Churchill Beaver 100 Vicuna

[besdor]

Wow is all I can say. These hats are truly magnifecent . They dont make em like that anymore. 100 in the late 1950's would easily be 1000.00 today.

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks very much for the comments and good wishes. This was one of those lucky finds, I just happened to be perusing ebay when the listing came up.

JtL, thanks... it's great to hear your voice here again!

I don't have much additional information, but having done business with Neiman-Marcus in the past, I would think Monbla's comment that this hat and perhaps other Churchill models were exclusive to Neiman's is likely true. I do have a later Churchill western sold through N-M, a much more modest item but also nicely made and styled. They were famous as purveyors of opulent luxury merchandise - the vicuna content (whatever that content might have been) would fit this bill and serve to separate their offering and marketing from other manufacturers. From a little bit of e-reading, it appears that by the time this hat was made, vicuna numbers had declined to near endangered levels. Conservation has brought the species back and regulated shearing practices (the animal is not harvested for vicuna wool) has kept the price for its wool at a stratospheric level.

I assume this was a $100. hat, but its time period, duration and position in the market with other $100 hats from Stetson, Dobbs, Resistol, etc is unknown. I haven't seen another... which is a good indicator that another should show up soon!

PS... I had estimated that this hat is lighter in weight than the Stetson 100. It does feel that way, perhaps because of the thin raw brim and softness of the felt... but in fact they are exactly the same weight - 5 ounces.

cheers,
Alan

 

[Aureliano]

:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

 

[HatsEnough]

My Beaver 25 Churchill Open Road Clone is also from Neimen Marcus

 

[Aureliano]

Now there's a lid that can bring a guy back out of the woodwork!

Absolutely amazing find, Alan. Extraordinary lid. That has to be quite a thrill!

Good for you -- Congrats!

Cheers,
JtL

Welcome back!, joint hasn't been the same without you, Jimmy.

 

[Tomasso]

Um, 100 dollars? After all, it's called a Churchill 100. (Or were you being cheeky with me again? )

lol Not this time. Seriously, that's a lot of hat/box for a $100, era aside.

 

[randooch]

This was one of those lucky finds, I just happened to be perusing ebay when the listing came up.

After seeing what you stumble upon, Alan, I start to wonder whether you know someone who works for Ebay. Someone behind the scenes, who maybe owes you a favor or two? You can fess up.

 

[HatsEnough]

lol Not this time. Seriously, that's a lot of hat/box for a $100, era aside.

I think I agree with Tomasso. This idea that every hat called a "100" was a $100 hat seems too pat to be true. I mean, that hat Alan has could not possibly have only gone for $100 in the 1960s or 70s when it was produced! Seriously.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Seriously, that's a lot of hat/box for a $100, era aside.

I disagree. $100 in 1955 would be $843 today. That's commensurate with the hat/box.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Seriously, that's a lot of hat/box for a $100, era aside.

I disagree. $100 in 1955 would be $843 today. (And the hat's Neiman-Marcus logo is pre 1960s, HatsEnough.) That's commensurate with the hat/box.

 

[delectans]

Extraordinary, Alan, a truly exceptional hat in quality and condition. Congratulations!

 

[buler]

Great hat Alan! Thanks for sharing the pics and info. The case looks like a black version of the Stetson 100 case. How do they compare?

B

 

[alanfgag]

... and the hat's Neiman-Marcus logo is pre 1960s...

Hi Marc, I spent some time trying to pull up Neiman-Marcus advertising and branding info to help refine the dating of this hat, but came up rather empty on the search. There is a life magazine article from 1945 which finds it newsworthy that N-M was selling men's hats for $40. But I didn't find a reference to the typeface on this sweatband.

I did find independent (not N-M) ads for Churchill hats which listed an address in the Empire State Building. This was home to many hosiery and garment companies when I was growing up in NYC in the 1960's-70's.

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks AL and Buler,

Great hat Alan! Thanks for sharing the pics and info. The case looks like a black version of the Stetson 100 case. How do they compare?

B

The two cases have the same LxW dimensions - the N-M case is an inch higher - perhaps an indication that the hat was sold open crown? The latching hardware is different and the black covering (vinyl, I assume) is leather grained rather than smooth as in the 100 case. The big difference is in the inside trimming... all surfaces are covered in peach satin as compared to the paper lining in the Stetson box. It's quite a nice hat suitcase - from the days when they didn't charge extra for baggage.

 

[danofarlington]

This Churchill western was sold through Neiman-Marcus in the 1950's. I came across this hat shortly after it was listed with a BIN option. It arrived last week and I had a chance to take some photos today.

The felt quality is quite extraordinary. I was reminded of JTL's post for his Dobbs 100 - opening the box and picking it up for the first time gave a rush that the hat lovers here can appreciate.

Which hat would you pick as the best one between the Churchill, the Stetson One Hundred, and the Stetson Clear Beaver?

 

[buler]

Thanks AL and Buler,



The two cases have the same LxW dimensions - the N-M case is an inch higher - perhaps an indication that the hat was sold open crown? The latching hardware is different and the black covering (vinyl, I assume) is leather grained rather than smooth as in the 100 case. The big difference is in the inside trimming... all surfaces are covered in peach satin as compared to the paper lining in the Stetson box. It's quite a nice hat suitcase - from the days when they didn't charge extra for baggage.

I believe I've seen a slightly larger Stetson 100 case also. Seemed to me it was with a more "western" flanged 100. May be the same dimensions as this Churchill. I've also seen the same brown leather case with a Resistol 100.

What, if anything, does it say on the latches? (I believe the Stetson latch is marked on the back)

B

 

[bowlerman]

Super nice! Great one, Alan. Looks extremely versatile as well: Western, urban, whatever you like.

 

[alanfgag]

Which hat would you pick as the best one between the Churchill, the Stetson One Hundred, and the Stetson Clear Beaver?

Best is too general a term for useful comparison I think... and I have only a handful of examples to compare. By Stetson Clear Beaver, I assume you mean the 7X Clear Beaver.

My two Stetson 100's are from the later side of the run. The felt is thicker and stiffer than on the Churchill. I have 4 examples of 7X Clear Beaver - 2 ORs, 1 Western and 1 mode edge fedora/homburg/intrigue. Two of these are from the 1940's and they represent, in my opinion, the finest Stetson felt from the post war era. The Churchill 100 felt is up to par with these hats, with a soft hand that is unique among them. Felt hand is a topic that could fill a book. If I had to pick the highest quality felts from my collection, I would probably set aside a dozen and describe each for the characteristics that sets them apart. For the smooth finish hats, the two older 7X's would be in there, along with my Stetson Aristocrat and the 1930's Barbisio that I bought from Dinerman and my 1930's Vanzina. The new Churchill would be there too.

In terms of hat construction, the Stetson 100 was top notch into the 1960's. But I don't think hats from this era can match the tiny stitches, elegant liner fabrics and foil/blind embossing that were used in the 1930's. When you find one of these in great condition (the fabulous Real Nutria Quality western that I purchased from Zetwal comes to mind) it makes it very hard to compare products across the decades.

I hope this helps to answer your question.

cheers,
Alan

 

[danofarlington]

Very interesting.

 

[alanfgag]

I believe I've seen a slightly larger Stetson 100 case also. Seemed to me it was with a more "western" flanged 100. May be the same dimensions as this Churchill. I've also seen the same brown leather case with a Resistol 100.

What, if anything, does it say on the latches? (I believe the Stetson latch is marked on the back)

B

Made in USA, if I remember correctly... I'll have a look when I get home tonight. The crazy part is that the position of the latch buttons causes the latches to smack your hands when you pop them open. I wonder if they should have been swapped side to side?