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PinchFrontKid

New in Town
Messages
14
Biltmore "Canadian Suede" 7 1/4 Burgandy Fur Felt,
Not sure which decade this is from,The Sweat band and Lining is still in great Condition , those more Informative on Biltmore Fedora Age, please share with Fellow Loungers, This seems to have come from Stark and Legum, a Known Gentleman's Dress wear shop, I used to hear about them in commercials as a Kid but now that I'm into fedoras I'll definitely take a visit and see what Brims they have, the Felt is very soft to the touch but also Firm in crown Strength, Enjoy!
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Messages
11,714
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Surety Homburg - Dark Navy/Midnight Blue
5 1/2 crown Open (5 inch as shaped)
1 5/8 Matching Grosgrain Ribbon
2 1/4 brim to curl (2 3/4 to edge) with matching grosgrain binding

This Surety dark blue homburg caught my eye for two reasons. First off, I did not have a blue homburg. Second it was an unusual brand that also appeared to be a bit older with its unreeded sweatband. Right out of the box I knew I made a great choice… the deep blue felt, while dark is still rather vibrant. In bright sun it seems to give off some plum hues. The felt is soft and shapes easily. Unfortunately while the sweatband appeared/appears in good shape when I tried to get a peek behind.. the stitching attaching it to the felt disintegrated. I quickly grabbed a few images of the tags behind and slipped a few pieces of gorilla tape behind it to secure it in place for now. The tags underneath did not yield, at least to me, any clues as to who the manufacturer is. Famous - Barr was a retail chain in the St Louis, MO area. I am assuming Surety was a house brand of theirs. The Union tag however with its parallel “bug” might indicate 1934 to 1946…. Which matches fairly well with my gut on it. Love the hat.. it fits perfectly. It seems to favor this shallow wide center dent with front pinches. The previous owner had placed the feather on the opposite side of the bow… I’ve transplanted it back to its natural location for now. Its light blue coloring provides a nice accent to the dark everything of this hat.

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Messages
11,714
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Cavanagh Lightweight Tyrolean
Velvety Thin Felt in Camel Color
5 inch crown to peak as shaped
5 1/2 open crown
2 1/4 raw edge brim
OPS Era $25 Tag

Here was a hat that looked a bit of a fright on the outside…. But it was the inside that left me asking questions. Outside a crumpled rather tyro looking hat… inside John Cavanagh liner with Park Ave at 47th address which usually point to 1940s hat… an OPS era tag priced at $25… a fabric size tag (reminiscent of Borsalino) and a silk sweat band. My original thought was that maybe the liner had been stuck in the hat after the fact… that or this may have been a Cavanagh European import. After having this hat in hand, I see no reason to believe this is not all original. The liner is properly sewn in place. Further referencing The Hatted Professor, it appears the John Cavanagh liners MAY have sneaked into 1951 allowing for the OPS tag (51 to 53) $25 seems a bit high for a light weight hat.. especially in 1951… however being Cavanagh and possibly being an import may have caused the higher price point. All of this speculation on my part based on the evidence… perhaps others have better points of reference. There is no manufacturing tag under the sweat.. just a small tag with 6 3/4 printed.

As to the hat and cleanup. I was surprised that for what appears to be a rather diminutive hat.. the dimensions were not that small.. the brim 2 1/4 and open crown actually reaches 5 1/2 however the blocking is very tapered and in a true tyrolean fashion, I suppose, the rear brim has quite the sharp flange…. Giving it that sort of Robin Hood look. After brushing a massive amount of dust out and dry shaping that look was very pronounced. The 6 3/4 size is actually US size.. so the hat is a bit small. After significant steaming and because of the fabric sweat, I was able to fairly easily stretch it out to fit fairly well. Then I moved on to loosen up the flange a bit in the aft. On the front, the 2 1/4 brim was actually a bit much with the significant flange… but then had the idea to slightly roll the front of the brim up and tug it down in the middle. BINGO. I’m not set on this crease just yet… but I’m fairly happy with it. The lightweight felt is a velvety soft finish.. similar to Marque Grand Luxe. All and all… I feel it’s an interesting hat and well worth the $15 invested. I guess I’ll just call it my Lightweight Summer Rollable Italian American Oktoberfest hat. I knew it was a lot to unpack.

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Dry shape after brushing
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Swann Hats were made by Swann-Abrams. The company was founded in the 1850s and lasted into the second half of the 20th Century. There is quite a bit of information on them, when I have some time I will dig some of it up.

I think is is a salesman sample hat from Swann-Abrams (listed as S. A. Hat Co. on the sweatband) of Louisville. The style seems to fit the 1920s or older era. The opening measures 4-1/2" x 3-5/8" or a size 4 (?). Needs some cleaning.

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Here is a snippet from an ad that shows they used the S.A. initials.

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I didn't notice the little red ribbon was missing when taking the above photos. I found it on the floor in the house. Surprised it was not found in the mouth of one of the four little dogs running around here.

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Daniele Tanto

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,253
Location
Verona - Italia
Surety Homburg - Dark Navy/Midnight Blue
5 1/2 crown Open (5 inch as shaped)
1 5/8 Matching Grosgrain Ribbon
2 1/4 brim to curl (2 3/4 to edge) with matching grosgrain binding

This Surety dark blue homburg caught my eye for two reasons. First off, I did not have a blue homburg. Second it was an unusual brand that also appeared to be a bit older with its unreeded sweatband. Right out of the box I knew I made a great choice… the deep blue felt, while dark is still rather vibrant. In bright sun it seems to give off some plum hues. The felt is soft and shapes easily. Unfortunately while the sweatband appeared/appears in good shape when I tried to get a peek behind.. the stitching attaching it to the felt disintegrated. I quickly grabbed a few images of the tags behind and slipped a few pieces of gorilla tape behind it to secure it in place for now. The tags underneath did not yield, at least to me, any clues as to who the manufacturer is. Famous - Barr was a retail chain in the St Louis, MO area. I am assuming Surety was a house brand of theirs. The Union tag however with its parallel “bug” might indicate 1934 to 1946…. Which matches fairly well with my gut on it. Love the hat.. it fits perfectly. It seems to favor this shallow wide center dent with front pinches. The previous owner had placed the feather on the opposite side of the bow… I’ve transplanted it back to its natural location for now. Its light blue coloring provides a nice accent to the dark everything of this hat.
Fantastico!
 
Messages
11,714
View attachment 550263

Cavanagh Lightweight Tyrolean
Velvety Thin Felt in Camel Color
5 inch crown to peak as shaped
5 1/2 open crown
2 1/4 raw edge brim
OPS Era $25 Tag

Here was a hat that looked a bit of a fright on the outside…. But it was the inside that left me asking questions. Outside a crumpled rather tyro looking hat… inside John Cavanagh liner with Park Ave at 47th address which usually point to 1940s hat… an OPS era tag priced at $25… a fabric size tag (reminiscent of Borsalino) and a silk sweat band. My original thought was that maybe the liner had been stuck in the hat after the fact… that or this may have been a Cavanagh European import. After having this hat in hand, I see no reason to believe this is not all original. The liner is properly sewn in place. Further referencing The Hatted Professor, it appears the John Cavanagh liners MAY have sneaked into 1951 allowing for the OPS tag (51 to 53) $25 seems a bit high for a light weight hat.. especially in 1951… however being Cavanagh and possibly being an import may have caused the higher price point. All of this speculation on my part based on the evidence… perhaps others have better points of reference. There is no manufacturing tag under the sweat.. just a small tag with 6 3/4 printed.

As to the hat and cleanup. I was surprised that for what appears to be a rather diminutive hat.. the dimensions were not that small.. the brim 2 1/4 and open crown actually reaches 5 1/2 however the blocking is very tapered and in a true tyrolean fashion, I suppose, the rear brim has quite the sharp flange…. Giving it that sort of Robin Hood look. After brushing a massive amount of dust out and dry shaping that look was very pronounced. The 6 3/4 size is actually US size.. so the hat is a bit small. After significant steaming and because of the fabric sweat, I was able to fairly easily stretch it out to fit fairly well. Then I moved on to loosen up the flange a bit in the aft. On the front, the 2 1/4 brim was actually a bit much with the significant flange… but then had the idea to slightly roll the front of the brim up and tug it down in the middle. BINGO. I’m not set on this crease just yet… but I’m fairly happy with it. The lightweight felt is a velvety soft finish.. similar to Marque Grand Luxe. All and all… I feel it’s an interesting hat and well worth the $15 invested. I guess I’ll just call it my Lightweight Summer Rollable Italian American Oktoberfest hat. I knew it was a lot to unpack.

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Dry shape after brushing
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@Daniele Tanto I wondered if you have any thoughts on if this hat may have been of Italian manufacture
 

Daniele Tanto

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,253
Location
Verona - Italia
Third and last black hat bought this year
Morreton Homburg Nero 3.jpg
I left out the colored hats to dedicate myself to black in its variations for elegant European hats made before the Second World War or immediately after
Morreton Homburg Nero 5.jpg
I really like that period for the construction and finishes which are extremely accurate
Morreton Homburg Nero interno.jpg
Morreton Prelude, French made, "Qualitè de luxe" Imperméable (Waterproof)
Morreton Homburg Nero particolare.jpg
The size is 58 centimeters, or 7 1/4 in US. The felt is soft and extremely well finished
Morreton Homburg Nero 4.jpg
The shape is classic for homburgs of that period.
The measurements are the gathered brims are 6 centimetres, the ribbon is 4 centimetres, the crown fully open is 12.5 centimetres
Morreton Homburg Nero 2.jpg
Lightweight and unlined, it is the perfect mid-season homburg.
 
Messages
11,714
IMG_20231010_171620342_Original.jpeg


Dobbs VVL Cordova - Dark Brown 7 1/2 LO
4 3/4 crown as shaped
2 inch Brown Grosgrain Ribbon
1 7/8 brim with Guild Edge

While it’s a fairly common unfortunate circumstance where a seller lists a hat as a size much larger than it actually is.. it is not too common where the opposite occurs. But that is how I ended up with this very cool Dobbs VVL sized 7 1/2. I believe this is the first VVL (Very Very Light) felt I have had in hand and I must say it is a very thin light weight and easily shapable felt. The 1 7/8 brim features a very well done thin (Cavanagh) guild edge.

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Being a 7 1/2... this one will eventually move on to a new home. But just for fun I wanted to see just what a hat about 4 sizes too big looked like on my head. Oddly even though it is definitely way too large.. it didn’t look that ridiculous.
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