Odd hat from a Japanese auction

[Choeki]

I recently won a vintage hat from Yahoo Japan Auctions and I have to admit it was a bit of an impulse buy. However at only 500 yen (around $5 USD now), I suppose it wasn't much of a detriment either way.

Anyway, I was actually looking for a derby hat/bowler and ran into it by accident. The crown is awful high for a bowler and it looks like it has a snap brim, but I get the feeling it's not an unbashed trilby hat or stingy brim fedora. It just looks too old to me... Does anyone have any ideas what it is and furthermore have any suggestions on wear?

 

[duggap]

Choeki, nice find. It was certainly worth more than you paid. You might just have you a little gold mine there in Japan as you may not have that much competition for the good old vintage. Anyway, enjoy messing around with your new hat. I am sure you will find a crease you like.:eusa_clap

 

[cookie]

Your Hat

It is a Hueckel which is a Czech brand and I have one myself. It is an old company. It looks lie one of those Japanese style high crown homburgs you see the Japanese diplomats wearing in the World War II movies where there is the lead up to Pearl Harbour and the outbreak of war.

 

[bolthead]

You found yourself a nice hat there my friend.....

 

[deelovely]

Very nice!!:eusa_clap

 

[Dinerman]

Great looking homburg.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

:eusa_clap Cheoki, Your Huckel is certainly a nice hat. They are sold over here in a store called "Burlington Coat Factory." However, not many of them show up at those stores. Yours looks as if neither the brim nor the crown was ever shaped other than the way it came from the factory. This was to allow the customer creative expression. Dinerman is right. With a center crease and a slight upturn to the sides of the brim, you will have a nice Homburg. As I look at the photos, however, it doesn't look like the brim has a full "pencil roll." This would cause me to suspect that the brim might "snap" down in front, if you were so inclined. In short, you can wear your hat the way it is, or make of it what you will. And all for five dollars!!! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Miss Neecerie]

because I like research...

Based on the country name in the hat...It predates 1939.....since no where after that point did they use the separate wording for the country name

1918‚Äì1920: Czecho-Slovak Republic (abbreviated RČS); short form Czecho-Slovakia
1920‚Äì1938: Czechoslovak Republic (ČSR); short form Czechoslovakia
1938–1939: Czecho-Slovak Republic; short form Czecho-Slovakia
1945‚Äì1960: Czechoslovak Republic (ČSR); short form Czechoslovakia

and from

http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2006/03/01/hats-off.php

Hat production in Nov?? Ji?®??n dates to the 13th century, when the first tradesmen set up small manufactories here. Centuries later, in 1865, Johann H?ºckel, the son and a nephew of haberdashers, laid the foundation for what was to become the industry by merging several workshops to form the first mechanized hat-making factory in what is now the Czech Republic.

The company, called the Public Trading Company J. H?ºckel and Sons, soon became respected throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, according to Tom?°?° Blaho, the guide at a hat museum that is a part of the Regional Museum in Nov?? Ji?®??n.

Shortly after the end of World War II, the Czechoslovak government expropriated it, got rid of the H?ºckel trademark and formed Tonak ‚Äî a combination of three Czech words that translate as "hat factory."

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Miss Neecerie, Fantastic research! Thanks for sharing. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[cookie]

Huckel Hats

Based on the country name in the hat...It predates 1939.....since no where after that point did they use the separate wording for the country name

1918‚Äì1920: Czecho-Slovak Republic (abbreviated RČS); short form Czecho-Slovakia
1920‚Äì1938: Czechoslovak Republic (ČSR); short form Czechoslovakia
1938–1939: Czecho-Slovak Republic; short form Czecho-Slovakia
1945‚Äì1960: Czechoslovak Republic (ČSR); short form Czechoslovakia

and from

http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2006/03/01/hats-off.php

Hat production in Nov?? Ji?®??n dates to the 13th century, when the first tradesmen set up small manufactories here. Centuries later, in 1865, Johann H?ºckel, the son and a nephew of haberdashers, laid the foundation for what was to become the industry by merging several workshops to form the first mechanized hat-making factory in what is now the Czech Republic.

The company, called the Public Trading Company J. H?ºckel and Sons, soon became respected throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, according to Tom?°?° Blaho, the guide at a hat museum that is a part of the Regional Museum in Nov?? Ji?®??n.

Shortly after the end of World War II, the Czechoslovak government expropriated it, got rid of the H?ºckel trademark and formed Tonak ‚Äî a combination of three Czech words that translate as "hat factory."

I can't agree with that cause I have Huckel hat I bought at Gowings back in the late 1980s.

 

[BellyTank]

True, Cookie...

Huckel/H?ºckel .

Still used to this day, as a trade name, by Tonak.
True.
There is, apparently, a mystery surrounding this very issue.

I have seen Hasidic "Black Hats" in a very similar style to this hat.
Velour("Beaver") finish, small, up-turned brim(not a Homburg).
Hasidic "Black Hats" seem to cover a very wide style range though.

The hat in question is definitely an "older" one though.
Huckel/H?ºckel and Borsalino are both big names in the Hasidic hat market.

http://www.milechai.com/judaica/huckel-black-hat.html

http://wernercohn.com/hats.html




B
T

 

[RBH]

Looks kinda cool to me . Look forawrd to seeing it cleaned up and what you can do with it!!!
Nice score!!!!

 

[Choeki]

A boon of useful information!

Wow. I was only really expecting a general identification and a few recommendations of wear, but I'm pleasantly surprised to receive a lot of specialized information!

It is a Hueckel which is a Czech brand and I have one myself. It is an old company. It looks lie one of those Japanese style high crown homburgs you see the Japanese diplomats wearing in the World War II movies where there is the lead up to Pearl Harbour and the outbreak of war.

I did a general image search and lo and behold I can imagine the possibilities of how this hat can be worn with knowledge of its history:

Wartime Japanese diplomats apparently just before Pearl Harbor...

Apparently Japanese diplomats and American politicians shared the same taste in hats!

It's a bit funny to me that it turned out to be a classic homburg though, as I was under the impression that my face shape would be ill suited to wearing one. I'll give it a try though. I suppose if it doesn't work out I can turn it around on eBay for a small profit.

Based on the country name in the hat...It predates 1939.....since no where after that point did they use the separate wording for the country name

1918‚Äì1920: Czecho-Slovak Republic (abbreviated RČS); short form Czecho-Slovakia
1920‚Äì1938: Czechoslovak Republic (ČSR); short form Czechoslovakia
1938–1939: Czecho-Slovak Republic; short form Czecho-Slovakia
1945‚Äì1960: Czechoslovak Republic (ČSR); short form Czechoslovakia

and from

http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2...1/hats-off.php

Hat production in Nov?? Ji?®??n dates to the 13th century, when the first tradesmen set up small manufactories here. Centuries later, in 1865, Johann H?ºckel, the son and a nephew of haberdashers, laid the foundation for what was to become the industry by merging several workshops to form the first mechanized hat-making factory in what is now the Czech Republic.

The company, called the Public Trading Company J. H?ºckel and Sons, soon became respected throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, according to Tom?°?° Blaho, the guide at a hat museum that is a part of the Regional Museum in Nov?? Ji?®??n.

Shortly after the end of World War II, the Czechoslovak government expropriated it, got rid of the H?ºckel trademark and formed Tonak ‚Äî a combination of three Czech words that translate as "hat factory."

This is really interesting information. Especially the connection between the out of work Fezco people working at the Czech hat factory after being forced out of work due to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's draconian modernization of Turkey. One would think that they would have stayed local though and just changed what kind of hats they produced (from the fez to the homburg perhaps?). So basically, this hat is probably pre-WW2 at the least. The auction holder indicated that the material was "velvety" to the touch, so it seems to match the description of the fur felt used in the article.

One thing I know for sure when it finally reaches my hands though - it needs a thorough brushing to remove that surface dust and also some kind of treatment on the sweatband to remove what appears to be mold. Some kind of leather conditioner perhaps? I've removed mold from leather gloves and boots that had been in long storage by cleaning with baby wipes and then following up with some kind of wipe-on or spray conditioner before. However, since this time the leather will be touching my skin on a regular basis I get the feeling that that may not be a good idea...

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I can't agree with that cause I have Huckel hat I bought at Gowings back in the late 1980s.

Yes...which is why I was giving my time estimate based on the -country- and not merely that its a Huckel.

if you combine the 'how the hat has checko slovakia written, instead of the one word version from the Tonak days AND when the Huckel name went under the Tonak banner...it gives you a much narrower window of time, then saying 'Huckel is still a hat today'

 

[Baron Kurtz]

stock control

That would tell us, then, when the liner was made. I think we all know about stock control in the clothing industry - older style zips in newer jackets, union labels in suits when the new label should have been being used. So using this (a liner, let's say) as a reference point is always a bit dubious.

I do agree that it seems to be a 30s hat, though.

bk

 

[feltfan]

I will be curious to hear what you find out when the
hat arrives. Given the lack of edge curl and narrow brim
binding, this hat might turn out to be a fedora.

In any event, the velour looks to be very fine and
dense. Love it.

BTW, note that in the picture above, Secretary Hull
may not be wearing a homburg. I don't see curl
on the edge. It looks a bit like a Stetson Sovereign
Ambassador...