German & Austrian Hutmachers

[mayserwegener]

You are absolutely right, Steve: your Habig from Leipzig looks very similar to mine - not only in shape, but also in ribbon treatment. I can't see it clearly, but it looks like your bow also has open ends: not really frayed, as usual, but also not folded over - a Habig characteristic? I haven't seen this before from other manufacturers, but there are still too few examples. How does the felt feel on your hat? On my brown one, the surface is incredibly soft and supple, but the comparatively thick felt - especially at the brim - is also not as flexible-soft (stiffer to handle) as I would have expected. The sweat logo ist nearly the same as on your great Habig Homburg:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/what-hat-are-you-wearing-today.94860/page-1888#post-2683698

The picture of the Friedrichstraße/Behrenstraße house in Berlin on your homepage is great - I know it because I had also immediately searched the net again to see if my memory was correct that it had not survived the war. The postcard with the advertisement at night, which you have already shown here, is also great. Unfortunately I can't find a good shot of the corner as it looks today.

Matt, My Leipzig P. & C. Habig Wien had some repair work done to the bow so not totally original but probably close. Mine has a soft hand but the felt is not super pliable. In most cases P. & C. Habig Wien didn't use very pliable felt with their City Dress style Soft Felts. There are exceptions but most have heavier weight felt and are not so pliable. This also applies to post WWII hats. It's probably by design based on what was expected by their customer base but this is only a guess. Also P. & C. Habig Wien sourced felt and from what I know never produced their own felt.

I was very lucky to find the P. & C. Habig Wien "Special", P. & C. Habig's "Special Qualität" Reine Handarbeit Berlin Friedrichstr. 82a Homburg. It's in pretty much mint condition and was stored Open Crown so easily dry creases but the Felt is not super pliable but the hand amazingly soft. Again I think this by design based on other examples.

I don't think there is anything left of the original structures in around Friedrichstr. 82a. It's too bad because from what I can remember from WWII photos the buildings were restorable. Probably a combination of politics and money (see the City Palace). That area ended up in the East sector.

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

Matt, My Leipzig P. & C. Habig Wien had some repair work done to the bow so not totally original but probably close. Mine has a soft hand but the felt is not super pliable. In most cases P. & C. Habig Wien didn't use very pliable felt with their City Dress style Soft Felts. There are exceptions but most have heavier weight felt and are not so pliable. This also applies to post WWII hats. It's probably by design based on what was expected by their customer base but this is only a guess. Also P. & C. Habig Wien sourced felt and from what I know never produced their own felt.

I was very lucky to find the P. & C. Habig Wien "Special", P. & C. Habig's "Special Qualität" Reine Handarbeit Berlin Friedrichstr. 82a Homburg. It's in pretty much mint condition and was stored Open Crown so easily dry creases but the Felt is not super pliable but the hand amazingly soft. Again I think this by design based on other examples.

I don't think there is anything left of the original structures in around Friedrichstr. 82a. It's too bad because from what I can remember from WWII photos the buildings were restorable. Probably a combination of politics and money (see the City Palace). That area ended up in the East sector.

You're absolutely right, Steve: there's nothing left of the original building.
That's why I was looking for a good picture to put next to your old one...

Interesting that you made the same observation as I did:
I was very surprised when the Habig arrived that the felt is comparatively
so heavy and firm. Don't get me wrong: the quality is super good and
the surface is incredibly soft, but not very flexible. I find your idea
that the "customer's design wish" is possibly behind it captivating.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

After Stefan @steur showed us his Barbisio-linked new acquisitions
in the corresponding thread the other day, here is my matching arrival:

Pre-war "Rockel" hat display made of cardboard with metal rim
(I think Steve has some of these items and also a similar one from Rockel - who if not him!?)
The cool thing about this object for presenting the matching hats at the shop is the small metal rail
for holding a slip of paper - in this case demonstrably used to note the hat size.

 

[Steve1857]

After Stefan @steur showed us his Barbisio-linked new acquisitions
in the corresponding thread the other day, here is my matching arrival:

Nice find, Matt.

Pre-war "Rockel" hat display made of cardboard with metal rim
(I think Steve has some of these items and also a similar one from Rockel - who if not him!?)
The cool thing about this object for presenting the matching hats at the shop is the small metal rail
for holding a slip of paper - in this case demonstrably used to note the hat size.

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

Thanks to a tip from Panos now freshly arrived in my possession:

C. G. Wilke (Guben) "Blitz" velour in a grey called "Feldgrau" = field grey.
Height open crown at 15.0 cm; centre dent at 10.0 cm; brim at 5.5 cm
The velour felt is great, incredibly soft and flexible - but not to be compared
with my Hückel "Prima" or the "Superior" or a "Sigma - Seal Velour",
but this is rather due to the fact that the velour hair of the Wilke is shorter
(different "quality") and therefore feels different anyway.
The town of Höchst was incorporated into Frankfurt/Main in 1928,
so the hat (see seller's stamp on the sweat) must date later
- but that was likely anyway.
The model name and the colour designation, together with the sweat,
which in my opinion is of rather "inferior" quality, made me think
that the otherwise wonderful hat with a beautiful hand was made
back in wartime at the beginning of the 1940s. But that is only a guess...

 

[mayserwegener]

You're absolutely right, Steve: there's nothing left of the original building.
That's why I was looking for a good picture to put next to your old one...

Interesting that you made the same observation as I did:
I was very surprised when the Habig arrived that the felt is comparatively
so heavy and firm. Don't get me wrong: the quality is super good and
the surface is incredibly soft, but not very flexible. I find your idea
that the "customer's design wish" is possibly behind it captivating.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Matt, I can only guess but maybe they wore them without side dents or didn't want the shape to change easily. For example Adenauer wore his P. & C. Habig Wien Homburg (yes he wore a Austrian made Homburg ) without side dents.

https://germanaustrianhats.invision...der-höhe-germany/?do=findComment&comment=1358

 

[mayserwegener]

After Stefan @steur showed us his Barbisio-linked new acquisitions
in the corresponding thread the other day, here is my matching arrival:

Pre-war "Rockel" hat display made of cardboard with metal rim
(I think Steve has some of these items and also a similar one from Rockel - who if not him!?)
The cool thing about this object for presenting the matching hats at the shop is the small metal rail
for holding a slip of paper - in this case demonstrably used to note the hat size.

Matt, Great find! I think this one is older than ones I have but I would have to check.

 

[mayserwegener]

Thanks to a tip from Panos now freshly arrived in my possession:

C. G. Wilke (Guben) "Blitz" velour in a grey called "Feldgrau" = field grey.
Height open crown at 15.0 cm; centre dent at 10.0 cm; brim at 5.5 cm
The velour felt is great, incredibly soft and flexible - but not to be compared
with my Hückel "Prima" or the "Superior" or a "Sigma - Seal Velour",
but this is rather due to the fact that the velour hair of the Wilke is shorter
(different "quality") and therefore feels different anyway.
The town of Höchst was incorporated into Frankfurt/Main in 1928,
so the hat (see seller's stamp on the sweat) must date later
- but that was likely anyway.
The model name and the colour designation, together with the sweat,
which in my opinion is of rather "inferior" quality, made me think
that the otherwise wonderful hat with a beautiful hand was made
back in wartime at the beginning of the 1940s. But that is only a guess...

Matt, Super find! I can't remember when they switched production but possibly early 1940s. Guben got hit hard. I am sure you know this but the "8" on the paper label is 58 cm. The Velour is not near the level of JHS Velour (and other Austrian companies) although I have a couple earlier C. G. Wilke Velour that are really nice. Mayser on the German side made great Velour up to WWII. Same with some of the some of the Bavarian Velour makers. I enjoy wearing my C. G. Wilke Soft and Stiff Felt Hats. They had some unique advertisements too.

 

[PanosChris]

Thanks to a tip from Panos now freshly arrived in my possession:

C. G. Wilke (Guben) "Blitz" velour in a grey called "Feldgrau" = field grey.
Height open crown at 15.0 cm; centre dent at 10.0 cm; brim at 5.5 cm
The velour felt is great, incredibly soft and flexible - but not to be compared
with my Hückel "Prima" or the "Superior" or a "Sigma - Seal Velour",
but this is rather due to the fact that the velour hair of the Wilke is shorter
(different "quality") and therefore feels different anyway.
The town of Höchst was incorporated into Frankfurt/Main in 1928,
so the hat (see seller's stamp on the sweat) must date later
- but that was likely anyway.
The model name and the colour designation, together with the sweat,
which in my opinion is of rather "inferior" quality, made me think
that the otherwise wonderful hat with a beautiful hand was made
back in wartime at the beginning of the 1940s. But that is only a guess...

Matt, Great!! Happy that's it fits you!! I have one Wilke "blitz" velour from the 30s, I got from Steve and the quality is really top notch. Judging from the pics, it could be that mine is slightly of longer nap I think. Not sure if it qualifies as a "soleil" though but probably more sheen. I have found that sometimes the velour hand and feel (stiffeners?) might differ somewhat between the individual hats, even within the same line. Also within the great JHS velours, though generally more consistent I guess. Just my thoughts

 

[steur]

Thanks to a tip from Panos now freshly arrived in my possession:

C. G. Wilke (Guben) "Blitz" velour in a grey called "Feldgrau" = field grey.
Height open crown at 15.0 cm; centre dent at 10.0 cm; brim at 5.5 cm
The velour felt is great, incredibly soft and flexible - but not to be compared
with my Hückel "Prima" or the "Superior" or a "Sigma - Seal Velour",
but this is rather due to the fact that the velour hair of the Wilke is shorter
(different "quality") and therefore feels different anyway.
The town of Höchst was incorporated into Frankfurt/Main in 1928,
so the hat (see seller's stamp on the sweat) must date later
- but that was likely anyway.
The model name and the colour designation, together with the sweat,
which in my opinion is of rather "inferior" quality, made me think
that the otherwise wonderful hat with a beautiful hand was made
back in wartime at the beginning of the 1940s. But that is only a guess...

That's a wonderful find, Matt. It looks to be substantial felt on that one. I like the Rockel hat display as well. Those can be found for various brands, but usually the asking price is quite high.

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

Matt, Super find! I can't remember when they switched production but possibly early 1940s. Guben got hit hard. I am sure you know this but the "8" on the paper label is 58 cm. The Velour is not near the level of JHS Velour (and other Austrian companies) although I have a couple earlier C. G. Wilke Velour that are really nice. Mayser on the German side made great Velour up to WWII. Same with some of the some of the Bavarian Velour makers. I enjoy wearing my C. G. Wilke Soft and Stiff Felt Hats. They had some unique advertisements too.

Matt, Great!! Happy that's it fits you!! I have one Wilke "blitz" velour from the 30s, I got from Steve and the quality is really top notch. Judging from the pics, it could be that mine is slightly of longer nap I think. Not sure if it qualifies as a "soleil" though but probably more sheen. I have found that sometimes the velour hand and feel (stiffeners?) might differ somewhat between the individual hats, even within the same line. Also within the great JHS velours, though generally more consistent I guess. Just my thoughts

Thank you, gentlemen, for your comments, remarks, additions
- and also for the enthusiasm for this hat: it always pleases me when we can share this joy!

Yes, the 8 is 58, although the hat looks big for it - more like 59!
The good thing is, Steve, I've already learned this Wilke peculiarity from you,
and when Panos showed me the hat that was priced at 57,
I knew thanks to the label photo that it could work well for me.

About the felt: Yes, it is certainly not as high quality as the JHS velour,
but it is still very good compared to others I have handled.
I just also think that you can't compare all velours in terms of quality
by touch if they have a different finish - a different hair length.
But you know that - not every JHS feels the same...
But I also think I can get even more out of the Wilke if I steam and brush it properly again.

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

That's a wonderful find, Matt. It looks to be substantial felt on that one. I like the Rockel hat display as well. Those can be found for various brands, but usually the asking price is quite high.

Thank you, Stefan. You are absolutely right when you say that these "buckets" are really expensive for a bit of printed cardboard. That's how I know the offers and that's why I bought this one for 12€, because I could justify it. Sometimes you are lucky or better you have to be patient.

 

[mayserwegener]

Thank you, gentlemen, for your comments, remarks, additions
- and also for the enthusiasm for this hat: it always pleases me when we can share this joy!

Yes, the 8 is 58, although the hat looks big for it - more like 59!
The good thing is, Steve, I've already learned this Wilke peculiarity from you,
and when Panos showed me the hat that was priced at 57,
I knew thanks to the label photo that it could work well for me.

About the felt: Yes, it is certainly not as high quality as the JHS velour,
but it is still very good compared to others I have handled.
I just also think that you can't compare all velours in terms of quality
by touch if they have a different finish - a different hair length.
But you know that - not every JHS feels the same...
But I also think I can get even more out of the Wilke if I steam and brush it properly again.

Matt, I was making a general statement regarding JHS Velour quality + variety of finishes. There is also the factor of the Velour condition (dirt, sun exposure, insect damage, worn nap). I probably wear this C. G. Wilke "Bürstel Electra" the most of all my Velour Hats.

https://germanaustrianhats.invision...-hutfabrik-guben/?do=findComment&comment=1542

 

[mayserwegener]

J. Hückel´s Söhne Promotional Pocket Mirror, 1930s and a recent arrival.

 

[Steve1857]

J. Hückel´s Söhne Promotional Pocket Mirror, 1930s and a recent arrival.

Wonderful Steve. I love your ephemera finds just as much as your hats.

 

[mayserwegener]

Wonderful Steve. I love your ephemera finds just as much as your hats.

Steve, Thank you! I enjoy that side of things almost as much as the actual hats.

 

[mayserwegener]

Dunn & Co. Ltd London Provinces, "Austrian Velour", "Romeo", English Size 7 1/8 possibly mid to later 1930s. Based on the paper label format I believe this hat was made by Anton Peschel Neutitschein (APN). I would like to thank Panos for making this fantastic Austrian Velour available to me. The Velour is all around (color, finish and hand) really fantastic. The Velour is more Close Cropped and has high gloss. The Velour is also very pliable but still holds it's shape. All the components are of high quality and the condition is excellent. APN Soft and Stiff Felt Hats are rare finds so major props to Panos.

Open Crown

 

[Steve1857]

Dunn & Co. Ltd London Provinces, "Austrian Velour", "Romeo", English Size 7 1/8 possibly mid to later 1930s. Based on the paper label format I believe this hat was made by Anton Peschel Neutitschein (APN). I would like to thank Panos for making this fantastic Austrian Velour available to me. The Velour is all around (color, finish and hand) really fantastic. The Velour is more Close Cropped and has high gloss. The Velour is also very pliable but still holds it's shape. All the components are of high quality and the condition is excellent. APN Soft and Stiff Felt Hats are rare finds so major props to Panos.

Open Crown

Such a super find, Steve. Panos is getting to be quite the hat hunter.

 

[mayserwegener]

Such a super find, Steve. Panos is getting to be quite the hat hunter.

Steve, Thank you! Great find by Panos. I was able to make the connection based on the paper label format.

This paper label is in German and has the the A. P. mark and also is a APN branded hat but has the same word types in German + order (this is consistent with APN going way back) along with other similarities.

German

English

 

[Steve1857]

Steve, Thank you! Great find by Panos. I was able to make the connection based on the paper label format.

This paper label is in German and has the the A. P. mark and also is a APN branded hat but has the same word types in German + order (this is consistent with APN going way back) along with other similarities.

German

English

If Panos is the hat hunter, you're definitely the hat detective, Steve. Nicely made connection.