German & Austrian Hutmachers

[mayserwegener]

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

Steve, Thanks! I was very happy to make this connection.

 

[PanosChris]

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

That's the right way to present this beauty Steve! I never managed to get decent pics of it. In addition to the great detection work regarding the maker, dating of this one -as with most (very few) Czech imported velours in UK that have passed from my hands- was (is) quite tricky, for me that is. For the most part I have the feeling that the sourced felts might actually be quite older (usually pre-war?) than the finished hats. All, with a good grain of salt, not so many of them that I have found anyways.

 

[mayserwegener]

That's the right way to present this beauty Steve! I never managed to get decent pics of it. In addition to the great detection work regarding the maker, dating of this one -as with most (very few) Czech imported velours in UK that have passed from my hands- was (is) quite tricky. For the most part I have the feeling that the sourced felts might actually be quite older (usually pre-war?) than the finished hats. All, with a good grain of salt, not so many of them that I have found anyways.

Panos. Thanks. I am sure this entire hat was made by APN. This also based on the components and construction. I have print plates from Dunn & Co. that came from Neutitschein / Nový Jičín area. Entire hats were made their (APN, JHS) for Dunn & Co. and others. The APN factory didn't survive WWII. I can't remember when they stopped hat production but it was before the end of WWII possibly around 1940. Also England stopped imports from Czechoslovakia after German occupation. If it was made post WWII it would be Tonak. This hat was not made in England.

What's funny is a while ago I got into a back and worth here with a Dunn & Co. fan that could accept that an entire Dunn & Co. hat could made outside of England. Since then I have collected even more information that some Dunn & Co. hats were outside of England. Ebreichsdorf Velour Hutfabrik (S. J. Fraenkel Wien), Austria was another source.

 

[Steve1857]

Panos. Thanks. I am sure this entire hat was made by APN. This also based on the components and construction. I have print plates from Dunn & Co. that came from Neutitschein / Nový Jičín area. Entire hats were made their (APN, JHS) for Dunn & Co. and others. The APN factory didn't survive WWII. I can't remember when they stopped hat production but it was before the end of WWII possibly around 1940. Also England stopped imports from Czechoslovakia after German occupation. If it was made post WWII it would be Tonak. This hat was not made in England.

That is so interesting, Steve. It's well known that Dunn & Co didn't make their own hats, but finding out who made them has never been easy. Most of them probably came from T. & W. Lees from the Denton area of Manchester.

It makes sense they had their velours made in Czechoslovakia/Austria/Germany. Velour hats were never an English strong point.

Can you please show those Dunn & Co print plates again.

 

[mayserwegener]

That is so interesting, Steve. It's well known that Dunn & Co didn't make their own hats, but finding out who made them has never been easy. Most of them probably came from T. & W. Lees from the Denton area of Manchester.

It makes sense they had their velours made in Czechoslovakia/Austria/Germany. Velour hats were never an English strong point.

Can you please show those Dunn & Co print plates again.

Steve, Yes Dunn & Co. didn't make their own hats but this guy wouldn't accept that any of their hats were made outside of England. He just couldn't believe it was possible

Here is a Dunn & Co. plate / stamp.

Tonak made hats for Dunn & Co. post WWII.

 

[Steve1857]

Steve, Yes Dunn & Co. didn't make their own hats but this guy wouldn't accept that any of their hats were made outside of England. He just couldn't believe it was possible

Here is a Dunn & Co. plate / stamp.

Tonak made hats for Dunn & Co. post WWII.

I'm sorry for the guy's little England thinking. Dunn & Co tried to signal the best of the best. If they wanted the best velour, they would have to look outside of England.

That plate stamp is yet another superb find, Steve. It adds to our collective knowledge of pre-war hat makers and their clients.

 

[PanosChris]

That makes much more sense than importing ready velour felts and having someone else finishing the hats for them. My assumption (general) was mostly based on the small G.A. initials or mismatch on big vs small or non G.A. between liner and sweatband found on post war Dunn & Co until the full abandon of G.A on 60s. Pre-40s bear the full G.A. on both liner/sweatband, I think. In that sense the other velour (JHS/Dunn & Co) that came with this one has the small G.A. (inside "D") on the sweatband and no G.A. on liner (postwar) while the label, I think indicates late 30s to early 40s?

Of course it could be that this G.A. thing is not very accurate and all is wrong (or at least very approximate-5 years+/- is a rather narrow time frame anyways) or it doesn't respond to hats finished entirely outside England. Just some thoughts

 

[mayserwegener]

That makes much more sense than importing ready velour felts and having someone else finishing the hats for them. My assumption (general) was mostly based on the small G.A. initials or mismatch on big vs small or non G.A. between liner and sweatband found on post war Dunn & Co until the full abandon of G.A on 60s. Pre-40s bear the full G.A. on both liner/sweatband, I think. In that sense the other velour (JHS/Dunn & Co) that came with this one has the small G.A. (inside "D") on the sweatband and no G.A. on liner (postwar) while the label, I think indicates late 30s to early 40s? View attachment 395566 View attachment 395567
Of course it could be that this G.A. thing is not very accurate and all is wrong (or at least very approximate-5 years+/- is a rather narrow time frame anyways) or it doesn't respond to hats finished entirely outside England. Just some thoughts

Panos, Just from the construction of this hat I know it wasn't made by JHS or Tonak JHS factory 1 or Janasky factory. Those are the two from Neutitschein / Nový Jičín area that survived WWII. The construction and components (and the paper label) are similar to later APN hats.

 

[mayserwegener]

I'm sorry for the guy's little England thinking. Dunn & Co tried to signal the best of the best. If they wanted the best velour, they would have to look outside of England.

That plate stamp is yet another superb find, Steve. It adds to our collective knowledge of pre-war hat makers and their clients.

Steve, Thanks. I rarely lose my patience but I almost did with that guy.

 

[steur]

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

Nice catch, Steve. I thought you already had all of these.

 

[steur]

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

Superb hat in wonderful condition. Great find by Panos and a perfect place for it to find a home.

 

[mayserwegener]

Superb hat in wonderful condition. Great find by Panos and a perfect place for it to find a home.

Stefan, Thanks again! This is Panos's find so I am thankful he made it available to me.

 

[mayserwegener]

Nice catch, Steve. I thought you already had all of these.

Stefan, Thank you! I am still missing one but I have only seen that image once and the auction had finished. I have duplicates but they are from different hat stores / locations.

This is the one I am missing.

 

[mayserwegener]

Regarding liner plates / stamps from Neutitschein / Novy Jicin. I have the plate / stamp of the liner crest / mark that appears in Alan's Oviatts Los Angles "Oviatt Model" - Anton Peschel "Service" Velour. I have posted this before but I think it's a great example of APN's contract work. The entire hat was made by APN.

 

[mayserwegener]

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

 

[mayserwegener]

Anton Peschel Neutitschein (APN) Metal Display Plate (7 cm x 3.5 cm), possibly 1920s / 1930s and a recent arrival.

 

[mayserwegener]

L. F. Rousselet Metal Display Plate (7 cm x 3 cm), possibly 1920s / 1930s and a recent arrival.

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

Great additions to your "advertising corner" again, Steve!
I always wonder how you come up with all these things...

 

[mayserwegener]

Great additions to your "advertising corner" again, Steve!
I always wonder how you come up with all these things...

Matt, Thanks! I have a couple more from this buy. You are going to really like what I recently found. Will take a couple weeks to arrive.

I wish I could find an old Rousselet Soft or Stiff Felt. The hats I have come across were small sizes or later ones after the mark was repurposed.

On my first visit to the Gothic House Hat Museum Bad Homburg I found (in their archives) and took photos of a Rousselet Stiff Felt (see link below).

Appears the L. F. Rousselet factory was taken over by Resolut in 1934 (see link).

https://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/topic/235-l-f-rousselet/

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

Steve, they are rare, I know. Just once saw a stiff felt (bowler) with an amazing linner, but it was a tiny size...
Looking forward to see the other new additions!