Montecristi Panama hats.

[SHARPETOYS]

I have recieved 15 or 20 pm's on Montecristi Panama hats since i own so many.

Cost. I have them worth many thousands of dollars. Did I pay that no. Our Montecristi hatter is a very fair seller.

The finer the weave. Takes being more careful with the hat, these hats are like linen and mine weight's only 2 oz.

I have $100 to $200 hats. Value most other sellers High hundreds or even thousands, I like them alot because I don;t worry as much about them as much. Weight 3 to 4 oz's. Very nice Montecristi. I wear these more and save my Fino Fino for dress.

$50.00 to $100.00 Montecristi. Great everyday hat. Very versatile tough as nails holds up in the wind {Holds it block} Weight still mere oz's .

Cuenca Hat. Price Mid to low $ 30.00 or so. What most sellers call a Montecristi on Ebay and other hat sites on the web. They try to get hundreds for a $25 to $40 or even a $2.00 hat off the street in Ecudor. Still a nice hat. Not as light as a Real Montecristi. Great yard hat. I bought several for I don't give a shite if something happens to it. Many of my friends bought these first and later gave them away and now wear The Real Montecristi. They just wasn't sure if they would like a straw hat.

The fun of a Montecristi. People tell me all the time that my hat is the nicest hat they have ever seen. {Helps my ego} Makes you feel good about yourself. The hats are all works of art that you can wear. Try that with a fine painting.

Costs!! Panamabob Just give him your budget and he will get you the finest hat he can for the money.

Hat size. Average crown height 4 1/8 to 4 3/4 These hats are hand woven and will vary. Brim 2 1/2 to 3 inches again will vary.

Special orders. My fino fino took Robert almost a year to get me. Why? I wanted a 3.25 inch brim and a 5 1/8 crown after being blocking. I wanted the finest hat he could have woven for me. Price I really didn't care. I just wanted to own the finest Montecristi I could buy.{ The Montecristi has been valued in excess of $3000. I wear a Investment that I could sell If times got tough. Price I paid my business but alot less than i've been offered for other Montecristi from other sellers.

$50.00 Montecristi, you can't expect to get a hat with your specs for this price. Thats a special order. You will get with this price hat a nice hat. Avg. Crown height 4 plus inches avg. brim 2 1/8 to 2 1/2 or so.

Blocking. If you are on a budget or just not sure if you will like a straw.
Spend the most you can and have it blocked in Ecudor, in other words put your money in the weave. In a few years have it re blocked here in the states and Art Fawcett will install a better sweat and ribbon plus a nicer block.

The blocking in Ecudor is more Rustic but still very nice.
It makes no sense to me to buy a cheaper hat just so you can block it here in the USA.

Yes the sweat is better here along with the ribbon and blocking but as i said that can be changed later if you are on a budget.You can never go back and change the weave!!!!!! Most people end up buying a much finer hat once they see how nice and light and comfy these hats are. Good for the seller but do it right the First Time.

Why do I own so many? I love these hats just like Fedora has a passion for the Indy hat and Matt for vintage.
I like the different styles{Blocks} Nice to change up on a daily basic's. I live in a hot part of the USA. Florida so I wear mine 10 months a year.

I mailed my fino fino back last week to Art Fawcett for a touch up on the brim.You may own the hat but Mr. Fawcett thinks these hats are his children!!

The old saying! You get what you pay for. Beware of the seller. Read ,study its sad lots of crooks in the Panama hat trade.Fast buck artists.The hype or bull.

"Buy the hat not the story"

For .50 cents I can buy a stamp and stamp in the hat made in Montecristi Ecudor. Not. Could be a woven rice paper hat from China they even look like straw. Some even call the junk Milan straw.

I collect the finest knives I can buy. I've made thousands in a few years when I sell them. My name is Sharpetoys for a reason. I think of a Montecristi in the same vain.

Is Sharpey a shill for Panamabob??

No, I trust him and he has never ever lied to me and always given me the best service he could! He has no control on the mail time from Ecudor. I have found no one that can come close to his Quality or prices. Buy the hat not others hype.

Do I like Robert Weber? Yes I do he can be a pain in the arse but he has a passion to help the weavers weave and hates sellers who inflate the prices of these hats. All sellers buy from the same hat brokers. Do other sellers have there on weavers just weave for them? No just more BS.

Does sharpey get a discount? { No! } I just prompte good honest people who have treated me with Respect and are truthful and sell or make a good or even great product at a fair price.

Example Art Fawcett, Fedora, Optimo Hats Of Chicago, B! Wear Cap Co. And a few others. I also love to help others who treat there fellow man with respect.

Why is Panamabob hats so cheap? He helps his wifes family that live in Ecudor. His passion. Is teaching school. He is a School teacher. Not a hat mongor!!

Will Panamabob become rich selling Montecristi hats? Yes, but not with money.

Robert, is one of the wealthiest people I know!

Think about the true rewards in life. If Money is your Higher Power you will never achieve true happiness. Look around you at true real happy people!They Love Others Family,God Job. They know what comes first and its not the dollar. I made money my higher power for years and missed out on alot of life.




.

 

[Winkydink]

well said.

and thank you for the detailed and time consuming explanation.

winky d. :clap :clap :clap :clap :clap

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

I couldn't agree with you more, Sharpetoys. I just got my first Panama Bob/Art Fawcett hat and it is one great hat. Way less then half the price I paid for a similiar Panama hat from a retailer in San Francisco. I now know better and I know where to buy my Panamas in the future.

Regards, Kaleponi Craig

 

[SHARPETOYS]

San Francisco

I couldn't agree with you more, Sharpetoys. I just got my first Panama Bob/Art Fawcett hat and it is one great hat. Way less then half the price I paid for a similiar Panama hat from a retailer in San Francisco. I now know better and I know where to buy my Panamas in the future.

Regards, Kaleponi Craig

Was it a great savings for you over the San Francisco Hat?? :cheers1: Coke

 

[Panamabob]

As always, I'd put our quality/price ratio against anyone in the world.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

My flyer on Ebay

Robert,
My hatter said this hat is in the top 10 of all the Montecristi hats he has ever seen in his life. Its 75 years old and he thinks it should be sold to a Museum or a Collector.. These old fine hand made hats are really works of "Art".

I'm going to ask Zohar to help me find a Museum or a private collector for it so others can see this most beautiful treasure.

I want to say in public Thank you so much with helping me get this fine old Montecristi without you teaching me what to look for in a Montecristi I would have just passed on it.

My lady has one thats 85 years old but of course not this Quality.She still loves it. She says maybe some movie star of that day wore it a time or two.Maybe it was in a silent movie?



Panamabob, books and about a million Questions has taught me so much about these hats that I have a love and a passion for them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=8175734271&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=2658

 

[gcollins]

What a good post! What we've been missing is a good rundown on what is around and what someone should pay and value. Summer is coming to the Northern Hemisphere so the panama biz should be picking up bigtime. Robert and Art are going to be busy, busy, busy. Just like the tax accountants.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Thank you

Well thank you G. These hats are very special. You have one right? Tell us about it weave, price and some close up pictures of it.
Regards,

Roger

 

[thefish]

I'll be making another purchase from Robert very soon. I bought a fino Monticristi Optimo from him through e-Bay a couple years ago.

I was looking for a good Optimo-styled Panama for a long while, and had seen the prices. GAH!

At first, I didn't think that a fino for what I paid could be for real, but the price was right, and I figured I'd give it a shot. I mean, there are other guys on e-Bay making the same claims as Robert, and his claims HARDLY seem for real.

Well, thank God I decided to give it a shot anyway, because Holy Toledo! What a great hat!

That's also what led me here. I've since sent a couple other people his way, and here for advice as well.

Unfortunately, I have a sad tale. My wife and I live in a 2 story turn-of-the-century farmhouse in rural Ohio. During the winter, I pretty much closed down my office to conserve heat. In my office was my hat stand, on which my Monticristi proudly hung, awaiting the Spring when it would reemerge.

Well, mice got in, managed to shinny up the brass hat stand, (how I have no idea,) gnawed on the a small section of the brim and managed to chew a quarter-sized hole in the crown.

When I found it like this, I became physically ill. I bellowed, (which brought my wife running,) and then sat down and almost cried. I'd worn that hat damn near every day until the weather got too cool for the hat to be practical, (at which point, I switched to my Akubra Federation for warmth and rain/snow protection.) Shortly thereafter, I charged our cat with a sacred quest. Hunt them down, and bring my their mangled corpses, (which he did, to both my delight and occasional disgust.)

So, Bob, I doubt that there's much that Modesto could do to fix my hat, but the good news is now that I know that you are indeed a gentleman of honor, integrity, and compassion, (unlike so many other e-Bay sellers, among others,) AND it does give me an excuse to buy another, even nicer Monticristi, (and probably have Art block it.) That's my silver lining anyway. ;-)

Thanks

-Dan

 

[Panamabob]

Terrible story. Thanks tremendously for the kind words. The last I priced out a repair it was about 60% price of the hat.

I've got a spectacular hat here just waiting for an owner. It is very fine.

Email me if interested. info@panamahat.biz

 

[SHARPETOYS]

I'll be making another purchase from Robert very soon. I bought a fino Monticristi Optimo from him through e-Bay a couple years ago.

I was looking for a good Optimo-styled Panama for a long while, and had seen the prices. GAH!

At first, I didn't think that a fino for what I paid could be for real, but the price was right, and I figured I'd give it a shot. I mean, there are other guys on e-Bay making the same claims as Robert, and his claims HARDLY seem for real.

Well, thank God I decided to give it a shot anyway, because Holy Toledo! What a great hat!

That's also what led me here. I've since sent a couple other people his way, and here for advice as well.

Unfortunately, I have a sad tale. My wife and I live in a 2 story turn-of-the-century farmhouse in rural Ohio. During the winter, I pretty much closed down my office to conserve heat. In my office was my hat stand, on which my Monticristi proudly hung, awaiting the Spring when it would reemerge.

Well, mice got in, managed to shinny up the brass hat stand, (how I have no idea,) gnawed on the a small section of the brim and managed to chew a quarter-sized hole in the crown.

When I found it like this, I became physically ill. I bellowed, (which brought my wife running,) and then sat down and almost cried. I'd worn that hat damn near every day until the weather got too cool for the hat to be practical, (at which point, I switched to my Akubra Federation for warmth and rain/snow protection.) Shortly thereafter, I charged our cat with a sacred quest. Hunt them down, and bring my their mangled corpses, (which he did, to both my delight and occasional disgust.)

So, Bob, I doubt that there's much that Modesto could do to fix my hat, but the good news is now that I know that you are indeed a gentleman of honor, integrity, and compassion, (unlike so many other e-Bay sellers, among others,) AND it does give me an excuse to buy another, even nicer Monticristi, (and probably have Art block it.) That's my silver lining anyway. ;-)

Thanks

-Dan

If it can be fixed at fair price I would still wear it. I've seen them repaired and only you could find the repair. :cry:

A new one is in your best interest, it will make you feel better!!

 

[skybluewater]

Old thread but interesting reading.

 

[riflegunbuilder]

I'm waiting on my new hat from PB with great excitement.

 

[duggap]

I came here looking for advise on how to acquire a real Montecristi Panama hat and you folks sent me to Panama Bob and Art Fawcett. I got the bogey that came from Sharptoys design and I must say it is a dandy. The weave count is about 500 per square inch and it looks great. No camera or knowhow so I can't post a pic yet. But thanks to Sharpey and the others, I now have the real thing.

 

[HDRnR]

Classic and C Crown

What is the difference between a Classic and a C Crown ? I've seen the pictures but I cant see the difference, someone please enlighten me.

 

[Panamabob]

The name game, gotta love it.