Dating a Borsalino

[nightandthecity]

no I've not started going out with an Italian (ha ha).

seems a lot of folks round here are finding cheap Borsalinos at the moment!
I just picked one up for £10, that's about $15.

I'm guessing this one dates to the 70s or 80s, but I understand that you can date a Borsalino precisely by the little white label behind the sweatband. How do you you decode it? The white tag reads

Cod. Col. 97A016381
390054 0381 60

60 is the Euro size, also marked on a tag on the sweat. Does the 16381 and 0381 mean March 1981? That's about what I'd guess was the date from hat details.

All advice gratefuly received!

 

[besdor]

Dating your Hat

I'm sorry to say but your hat is from 1997 . All Borsalino hats made since 1994 are dated on the white sticker under the lining . 10 pounds for the hat isn't bad . It's the 39 quality which means the Alessandria quality , not qualita superiore -11 quality .



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[nightandthecity]

thanks! At least I didn't mistake it for real vintage (unlike the seller who had it as a "1930s hat")!

Yes, the label describes it as Allesandria. It's a decent hat and in excellent condition - little used I'd say. It fits me nicely too. But not on a par with my vintage hats and I'll probably sell it on in the autumn.

anyway, thanks again for the information.

 

[squid]

I'm sorry to say but your hat is from 1997 . All Borsalino hats made since 1994 are dated on the white sticker under the lining . 10 pounds for the hat isn't bad . It's the 39 quality which means the Alessandria quality , not qualita superiore -11 quality .



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

Can you explain how the quality code works? My Borsalino has the following numbers on the tag:

98A013795 390004 0351 58

I believe that means it was made in 1998, and the 58 matches the size. Is the 39 quality out of a possible of 50? Is the 13795 the s/n?

 

[Pkyoakum]

Is there a way ton date vintage Borsalinos?

 

[steur]

Is there a way ton date vintage Borsalinos?

There is, sort of. This question has been answered in the Borsalino thread. Not in any way definitive, but it's the best we've come up with so far. It's based on the kind of label you can find underneath the sweatband. Can't find the specific post right now, but here's the summary:
borsalino cell type: 1920 to 1936
"borsalino" written sideways: 1936 to 1953
borsalino cerrated sheet: 1954 to 1960
borsalino cerrated roll (straight sides): 1961 to 1968
borsalino rounded with colour name: 1968 to 1975
dated labels (recognizable by the use of the hyphen between the first two and the rest of the digits): 1976 to 1983
borsalino elongated no colour name: 1983 to current

 

[steur]

Is there a way ton date vintage Borsalinos?

Found it!
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/the-borsalino-brotherhood.13133/page-364#post-2546832

 

[MikeinRome]

Thanks a lot. That post on the mfg tags is super helpful.

 

[MikeinRome]

I knew that I'd seen this post of yours before somewhere, but couldn't remember where.

 

[T.Hecht]

Hello all!
I hope I am posting in the proper place...

Please help me identify when my hat was made.. I don't know if it's vintage or modern..I have attached some pictures! And thank you so much!

 

[T.Hecht]

 

[steur]

Hello all!
I hope I am posting in the proper place...

Please help me identify when my hat was made.. I don't know if it's vintage or modern..I have attached some pictures! And thank you so much! View attachment 615318 View attachment 615319 View attachment 615320 View attachment 615321 View attachment 615322 View attachment 615323 View attachment 615324 View attachment 615325 View attachment 615318 View attachment 615318 View attachment 615319 View attachment 615320 View attachment 615321 View attachment 615322 View attachment 615323 View attachment 615324 View attachment 615325

Welcome to the lounge. It's vintage. This kind of label appears from 1961 until 1972, so the hat is likely from the sixties. The felt colour is Uranio and the ribbon is black (nera). Nice quality felt on those Diamante twenty five hats.

 

[T.Hecht]

Welcome to the lounge. It's vintage. This kind of label appears from 1961 until 1972, so the hat is likely from the sixties. The felt colour is Uranio and the ribbon is black (nera). Nice quality felt on those Diamante twenty five hats.

Is it beaver? I'm a beaver freak but it is very nice felt! So I'm super happy either way!
And thank you so much for the reply

 

[steur]

Is it beaver? I'm a beaver freak but it is very nice felt! So I'm super happy either way!
And thank you so much for the reply

It's not beaver. Probably a mix of rabbit and hare fur. Borsalino didn't use beaver very often. If they did it would say "castoro" somewhere on the liner or sweatband.

 

[MikeinRome]

Welcome to the lounge. It's vintage. This kind of label appears from 1961 until 1972, so the hat is likely from the sixties. The felt colour is Uranio and the ribbon is black (nera). Nice quality felt on those Diamante twenty five hats.

1960's was my guess, but I was waiting for someone smarter than me to weigh in on it.

 

[T.Hecht]

It's not beaver. Probably a mix of rabbit and hare fur. Borsalino didn't use beaver very often. If they did it would say "castoro" somewhere on the liner or sweatband.

Great thanks.! It's very soft with a longer fur .!

 

[steur]

Great thanks.! It's very soft with a longer fur .!

They are lovely hats. As far as I gathered the base was rabbit and the hare fur was layered on top to create the longhair finish. Hare fur is known to have a better sheen than rabbit.

 

[T.Hecht]

They are lovely hats. As far as I gathered the base was rabbit and the hare fur was layered on top to create the longhair finish. Hare fur is known to have a better sheen than rabbit.

Is there anything I should do to take good care of it? How do I take good care of it I guess is what I'm asking!

 

[steur]

Is there anything I should do to take good care of it? How do I take good care of it I guess is what I'm asking!

Give it a brush now and then and keep it in a hat box when you're not wearing it. No need to be too precious; after all it managed very well for the past sixty years or so.

 

[moehawk]

Is there anything I should do to take good care of it? How do I take good care of it I guess is what I'm asking!

Take it on walks often and pet it frequently!