At the Dog Track... The Whippets

[alanfgag]

it was made in Australia

check, mate.

 

[John Galt]

I don't think the hat is all that old looking at the black sweat with the vvvvv stitching.

The tag was what threw me - aside from the price, of course.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[TheDane]

The keyhole tag was used into the 60's on US-made hats. It's a bit hard to read the exact words under the crest on the sweat. In could in principle be several countries where Stetson had hats made under license, but the length of the country name probably fits Australia best

 

[John Galt]

The keyhole tag was used into the 60's on US-made hats. It's a bit hard to read the exact words under the crest on the sweat. In could in principle be several countries where Stetson had hats made under license, but the length of the country name probably fits Australia best

Any idea who made Stetsons under license in the UK? Maybe Locke? I have beautiful Stetson Zephyr made under license there. It really isn't _that_ light, but it's made of fantastic felt.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[ManofKent]

Any idea who made Stetsons under license in the UK? Maybe Locke? I have beautiful Stetson Zephyr made under license there. It really isn't _that_ light, but it's made of fantastic felt.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

From the English made Stetson I own I would hesitantly guess Christy's, but I can't confirm.

 

[TheDane]

From the English made Stetson I own I would hesitantly guess Christy's, but I can't confirm.

That's a very reasonable guess. It's a little ironic, that the people who invented the ten gallon hat later made hats under license for the company that was credited for it

 

[Purplesage]

Blue Royal Delux Whippet

I believe this is an early model blue Royal Delux Whippet. In reading this thread the Whippet made it's debut in 1938. I was thinking this hat goes back to the early 40s but I'm not sure. Since it's a Royal Delux the felt quality is better than the Royal Stetson Whippets I own. The Whippet name is on the sweatband vs the liner. The liner is faded and material is very thin and fine. Does not appear to ever have had a liner protector. I haven't seen this particular color combination on a Whippet before. I would like to hear from anyone who can tell me more about this particular Whippet and help me date it. I'm not planning on selling it.

Brim: 2 3/4" with 1/4 plus grosgrain edge
Crown: 5" as shown (6" open)
Ribbon: 1 1/2"
Sweatband: Unreeded with zig zag stitching on back seam, leather is fairly thick.

 

[ManofKent]

Purplesage - I can't tell you anything about the hat, but it sure is a beauty.

 

[Geldoc]

Really nice one.

 

[alanfgag]

Very nice Whippet. I have Vita-Felt hats that share these marks and liner - I would say 1940s, whether war era or after, I'm not positive. Hanny's signature store in Phoenix was built in 1947.

Here is a Stetson Royal Vita-Felt homburg that uses this navy/burgundy color scheme:

 

[Geldoc]

Alan, you should do a book with photos of you in your hats. Best wishes.

 

[ManofKent]

Alan - that is a great colour combination

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks... I'd like to do something like that, but with a prettier model. The first 7XCB I found came from Hanny's. I remembered looking up the store history at that time.

 

[Purplesage]

Thanks for the feedback Allen. Nice Homburg color combination. Wish I could wear a Homburg but I can't, same with porkpies. Did you already know about Haney'? I can assume that the blue Whippet could be dated around 1947 or maybe a bit earlier depending when the hat was made before reaching the retailer or maybe it was a special order. I'm not sure how long Stetson would keep the hats in stock before reaching the retailer! It has an unreeded sweatband which could help dating it. I don't know when Stetson stopped using unreeded sweatbands. It would be good to start a thread of various retailers who sold hats and when they went out of business since some names crop up quite often. I've found it almost impossible to find information on certain stores. It's easier to find out when they opened then it is to find when the closed or went out of business unless they were a major department store. And them some stores like Hanney's may have had different stores in different locations that opened at different times.

 

[alanfgag]

Please see the post above yours for my comments on Hanny's - Phoenix (and the spelling of my name. )

Google searching is a skill - I only know how to skim the surface. Searching "Images" and "Books" can often yield a reference point.

 

[Purplesage]

Sorry about mispelling your name Alan, no offense intended. I do use google quite often, it's usually where I start.

 

[Lotsahats]

Two Whippets

In the last month or so, I picked up these two Whippets. They both belong to the style of Whippet that has the designation on the sweatband rather than the liner, but they're not Canadian; one was made for the more American Young's of New York, the other for the venerable and long-lived Wilson Clothing Company of New England.

Here's the grey one:

And the green one:

They both have the slightly less-wide brim ribbon, and the ribbons are different:

Do you think one of them was replaced along the way?

Based on the size tags and the lack of tip protectors, I'd guess that these are both mid 40s, but I'm no expert in this matters. The grey one shows some wear in the sweat and the reed, which the green has two slight moth nibbles. Otherwise, they're in great shape. Both have 2 5/8" brims and 5" open crowns. What do you all think?

Cheers,
A

 

[Rogera]

Nice finds Lotsahats! I like the green one a lot

 

[ManofKent]

Nice finds Lotsahats! I like the green one a lot

+1

 

[Lotsahats]

Funny you guys say that! I paid way more for the grey than for the green; in the auction pix, the green hat clearly looked like Stetson's new Stetsonian with the exact same tawny color. Surprise, surprise.