Inherited a Biltmore Golden Pheasant

[blackdog_507]

I'm not a hat guy, and this will likely be my first and only post here. I just inherited a nice brown hat from my grandfather. It's a Biltmore Golden Pheasant. Its says "velour" on the sweat band. What also makes it nice is that it has the name of the men's clothing store in my small home town where it was purchased, which has been out of business for some years. The problem is, it doesn't quite fit me. The local western store which also is the only place in town that does shoe repairs, leather work, etc. says they can stretch it some. It was stored in an octogon shaped hat box that says "Dobbs New York". The lady at the western shop said she wasn't comfortable altering the hat because she thought it looked like a very nice hat and wanted me to do some research before I messed with it. If its not worth much, I'd like to stetch it and wear it, but if its something of value, I'd consider selling it. Can anyone help me out with this??

 

[Yeps]

I'm not a hat guy, and this will likely be my first and only post here. I just inherited a nice brown hat from my grandfather. It's a Biltmore Golden Pheasant. Its says "velour" on the sweat band. What also makes it nice is that it has the name of the men's clothing store in my small home town where it was purchased, which has been out of business for some years. The problem is, it doesn't quite fit me. The local western store which also is the only place in town that does shoe repairs, leather work, etc. says they can stretch it some. It was stored in an octogon shaped hat box that says "Dobbs New York". The lady at the western shop said she wasn't comfortable altering the hat because she thought it looked like a very nice hat and wanted me to do some research before I messed with it. If its not worth much, I'd like to stetch it and wear it, but if its something of value, I'd consider selling it. Can anyone help me out with this??

There is a decent chance that someone here will trade you a hat in your size for it. Try posting it in the classifieds as a trade.

 

[fluteplayer07]

Some pics will help us out. Welcome to the Lounge!

 

[The Good]

Some pics will help us out. Welcome to the Lounge!

And to post pictures, I believe one should need to have posted fifteen posts. You can easily do this commenting on other's hats here.

As for your hat, since it doesn't really fit, and if you aren't willing to go through the risks of having it re-sized, then maybe trading with another member will land you a good deal. You can always keep it to remind yourself of your grandfather as well if you have any sentimental attachment to it, and you could possibly pass it on to the rest of your family as well. Sort of a family heirloom. I hope that we are of good help to you!

 

[Mr E Train]

Does it look like something like this?

This is the current production model Golden Pheasant. It's a Tyrolean (aka Bavarian) velour hat, and although I could be wrong, I don't think you'll find a great many fans of that style on the Lounge. At least I don't see very many here, except from mayserwegener, who collects the authentic hats made in Germany and Austria.

The style may have changed over the years, and the current model going by the name Golden Pheasant may be a completely different style than a vintage one, but that Tyrolean style in velour was fairly popular in the 60's and 70's, and I've seen a lot of older gentlemen wearing them through the years, so I have a feeling it's probably that style of hat or close to it. I couldn't see it being worth a whole lot of money, so if it doesn't need to be stretched a whole lot and if it's determined that it can be stretched safely without damaging it, and you want to wear it as a reminder of your grandfather, I say go for it.

 

[Lloyd]

Is there a size label in the hat? If it's a 7 1/2 or 60cm I might be interested but I'd want to see pics first.
What color is it?

 

[frussell]

Western Store Stretching

Be wary of the western store stretching. I took a hat to my local western store to stretch out a bit, and when I came in to pick it up, I found a kid holding it over a steamer, using the same exact HatJack type stretcher I had at home. They charged me $15 for a crummy job that I could have done myself. If the hat is close to your size, send it to Optimo or somebody reputable to have it blocked to your size. Most old-school western wear stores used to have blocks and such, but nowadays a lot of them receive their hats pre-creased, so they don't need it. Sounds like the lady was apprehensive, which means don't do it. An heirloom is worth having done right. Frank

 

[mayserwegener]

Does it look like something like this?This is the current production model Golden Pheasant. It's a Tyrolean (aka Bavarian) velour hat, and although I could be wrong, I don't think you'll find a great many fans of that style on the Lounge. At least I don't see very many here, except from mayserwegener, who collects the authentic hats made in Germany and Austria.

The style may have changed over the years, and the current model going by the name Golden Pheasant may be a completely different style than a vintage one, but that Tyrolean style in velour was fairly popular in the 60's and 70's, and I've seen a lot of older gentlemen wearing them through the years, so I have a feeling it's probably that style of hat or close to it. I couldn't see it being worth a whole lot of money, so if it doesn't need to be stretched a whole lot and if it's determined that it can be stretched safely without damaging it, and you want to wear it as a reminder of your grandfather, I say go for it.

You forgot about RLK and Dreispitz to some degree.

This is a kinda of hybrid Fedora - Tyrol - Alpen - Trachten. They have a nice velour finish.

The Tyrol style was a popular sport trend from the mid 50s to mid - late 60s but that was just a rival of the style.

Alpen hat styles are the root of the city Fedora.