Hatbox Homage

[fabiovenhorst]

A hatbox that came with an 1860's top hat sold in Buffalo NY.

Just amazing!

 

[carouselvic]

We are all familiar with that novel triangle-shaped Stetson Three-Way box. But this is the first time I've seen a Stetson box with "Three-Way" on it that looked like this....
View attachment 46397

This box looks different because it was made in Canada.

 

[fabiovenhorst]

Two hat boxes in vintage style I made myself to store my bowlers.

 

[stetsonofagun]

I'll take a couple box pics.

- Andrew

 

[mayserwegener]

Hat boxes, satchels, cases and holders from the from the Gotisches Haus (Gothic House) Bad Homburg, Germany hat collection.

 

[mayserwegener]

Continued.

 

[stetsonofagun]

A few boxes

- Andrew

 

[Redfokker]

I can play. Stephen L. Stetson proudly proclaiming "not connected in any way" in the logo on multiple locations on this box. A little rough, but it does tell the story!

 

[Redfokker]

An now, a question...

The octagon Dobbs boxes are all over the place. What era is this oval Dobbs? How far back did the Coach Logo appear?

 

[Frunobulax]

I can play. Stephen L. Stetson proudly proclaiming "not connected in any way" in the logo on multiple locations on this box. A little rough, but it does tell the story!

I don't know if "proudly" is the right term. Perhaps, "ordered to by a court of law" would be more appropriate.

 

[Frunobulax]

An now, a question...

The octagon Dobbs boxes are all over the place. What era is this oval Dobbs? How far back did the Coach Logo appear?

Well, it doesn't say explicitly on Da Perfesser's website, but it seems the coach designation may have begun in the late 40s. Perhaps Brad will weigh in. I'm amazed at the number of those octagonal boxes that seem to be around, compared to other hat boxes of the same era. Sometimes when antiquing, it seems as though you could trip over them there are so many!

 

[moontheloon]

An now, a question...

The octagon Dobbs boxes are all over the place. What era is this oval Dobbs? How far back did the Coach Logo appear?

The coach logo arrived I believe in the late 30s or 1940s
Here are a few of mine

Sent from my iPhone while orbiting the earth in a sea foam green 1957 Cadillac

 

[Frunobulax]

The coach logo arrived I believe in the 1940s
Here are a few of mine

Sent from my iPhone while orbiting the earth in a sea foam green 1957 Cadillac

Getting the hat bug was one thing. Getting the hat box bug complicated things. Sure glad I bought that big house 25 years ago.

How many boxes do you own? Just counting the vintage ones, that is, such as Stetson, Knox, Cavanagh, etc.

 

[moontheloon]

Getting the hat bug was one thing. Getting the hat box bug complicated things. Sure glad I bought that big house 25 years ago.

How many boxes do you own? Just counting the vintage ones, that is, such as Stetson, Knox, Cavanagh, etc.

I think I have around 80 or so boxes .. I'd have do go in and count ... but the last I check I was around there

none of my vintage hats are unboxed and I have around 80 to 85 vintage .... so ...

 

[Brad Bowers]

An now, a question...

The octagon Dobbs boxes are all over the place. What era is this oval Dobbs? How far back did the Coach Logo appear?

Based on the available evidence, the coach boxes first appeared sometime between September 1932 and January 1937. In September 1932, Dobbs & Co. opened a new store at 711 Fifth Avenue, and to mark they occasion they acquired a coach and horses to use for hat deliveries. I've no idea how long the practice continued, but the coach became associated enough with Dobbs that they started putting them on their boxes. The coach was used in ads as early as 1932. This ad from 1937 shows the coach on the box, although the box depicted is a gift certificate box. Still, it's a reflection of their practices. Also, since they were no longer on the stretch of Fifth Avenue that the original boxes depicted, it made sense to give them a makeover. As a debossment on hat sweatbands, however, the coach was not used until the late-1940s.

The octagonal boxes show up around 1952. These seem to be far more prevalent, but if you look at the majority of HCA-made Dobbs hats on eBay, They are also 1952-1972, so no surprise there. These are the survivors, that's all.

Brad
~The Hatted Professor

 

[Frunobulax]

I think I have around 80 or so boxes .. I'd have do go in and count ... but the last I check I was around there

none of my vintage hats are unboxed and I have around 80 to 85 vintage .... so ...

Yeah, I'd have to count, as well. Probably only 30 or so vintage boxes myself. I think I have ~50-60 hats total, including vintage.

I have to count again, I guess!

 

[Redfokker]

Based on the available evidence, the coach boxes first appeared sometime between September 1932 and January 1937. In September 1932, Dobbs & Co. opened a new store at 711 Fifth Avenue, and to mark they occasion they acquired a coach and horses to use for hat deliveries. I've no idea how long the practice continued, but the coach became associated enough with Dobbs that they started putting them on their boxes. The coach was used in ads as early as 1932. This ad from 1937 shows the coach on the box, although the box depicted is a gift certificate box. Still, it's a reflection of their practices. Also, since they were no longer on the stretch of Fifth Avenue that the original boxes depicted, it made sense to give them a makeover. As a debossment on hat sweatbands, however, the coach was not used until the late-1940s.

The octagonal boxes show up around 1952. These seem to be far more prevalent, but if you look at the majority of HCA-made Dobbs hats on eBay, They are also 1952-1972, so no surprise there. These are the survivors, that's all.

Brad
~The Hatted Professor
View attachment 55318

Thanks for this, I am using this box to store my Dobbs straw boater, probably a good fit for the era of the hat.

 

[moontheloon]

Based on the available evidence, the coach boxes first appeared sometime between September 1932 and January 1937. In September 1932, Dobbs & Co. opened a new store at 711 Fifth Avenue, and to mark they occasion they acquired a coach and horses to use for hat deliveries. I've no idea how long the practice continued, but the coach became associated enough with Dobbs that they started putting them on their boxes. The coach was used in ads as early as 1932. This ad from 1937 shows the coach on the box, although the box depicted is a gift certificate box. Still, it's a reflection of their practices. Also, since they were no longer on the stretch of Fifth Avenue that the original boxes depicted, it made sense to give them a makeover. As a debossment on hat sweatbands, however, the coach was not used until the late-1940s.

The octagonal boxes show up around 1952. These seem to be far more prevalent, but if you look at the majority of HCA-made Dobbs hats on eBay, They are also 1952-1972, so no surprise there. These are the survivors, that's all.

Brad
~The Hatted Professor
View attachment 55318

awesome Brad ... thank you

you are an absolute treasure to this forum

 

[Frunobulax]

awesome Brad ... thank you

you are an absolute treasure to this forum

^^^^^What he said.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Based on the available evidence, the coach boxes first appeared sometime between September 1932 and January 1937. In September 1932, Dobbs & Co. opened a new store at 711 Fifth Avenue, and to mark they occasion they acquired a coach and horses to use for hat deliveries. I've no idea how long the practice continued, but the coach became associated enough with Dobbs that they started putting them on their boxes. The coach was used in ads as early as 1932. This ad from 1937 shows the coach on the box, although the box depicted is a gift certificate box. Still, it's a reflection of their practices. Also, since they were no longer on the stretch of Fifth Avenue that the original boxes depicted, it made sense to give them a makeover. As a debossment on hat sweatbands, however, the coach was not used until the late-1940s.

The octagonal boxes show up around 1952. These seem to be far more prevalent, but if you look at the majority of HCA-made Dobbs hats on eBay, They are also 1952-1972, so no surprise there. These are the survivors, that's all.

Brad
~The Hatted Professor
View attachment 55318

I may not be totally right about this, but the horse and carriage...some very high end stores had a desire to bring upper class shoppers to the store. I say this as my Husband's Grandmother was the manager of a B. Seigel store for 37 years. Going back in time (was not the horse and carriage) the store would send a limo to pick up some higher end shoppers to come to the store, and would "fancy them a light meal and strong drink" to entertain their shopping experience. I would tend to think stores back in the day with the horse and carriage would have considered bringing a "shopper" to the store would more than likely been standard procedures for the "well off" crowd. I would think maybe the horse and carriage is a symbol of "upper class" for marketing purposes as time passed.