portolan said:what made it go so high? Is that a typical price for one of these? I am trying to learn....thanks, Phil
GS is right, but quality and condition are other factors. Read over the Open Road Guild and the Stetson Think Tank threads to get an idea of the various and confusing grading systems that Stetson used to denote quality.
One other factor is "Lounge Buzz". Any hat that's popular here tends to go higher on ebay than other great hats. Whippets, Stratoliners, Playboys and others have been heavily discussed at various times, and their prices soar correspondingly. ORs are always popular, but the lesser quality ones are also plentiful. When high quality, large size, and uncommon color come together in one hat, watch out.