I've been lurking here for the last few months, soaking up the incredible wealth of information the gathered folks have concerning vintage hats. I must thank everyone for their willingness to share their accumulated knowledge of our favorite "lids of yore." I've just recently started down the long path of denial known as "I'm not a collector...no, really, I *use* these!" 
I just received in the mail an ebay'd brown Dobbs Twenty, and I think it's quite possibly the best hat (of the few) I own. In a completely loopy bit of luck, I was the only bidder; shipping was more than the hat itself. I consider it a steal at under $16 total. I don't have pics of this one yet, but I'm hoping someone may have a general idea as to its date. It's a "stingy brim" at 1 7/8ths, has a 4 3/4 in. crown bashed like a homburg without front dents, with every indication to my inexperienced eye that it's the original shape as there are no vestiges of other dents. It has a trolley cord of the "real" variety. The brim has the guild edge. The sweatband is brown, 2 inches wide, looks unstained, and has the corrugated "ventilation system" at the back. The inside of the crown has the oilcloth? liner, or whatever the non-plastic type is.
I don't have many others to compare it to, but the felt is heavy, thick, somewhat stiff, and has a lovely finish. The only flaws which indicate it's not NOS is the pad at the back under the corrugated liner is crumbling, and the surface of the leather the sweatband is sewn to is degrading.
I'm assuming I should treat the sweatband with Lexol. What would make a good replacement pad for that which is crumbling behind the corrugated sweatband?
Thanks, everyone, for your time, knowledge, and patience with yet another newbie fedora lover...
Norm Dillier
I just received in the mail an ebay'd brown Dobbs Twenty, and I think it's quite possibly the best hat (of the few) I own. In a completely loopy bit of luck, I was the only bidder; shipping was more than the hat itself. I consider it a steal at under $16 total. I don't have pics of this one yet, but I'm hoping someone may have a general idea as to its date. It's a "stingy brim" at 1 7/8ths, has a 4 3/4 in. crown bashed like a homburg without front dents, with every indication to my inexperienced eye that it's the original shape as there are no vestiges of other dents. It has a trolley cord of the "real" variety. The brim has the guild edge. The sweatband is brown, 2 inches wide, looks unstained, and has the corrugated "ventilation system" at the back. The inside of the crown has the oilcloth? liner, or whatever the non-plastic type is.
I don't have many others to compare it to, but the felt is heavy, thick, somewhat stiff, and has a lovely finish. The only flaws which indicate it's not NOS is the pad at the back under the corrugated liner is crumbling, and the surface of the leather the sweatband is sewn to is degrading.
I'm assuming I should treat the sweatband with Lexol. What would make a good replacement pad for that which is crumbling behind the corrugated sweatband?
Thanks, everyone, for your time, knowledge, and patience with yet another newbie fedora lover...
Norm Dillier
