What hat are you waiting for today?

[blewnote]

I kept thinking that I couldn’t let them become part of “dad’s” collection on eBay.

Ugh, an interaction with him was one of the first I had on my journey to finding that Knox homburg (I was writing to ask why his St Regis was worth $400 instead of the $100ish they seem to go for with regularity). He came across as super weird and ****my but I almost believed it was just some wacky family of weirdos with a huge hat collection trying to fleece uneducated buyers, which is a drag but whatever.

Then a week or so later I read all about him here and realized the "collection" is him hoovering up all the good hats he can find and selling them for ridiculous prices with a weird story about how Dad worked on it and we took down the Stetson 5, 10, 15, 20 and this one is just like the 15, and... barf.

It's a free world, but it bothers me because he's depriving people who might not have oodles of money to spare trying to find something nice and get a deal on it, and driving up the prices from all the other clueless sellers who use his listings to help price the ****py (or maybe not) hat they found in some thrift store or attic. Plus the constant violation of vintage lids by stretching them up a size to try and sell them for more money. Just ick.

Anyway, all that to say that one of the this that ran through my mind when I was peeking under the hood of that Knox was that I was happy I'd rescued it from being resold for $500 (because it's from the 1910s/20s of course!) after being stretched to a 7 3/8 (because it was almost a perfect 7 3/8 and Dad just had to get it there).

Good job Brent.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

The 100x hats are beautiful, I almost ran the bidding up to a grand for the Stetson last night and I wouldn't have regretted it today. I'm glad I was able to compare both Henery the Hatter felts, I felt no difference between the hat labeled 4x and the 100x. There was some grumbling about how much the felts sold for, mainly from a self-described expert appraiser who bought a truckload of stuff and thought all the hats were worth much more than they sold for. My HH felt is a bit snug, I'm between a 7 5/8 and a 7 3/4. The felt feels great and holds a crease well. I'll wait a week before I snip the reed. The happiest guys there were loading Walter Brennans' immaculate white 71 Cadillac Sedan, I should have bid more but no one is screaming at me about a divorce.

So i gather from you guys that all these hats came from an estate auction of Walter Brennan???
Very cool!!
What was so interesting about the Shudde Bros hat that got away other than size?
I have their pure beaver ORish and others but have yet to see anything that made them exceptional or set them apart from decent nice hats.
You all have peaked my interest about this hat.
Thanks
Bowen

Ps: @PaulF, welcome to the lounge. Seems you know your stuff.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

So i gather from you guys that all these hats came from an estate auction of Walter Brennan???
Very cool!!
What was so interesting about the Shudde Bros hat that got away other than size?
I have their pure beaver ORish and others but have yet to see anything that made them exceptional or set them apart from decent nice hats.
You all have peaked my interest about this hat.
Thanks
Bowen

Ps: @PaulF, welcome to the lounge. Seems you know your stuff.

Hey, B. The biggest deal about the Shudde Bros. Hat was the size and the condition. It was also a skinny ribbon with more brim than the OR, and I think that the larger sizes look much better when these larger hat sizes.

I’ve had several Shudde Bros. hats and they have been a mixed bag from decent to very good. They offered a pure beaver hat that I’d love to find in my size, but their 3X is very much like the Stetson 3X of the same period.

Finding vintage hats in larger sizes is exciting. I haven’t seen a 7XCB in 7 ⅝ or larger for a couple years. The Shudde Bros. might not have been anything special in a 7 ⅛, but it was exciting to see one in 7 ⅝.

 

[TheOldFashioned]

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I kept thinking that I couldn’t let them become part of “dad’s” collection on eBay.

That's a nice trifecta!

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Hey, B. The biggest deal about the Shudde Bros. Hat was the size and the condition. It was also a skinny ribbon with more brim than the OR, and I think that the larger sizes look much better when these larger hat sizes.

I’ve had several Shudde Bros. hats and they have been a mixed bag from decent to very good. They offered a pure beaver hat that I’d love to find in my size, but their 3X is very much like the Stetson 3X of the same period.

Finding vintage hats in larger sizes is exciting. I haven’t seen a 7XCB in 7 ⅝ or larger for a couple years. The Shudde Bros. might not have been anything special in a 7 ⅛, but it was exciting to see one in 7 ⅝.

View attachment 546523 View attachment 546524

Got it. Thanks Brent.
I don’t know Shudde history very well but it always seemed to me they maybe had a deal with Stetson and got their hat bodies from them, then put their spin on them.
I just have a small sample but some just remind me of Beaver Hats brand, others, Stetson something or other.
Idk
B

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Got it. Thanks Brent.
I don’t know Shudde history very well but it always seemed to me they maybe had a deal with Stetson and got their hat bodies from them, then put their spin on them.
I just have a small sample but some just remind me of Beaver Hats brand, others, Stetson something or other.
Idk
B

I’ve heard of the Stetson link/rebranding before. I don’t know, but it sounds plausible. Some of the hats certainly seem eerily similar. Before shipping, that Skinny ribbon Shudde Bros. sold for over $400, and I think I was the runner up. It’s just so hard to find good hats in the larger sizes even when they are nothing particularly special. I was going to go higher, but I thought that Gannon could make me a comparable hat from pure beaver for about the same price.

 

[PaulF]

I’ve never seen a 4X like yours. Stetson made the 4X in the 1950s and earlier (not to be confused by the more modern incarnations of the 4X as a lower tier hat) that are very scarce. I’ve never personally held one, but your hat looks to be a close equivalent.

I’m also a large 7 ⅝ and prefer 7 ¾ so I’m really hoping these hats are going to work for me.

I’ve never visited your part of Oregon, but it looks beautiful. What’s the best time of the year to see the areai

I’ve never seen a 4X like yours. Stetson made the 4X in the 1950s and earlier (not to be confused by the more modern incarnations of the 4X as a lower tier hat) that are very scarce. I’ve never personally held one, but your hat looks to be a close equivalent.

I’m also a large 7 ⅝ and prefer 7 ¾ so I’m really hoping these hats are going to work for me.

I’ve never visited your part of Oregon, but it looks beautiful. What’s the best time of the year to see the area?

The band is stamped twenty-five 4 x. It feels comparable to an early 70's Resitol 5X I have. I know these hats were delivered in 72 to the local sporting goods store in Joseph, a store Walter Brennan started, and it's still in business. I should sell this hat, but after a night with a hatjack, it fits better, holds a hand crease well, and is my style: a vintage western fedora, high crown, snap bill. I was planning on saving for a custom fedora, but this is better. Walter Brennen is still a significant presence in this very rural cow county. I've heard many funny stories from folks who grew up around him. He started the four-day rodeo in Joseph; I don't need to justify it here, so I will give it a really good cleaning, snip the reed, and gently steam it.

You asked about Wallowa County. The correct answer, especially for our neighbors to the south, is that it is an awful place, with miles of empty roads, only 15% are paved, cows driven down the highway....by horse-riding cowboys. 13 wolf packs, elk in the street, minimal motel rooms, restaurants closed due to lack of help. The sidewalks get rolled up at 5 p.m.; no fast food or traffic lights. And 2 hours off the interstate on the way to nowhere. Winter starts in November; it was -8 on Nov 16 a few years ago, snow snow snow and blowing snow, too. A few winters ago, the public works dept in one of the three tiny towns advised folks to keep their taps running 24/7 as the water mains were freezing 2 feet under the road. -15 is common. Think Northern Montana. A few springs ago, I pasture lambed in late April with 2 feet of snow on the ground and more falling. Summer brings a massive influx of tourists who we all ***** about but happily take their money; fall is full of out-of-town hunters. Three cars in a row is a traffic jam, and the Sherrif refers to himself as a peace officer and carries a wheel ***. Think Lone Pine in the early 60's.

 

[PaulF]

I’ve never seen a 4X like yours. Stetson made the 4X in the 1950s and earlier (not to be confused by the more modern incarnations of the 4X as a lower tier hat) that are very scarce. I’ve never personally held one, but your hat looks to be a close equivalent.

I’m also a large 7 ⅝ and prefer 7 ¾ so I’m really hoping these hats are going to work for me.

I’ve never visited your part of Oregon, but it looks beautiful. What’s the best time of the year to see the areai

Hey, B. The biggest deal about the Shudde Bros. Hat was the size and the condition. It was also a skinny ribbon with more brim than the OR, and I think that the larger sizes look much better when these larger hat sizes.

I’ve had several Shudde Bros. hats and they have been a mixed bag from decent to very good. They offered a pure beaver hat that I’d love to find in my size, but their 3X is very much like the Stetson 3X of the same period.

Finding vintage hats in larger sizes is exciting. I haven’t seen a 7XCB in 7 ⅝ or larger for a couple years. The Shudde Bros. might not have been anything special in a 7 ⅛, but it was exciting to see one in 7 ⅝.

View attachment 546523 View attachment 546524

Brent that hat was gone before I showed up, which means it's probably someplace local. I'll find it

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Its stamped 4x twenty-five, I have a have a late 60's Resiol 5X and they feel similar I did manage to gently stretch it out a bit with a hatjack only. It holds a hand crease really well, I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more unless they were custom Fedoras. I

The band is stamped twenty-five 4 x. It feels comparable to an early 70's Resitol 5X I have. I know these hats were delivered in 72 to the local sporting goods store in Joseph, a store Walter Brennan started, and it's still in business. I should sell this hat, but after a night with a hatjack, it fits better, holds a hand crease well, and is my style: a vintage western fedora, high crown, snap bill. I was planning on saving for a custom fedora, but this is better. Walter Brennen is still a significant presence in this very rural cow county. I've heard many funny stories from folks who grew up around him. He started the four-day rodeo in Joseph; I don't need to justify it here, so I will give it a really good cleaning, snip the reed, and gently steam it.

You asked about Wallowa County. The correct answer, especially for our neighbors to the south, is that it is an awful place, with miles of empty roads, only 15% are paved, cows driven down the highway....by horse-riding cowboys. 13 wolf packs, elk in the street, minimal motel rooms, restaurants closed due to lack of help. The sidewalks get rolled up at 5 p.m.; no fast food or traffic lights. And 2 hours off the interstate on the way to nowhere. Winter starts in November; it was -8 on Nov 16 a few years ago, snow snow snow and blowing snow, too. A few winters ago, the public works dept in one of the three tiny towns advised folks to keep their taps running 24/7 as the water mains were freezing 2 feet under the road. -15 is common. Think Northern Montana. A few springs ago, I pasture lambed in late April with 2 feet of snow on the ground and more falling. Summer brings a massive influx of tourists who we all ***** about but happily take their money; fall is full of out-of-town hunters. Three cars in a row is a traffic jam, and the Sherrif refers to himself as a peace officer and carries a wheel ***. Think Lone Pine in the early 60's.

I would have bet that hat was older than the early 1970s. Looks great. I’m hoping mine will fit.

I work in Mariposa County that also doesn’t have a single traffic signal. The town area, there aren’t any incorporated cities, population is about 3,500. The community is supported by tourism and cattle. Half the year is under extreme fire danger and it’s incredibly expensive to get fire insurance, and it’s not uncommon to be dropped by your carrier every year. I live out of the county now and commute in to work. Unfortunately, my county an easy day trip from large population centers. Your county seems pretty great to me, but my wife can’t take the cold. I also know how folks, particularly rural folks, feel about Californians moving into their communities. I just like taking road trips and seeing the country.

 

[Bart86]

A couple Stetsons

 

[PaulF]

I would have bet that hat was older than the early 1970s. Looks great. I’m hoping mine will fit.

I work in Mariposa County that also doesn’t have a single traffic signal. The town area, there aren’t any incorporated cities, population is about 3,500. The community is supported by tourism and cattle. Half the year is under extreme fire danger and it’s incredibly expensive to get fire insurance, and it’s not uncommon to be dropped by your carrier every year. I live out of the county now and commute in to work. Unfortunately, my county an easy day trip from large population centers. Your county seems pretty great to me, but my wife can’t take the cold. I also know how folks, particularly rural folks, feel about Californians moving into their communities. I just like taking road trips and seeing the country.

Everybody loves to blame their woes on California, but it turns out most transplants to Oregon come from elsewhere. I moved here 15 years ago from Washington, and I started in CA way way back. I'm very familiar with Mariposa, I still have family all over the area. I snuck across the mountains and through Merced a few years ago heading to a family reunion near Watsonville. Anything to avoid the Bay Area. I felt like Jed Clampett driving my wife's sporty little car 85 and getting passed like I was standing still. I did the same in the LA area last winter, yikes first time in 30 years, what a shock, and me in a 1 ton Dodge flat bed. The area around Mariposa still looked like I had remembered from the '60s, but you are right about the crowds. Come up and visit, you'd love it here, the key to winter is lots of vintage wool garments, plus a collection of Crown Cap fur caps, Badger is my favorite but it has to be below zero to wear.

 

[PaulF]

I would have bet that hat was older than the early 1970s. Looks great. I’m hoping mine will fit.

I work in Mariposa County that also doesn’t have a single traffic signal. The town area, there aren’t any incorporated cities, population is about 3,500. The community is supported by tourism and cattle. Half the year is under extreme fire danger and it’s incredibly expensive to get fire insurance, and it’s not uncommon to be dropped by your carrier every year. I live out of the county now and commute in to work. Unfortunately, my county an easy day trip from large population centers. Your county seems pretty great to me, but my wife can’t take the cold. I also know how folks, particularly rural folks, feel about Californians moving into their communities. I just like taking road trips and seeing the country.

You know looking at this hat more it is definitely older than the 70's. I think my info was bad, I bought my first new Stetson in the mid-70s
Hat styles had changed by then.

 

[Boomerang]

Mikael sent pics. My new Hufvud is complete. Only thing left is the shipping, I think.

 

[Blare]

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Mikael sent pics. My new Hufvud is complete. Only thing left is the shipping, I think.

Love that contrasting brim binding

 

[Boomerang]

Love that contrasting brim binding

Thanks Joe. Mikael sent pics with an astounding number of brim-binding colors to choose from. I feel like I may have gone the easy route, but I love the black.

 

[Rmccamey]

I paid too much but my knees, and my wallet, go all wobbly when I see an almost NOS Penn Craft bowler.

 

[Blare]

I paid too much but my knees, and my wallet, go all wobbly when I see an almost NOS Penn Craft bowler.


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Can say I’d blame you. Beautiful hat Randy

 

[Rmccamey]

Thank you, Joe. This one is going to be a couple of weeks in transit. I just hope the anticipation doesn't kill me!

Can say I’d blame you. Beautiful hat Randy

 

[Mighty44]

I paid too much but my knees, and my wallet, go all wobbly when I see an almost NOS Penn Craft bowler.


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Lovely details—enjoy!

 

[the_imperialist]

I haven't really seen much action lately, but had to snap these up from ebay. The first is blue according to the seller; I suspect they've got some age to them - I'm pretty confident pre-war and may even possibly be 20s. We shall see soon enough!