Post New Hats Here!

[alanfgag]

Actually it is quite sturdy and the silk plush held up well to careful steaming and forming. I was able to restore the shape of the crown though some of the deepest creases will remain. Although the plush is smooth and shiny when brushed in the direction of the grain, I gave it some swirls to minimize the creases.

The hat was made in Boston and came out of an estate in Providence, RI. As I worked on the hat I found a small area of the oil cloth sweatband was separated from the reeding and inside was a folded piece of newspaper. I removed it and steamed it and it opened up beautifully to reveal some great "news" of the day. I will share some of this in a separate thread. The newspaper contains no year references that I could find, but one of the articles talks of a new post for Admiral Hamelin at age 59. Hamelin was born in 1796. which would make the year of the newspaper 1855. Not sure if the newspaper was added after manufacture to improve the fit or if it is original sweatband padding for comfort. But it dates the hat reliably as 1855 or older.

 

[rclark]

Wow!

 

[alanfgag]

I will post more in a separate thread.

 

[g.durand]

I've often wondered what stories these old hats could tell if they could. Fascinating. Thanks for sharing this Alan.

 

[g.durand]

I had a good week. These two showed up in the mail. Acquired from sellers a continent apart, they were originally sold by Hudson's in Detroit.

Borsalino Alessandria--naptha bathed and brushed, steamed and shaped.

Lee Trinity Blue Label--practically unworn, and unlike many post-war Lees, the crown doesn't appear to have been factory-blocked.

 

[Bushman]

I love that Trinity! :eusa_clap

 

[rclark]

Very nice, Michael! Funny, I've got a Borsalino Alessandria from that exact same store in Detroit. They must have been a big Borsalino dealer back in the day.

 

[alanfgag]

It was a big store.

 

[g.durand]

Thanks, Bushman. I's an amazing hat.

Rick, Alan--I imagine Hudson's did a pretty good hat business in Detroit during the post-war automobile boom. Here is some additional info about them. The article mentions they were acquired by the Dayton Co. in 1969. Dayton's Men's Store also shows up on the sweatbands of a few of my hats.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson%27s

 

[alanfgag]

Beautiful twosome G.D.

 

[alanfgag]

Dayton's was a major Michigan department store. During the 80s and 90s when we use to sell greeting cards to them, Dayton, Hudson and Marshall Field had all melded under the same Federated management. For a brief time, Target (Dayton's roots) was a part of the fray. You can guess who wound up on top.

 

[rclark]

Very interesting, Alan. Part of the fun of collecting hats for me is learning about the history of the stores that sold them.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

The same sun of yesterday shine on Verona.
This Borsalino Savoy arrived before Christmas in a lot of hats of the same Italian hatter.

They came from Turin and they seem flooded and not well conserved.

I have no other new from the seller. This is in good shape and after a TLC it is wearable.
Soon on the Borsalino Brotherhood.....

 

[RJR]

Nice!

 

[NewJack]

One of my latest acquisitions...No idea as to what the faint white spots are on the brim...Feedback on this is welcome. Nonetheless, seeking and finding this lid was a challenge for my noggin! I was told it dates somewhere in the 50s. Nice to learn this lid was being worn by gents while I was learning to put one foot in front of the other! And still learning...

 

[T Jones]

That is one nice lid, NewJack. I like that one.

 

[RJR]

+1,nice Cavanagh.

 

[hatsRme]

You, Newjack sir, are on a ROLL (watch the butter on your pants)

FABULOUS Cav!!

Daniele the Savoy is AMAZING, man. Loaded with character!

 

[NewJack]

Thanx again, gents!! I got the 'fever' from all of you! :eusa_clap Sweet addiction!!

 

[1mach1]

That's a beauty, New Jack!!