be they were my bread and butter. I sold hats with a very small vintage clothing sideline. There was a time, not too long ago, where I could walk into an antique store and come out with two or three golden-era fedoras or homburgs, at great prices. But the ebay market has gone through the roof, and antique shops seem to be more picked over now. Taking gambles on badly listed ebay hats to flip isn’t worth it when the price gets to big to comfortably eat. While this Champ is a bit dirty and a bit past the era I prefer, it was still refreshing to see it quietly sitting on a shelf at an antique store, waiting to be taken home, steamed out and cleaned up.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281070476177

This vintage fedora was made by Champ in the early 1960s. It is a lightweight fur felt, with a bound brim, and simple hat band. It has a c-crease. Size 7-1/8

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Tag Archives: fur felt

1980s Davis Hats fedora

1940s Adam Homburg

Stetson Stratoliner

1910s Stetson overwelt homburg

7-1/4 1940s Stetson Flaship

1900s 7-1/4 Nutria hat

1920s Berg 7-1/4 fedora hat

7-3/8 Henri Henri fedora hat

7-1/2 Borsalino Homburg

Champ Featherweight fedora hat