HatsEnough
Banned
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- 1,142
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- Cincinnati, Ohio
I have a WWI Stetson U.S. Army campaign hat in the Montana Peak-style like the Trooper hat. That is as close as I'll come to any more like that.
Looks like a new potential customer for the pins, Lefty!
I was (almost) tempted to play in the Strat auction, but decided to be sensible. Looked to be a nice example, to be fair.
not mine (though I tossed in a bid)
incredible deal on this 4x Balbi Super Borsalino, 7 1/2, just needs a ribbon
That's interesting, Brad. I had no idea there was ever a connection between HCA and Winchester/Stratton. I assume there is none between Win/Strat and the current Hatco?
I should probably read more of your posts, I'm sure you've covered all this before.
OK, so the Strat goes well over 200, but a better hat, a 25 in the same size can't hit the opening $80 bid?
I guess that peoples is peoples.
Yep, I've covered it before, but I can't remember what thread. I'll try to keep this short:
Since 1909, Hat Corporation of America (and Crofut & Knapp prior to that) had been an open shop, having kicked out the hatters' union after a particularly nasty strike. In 1946, HCA once again became unionized, but by the early-1950s they were looking at ways to cut their costs that had been rising since '46, in part due to union wages. They decided to open plants somewhere in the Midwest, stating they would be closer to their western markets. HCA planned to open a straw hat plant in Winchester, TN, and a felt hat finishing plant in Nevada, MO. Both were to be non-union, and when the union learned of this, they feared the Norwalk factory would be closed and they would lose their jobs, so they struck. This was 1953, and it was another bitter feud, which, when settled 10 months later, achieved essentially nothing for the union. The straw hat plant opened in TN, and the finishing plant in MO. The union tried to organize the Nevada, MO plant, prompting HCA to immediately shut the plant down. It had been a brand-new building, open for about a year.
It was at this time in the mid-1950s, that the Salesky Brothers, founders and owners of Champ Hats, were able to acquire control of Hat Corporation of America. The long strike had hurt sales and the overall financial health of HCA enough that it was ripe for a takeover.
As part of more cost-cutting measures, HCA moved the felt hat finishing plant in 1960 to Winchester, TN. By 1970, the closed their large factory in Norwalk, CT, and 1960s opened a felting plant in Winchester to make hat bodies. The straw plants and the felt hat finishing plants were already there. HCA also had plants in Pennsylvania (part of Champ) and New Jersey, which remained open for two more years. In 1972, HCA sold the rights to all their brands to Koracorp, of Garland, TX, who also owned Resistol, Bradford, and Churchill. Koracorp had now added Dobbs, Knox, Cavanagh, along with Crofut & Knapp/Knapp-Felt, Dunlap, Byron, and Berg, though these last four were eventually abandoned.
When HCA sold off their brands, they closed their plants in TN, PA, and NJ. The Winchester felting plant reopened as a new company, Winchester Hat Company, not affiliated with HCA or Koracorp. Instead, Winchester Hat Co. went into business supplying their affiliate Stratton hats with felt bodies to be finished by Stratton for uniform/service hats. They also eventually began to supply felt hat bodies to custom hatters around the country, something they still do today, thank goodness!
I guess that wasn't short after all.
Anyway, that's why that Dobbs trooper hat and marked box were a unique connection to all of this history.
Brad
Sure. The high bidder withdrew his bid leaving you as the high bidder at $51 which was just above the bidder behind you. You didn't act and the seller got another offer and took it - perhaps from the original high bidder or someone else - probably someone else. If you had jumped on the second chance by accepting it and paying for it, you would have had the hat for $51. Because you didn't, he was able to accept another offer. Once the auction is over, the Ebay rules don't apply. Anybody can offer and accept whatever since the sale did not complete on Ebay. Nothing unethical.
The hat business was losing anyway. Unions where just trying to save what little works had for a little longer.... moral of the story.... unions destroy business.
Yep, I've covered it before, but I can't remember what thread. I'll try to keep this short:
Brad
I'm not sure I'm grasping your response although I greatly appreciate it. When I was winning the bid at $51.00, there were still several hours left in the auction and there was never a "buy it now" price. I don't think I could have owned it at that price. I got the message that I'd been outbid at $109 with about two hours left in the auction. I wasn't going any higher. It's not the end of the world. I just thought that would have been a nice one to start my collection with. Thanks again.
I'm not sure I'm grasping your response although I greatly appreciate it. When I was winning the bid at $51.00, there were still several hours left in the auction and there was never a "buy it now" price. I don't think I could have owned it at that price. I got the message that I'd been outbid at $109 with about two hours left in the auction. I wasn't going any higher. It's not the end of the world. I just thought that would have been a nice one to start my collection with. Thanks again.