Big head blues

[job]

I sure see a lot of wonderful pristine vintage fedoras here all the time. When I look around ebay for a nice hat like a Stratoliner, Whippet etc. in a 7 5/8 I usually can't find them. If I do I'm bidding against the other melon heads for the few nice hats out there which mean they go for a lot of money. I guess I have little head envy and the big head blues. Nice large hats are rare.

 

[winter_joe]

Oh yes they are but don't give up im a 7 3/4 long oval so you can imagine my fustration with finding vintage lids. but I have a couple including a disney twenty oxford and a stetson stratoliner thanks to gt dean from this lounge. Don't give up and keep looking you'll find some eventually!!

 

[Preacher Man]

job, I share your frustration! Like winter_joe, I'm a 7 3/4 long oval and with some hats that is too tight. I've quit even looking for the vintage stuff,
never have found one. Winter_joe has more patience than me Good luck with your hunt, us big heads do have it difficult at times!

 

[St. Valentine]

Same here: 7 3/8 long oval! I haven given up long before but always find myself searching on the Bay again.... [huh]

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I think everyone here that is not a size 6 7/8 or 7 have a lot of hat envy. 7 3/8 here and I still get hat envy.

 

[job]

Try and find a vintage non black Borsalino in a 7 5/8 and up at a good price. Rare.

 

[TomS]

I sympathize. I'm a 7 1/2, and it isnt easy finding pristine lids!

 

[davers]

Same here! 7 1/2 and I can't find much of anything! I can only imagine how much harder it is for sizes bigger than my melon!!

Dave

 

[Marshall]

Another sad 7 1/2 here. I'm starting to think that it is better to just order custom hats. Especially when you can get a custom from Falcon Park Hattery cheaper than you can find a vintage lid for. Though on the flip side, there is just something about a nice vintage lid that even the well made custom hats can't capture. [huh]

 

[frussell]

With great head size must come great patience. I'm a 7 7/8 long oval, try finding vintage in that size on eBay. Having said that, I've scored several vintage hats over the last few years just by waiting and watching. I've also gotten a few off eBay, and some from fellow loungers, including a 7 3/4 extra long oval Stratoliner, two exceptional Kitten Finish Resistols, a 20 and a 25, one of which was actually a 7 7/8, as well as two vintage Open Roads, and some assorted bowlers and old stingies. At anything above 7 1/2, you have to be ready to pay a little more, wait a little longer, and be more forgiving of hat condition on the vintage ones. They do come along though. I've had better luck and not really spent much more money by having tonyb (Tumwater Hats) and Art Fawcett make me their versions of vintage hats I couldn't find in my size. Both are worth every penny, and you get 100% beaver AND premium leather sweatbands. Good luck to all of you

 

[randooch]

This would be a good spot for a beautiful photograph of Al playing the violin.

 

[job]

Nobody uses a violin to play the blues.

I can find westerns in larger sizes more easily. I could convert some. They do have tall straight sided crowns which gives you something to work with.

 

[gdc]

This would be a good spot for a beautiful photograph of Al playing the violin.

I don't know how he does it but the guy finds plenty in 7 1/2.

This week I paid $37.50 for a 1970's moth nibbled sage green OR which I was able to work with and a 1940's black Stetson western with a 6" crown. The sweat is toast but it has a 2 7/8" bound brim and great felt so it will become a slightly wider brimmed Strat/OR. $25 for that one. Been digging under every rock and throwing 95% of the hats back but there are a few.

I did find a really nice 1940's moss green Paragon with just a few nibbles under the ribbon for $8.00 at a thrift store. Don't give up.

 

[Thunderball]

Big Head Blues Club

Maybe I should apply for membership in the Big head Blues Club. I am a 7-5/8 long oval with a bump.
[video=youtube;bQRDCwkD91c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQRDCwkD91c[/video]

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I've noticed that western hats are easier to find in larger sizes, too. Why is that?

I can find westerns in larger sizes more easily. I could convert some. They do have tall straight sided crowns which gives you something to work with.

I wear a 7 5/8 pretty comfortably. It's very hard to find anything, especially anything good, that is reasonably priced in that size.

 

[newturnofphrase]

frussel is right. As a fellow 7 5/8 (US size), I've learned that if you want to pursue this hobby when you have a big head, you have to have the patience of a tree, some reasonable diligence on the 'bay, and the ability to compromise looks over comfort. More often than not i've had to settle for a too-tight hat in a 7 1/2 or a hat that sits just a little too high up on my head.

Many loungers with smaller head sizes don't realize how good they got it and chastise those with bigger heads for paying more. To be honest, I consider anything vintage in mint or close, under $100, in size 7 1/2 and up, to be a bargain. The MOST FRUSTRATING THING, though, is that some vendors are wise to the rarity of larger sizes and will significantly inflate the measurements of smaller hats to get a better sale price, resulting in a 7 3/8 being labelled as a 7 5/8. It's really fun when you shell out 200 plus shipping for a hat and it doesn't fit and isn't even close to the size advertised. I've had some angry conversations with sellers in the past, and returns are deeply annoying.

On the other hand, I'm the type who thrives under a challenge, and diligently searching ebay, combined with quality control measures, has resulted in a fairly small but ever-changing and highly robust collection of vintage hats in my size and in pristine condition.

Quality control tips to buy hats on ebay for guys with big heads:
If it's advertised as a 7 1/2 or above, or is ambiguous as to size, ask the seller some questions before bidding:
1) check for pics of the size tag. If there aren't any, ask for them to search under the sweatband etc. and send you the size as printed on the tag. Even if there's a no return policy, they have to accept it if the sale was made on the basis of fraud. Beware of sellers who avoid giving you this info.
2) If they say there's no size tag under the sweatband, ask for length and width measurements of the head-hole. anything below 8 1/4 x 6 1/2, and it's probably too small.
3) beware of sellers who have very lousy English or are otherwise shady-seeming. If they can't communicate clearly, they may not be able to fully understand what you are asking, or their answers may be incorrect.

One thing that has helped enormously is the lounge, where I have acquired a couple of my best hats for very reasonable prices, hats so rare and beautiful I will never sell them. So building a good rep here is really helpful to getting those larger hats.

 

[gtdean48]

I just recently bought a nice Stratoliner & Borso Alessandria off the Bay 7 5/8 LO and at reasonable prices. It is all about timing...
It is just more challenging for us LNL's...

 

[job]

That Borsalino went for a lot of money and they are rare on ebay.

 

[gtdean48]

That Borsalino went for a lot of money and they are rare on ebay.

I didn't buy the one you are thinking of. I bought one before that for under $200...not so rare with 2 being offered recently...

I was the only bidder....http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...4&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123#ht_500wt_1361

 

[job]

I had a max bid of $300 on the other one and still lost out. For me the problem is I'm usually cash poor when a nice hat in the style I want is available. I don't want a old hat just to have a old hat so it's hard to find the nice hats in the style I want in good shape at a fair price.
gtdean, Nice find on the Borso.