Post New Hats Here!

[Judgmentalist]

I got this Knox Twenty from TFL @CadillacMan - skullnbones13 on eBay. Thank you sir.

Knox Twenty - Light Grey with Black ribbon - love that Custom Edge

 

[jeffgarf]

I got this Knox Twenty from TFL @CadillacMan - skullnbones13 on eBay. Thank you sir.

Knox Twenty - Light Grey with Black ribbon - love that Custom Edge
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Very nice.

 

[Judgmentalist]

I found this Knox stingy brim fedora on DePoP somehow or another, and it was cheap so I snagged it. Came with a Knox box. I pulled this hat out of it and put the Twenty I got from Cadillac Man in it. Not sure if that's allowed, but it makes me happy. I think I bought this one first between the two new Knox's.

My first real hat war story, thankfully it isn't that bad, but thankfully it isn't that bad - somebody thought it was a good idea to pin this feather right through the bow keeper. Wasn't too happy to see that, and it left a visible hole in the bow keeper, but a small one. Maybe it will settle out over time.

stingy-brim Custom Edge Knox fedora w/Knox Box - I do like this edge.

I'm wearing this one right now, and I think this thing needs a pinch and snap the front down, but this is what I did with it on the day.

 

[jeffgarf]

I found this Knox stingy brim fedora on DePoP somehow or another, and it was cheap so I snagged it. Came with a Knox box. I pulled this hat out of it and put the Twenty I got from Cadillac Man in it. Not sure if that's allowed, but it makes me happy. I think I bought this one first between the two new Knox's.

My first real hat war story, thankfully it isn't that bad, but thankfully it isn't that bad - somebody thought it was a good idea to pin this feather right through the bow keeper. Wasn't too happy to see that, and it left a visible hole in the bow keeper, but a small one. Maybe it will settle out over time.

stingy-brim Custom Edge Knox fedora w/Knox Box - I do like this edge.
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I'm wearing this one right now, and I think this thing needs a pinch and snap the front down, but this is what I did with it on the day.
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Save it for Stingymas!

 

[Adman256]

Ladies and Gentlemen.... I've been looking forward to this one for a bit...

Brent Black Diplomat
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My wife literally brought this shirt home today while I was taking pictures - got it from a thrift store for like $2 - every time I spend any money she makes me look bad lol
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Thumbs up to the hat thumbs up to the shirt!

 

[CadillacMan]

I got this Knox Twenty from TFL @CadillacMan - skullnbones13 on eBay. Thank you sir.

Knox Twenty - Light Grey with Black ribbon - love that Custom Edge
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LOOKS EXCELLENT ON YOU MY FRIEND! Glad it went to the right home ! next time shoot me a message directly if you see anything you want to avoid the Ebay fees. Thank you again for keeping the Vintage alive !

 

[blewnote]

I got this Knox Twenty from TFL @CadillacMan - skullnbones13 on eBay. Thank you sir.

Knox Twenty - Light Grey with Black ribbon - love that Custom Edge
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Guessing late 50s maybe early 60s because it has a block number but no depth. Getting into the era of pretty good hats though (although maybe your Borsalino is around this age? I can't remember seeing the inventory tag on it for dating)... How does it stack up against your modern hats from Optimo and Art? Better finish? More moldable?

 

[Judgmentalist]

Guessing late 50s maybe early 60s because it has a block number but no depth. Getting into the era of pretty good hats though (although maybe your Borsalino is around this age? I can't remember seeing the inventory tag on it for dating)... How does it stack up against your modern hats from Optimo and Art? Better finish? More moldable?

I have quite a few hats from this late 50s - 60s era, but almost none (I think one) from the 30s-40s and that one is a bowler, so irrelevant to the felt conversation.

This hat has the felt I prefer. Soft, light, easy to shape. Whether that is an indication of quality, or anything other than weight, who knows?

Of the modern hats I have, only a couple of Optimos have a similar feel. The custom hats that I have (aside from Optimo) so far are all sturdier than this hat.

 

[blewnote]

This hat has the felt I prefer. Soft, light, easy to shape. Whether that is an indication of quality, or anything other than weight, who knows?

For sure. I can't entirely puzzle it out myself either. I bought two 3X open roads from the mid 50s and one has thin light felt that shapes very easily and the other has thicker felt that needs steam to make it more pliable. Have picked up a few more 3Xs since then and they all seem to be slightly different. But all great hats.

I also have a variety of Royal and Royal DeLuxe Stetsons and they are similarly not easily ****ed into one category or the other, even based on age (have a late 50s Royal Stetson that has felt that is almost as nice as the lighter 3X I have, although the sweatband isn't quite as nice).

I do know that as rule hats from that era and older are likely to have felt that is pleasing to work with and sweatbands that can sometimes still rival the best that are on the market today, and have the brim width and blocking profiles I prefer.

 

[ShadowXY]

The Two Resistol Shantungs rode in today. 20X Jaxon & 10X George Strait. Both have soft leather sweat bands & outer leather bands. Think it was a useful deal.
Got them both for $100 delivered so $50 ea. They are new but one had some scuffs that I wernt over with Navaho white semi gloss. I might do a bees wax or clear show wax over it. Looks fine. See pic 5 how it was.
They both fit very well. The resistol Sz 7 straw is my size, it's cool & the big brim is for the hot sun protection. I think they work on me.

The 20X diamond Jaxon has a bend on the front. Tried steaming it. Got better & really is not that noticeable. Last photo Jaxon 20X in traction hoping to smooth out that dent.

These hats are over $200 retail. They are well made & comfy.

 

[Judgmentalist]

Optimo underwelt fedora in "Oxblood", courtesy of @drmaxtejeda . This hat is in immaculate condition.

Guys, this felt is such a cool color. Immediately this is one of my favorite hats. Thank you, Dr. Max.

I apologize for my poor photography skills - it is very difficult to show this color accurately. The flash shot of the underside is probably pretty close.

 

[Blare]

Optimo underwelt fedora in "Oxblood", courtesy of @drmaxtejeda . This hat is in immaculate condition.

Guys, this felt is such a cool color. Immediately this is one of my favorite hats. Thank you, Dr. Max.

I apologize for my poor photography skills - it is very difficult to show this color accurately. The flash shot of the underside is probably pretty close.
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That is fabulous

 

[Judgmentalist]

Courtesy of @drmaxtejeda .

This is my first hat that says "One Hundred" anywhere, and also my first hat with this thin ribbon. This hat also has the thinnest brim ribbon I think I've ever seen. This is a cool hat. I love the shape of it, and the color. All in all, a very nice, wearable hat. Thank you Dr. Max. : )

Stetson One Hundred

Take a look at the brim break. It looks as though this hat started life at a larger size and was sized down to 7 3/8 at some point. At least to me. Is that what you guys are seeing? I am making this assumption because of the line around the brim that looks to be an earlier brim break that has been moved down onto the brim. If that is incorrect, please let me know.

 

[RBH]

Courtesy of @drmaxtejeda .

This is my first hat that says "One Hundred" anywhere, and also my first hat with this thin ribbon. This hat also has the thinnest brim ribbon I think I've ever seen. This is a cool hat. I love the shape of it, and the color. All in all, a very nice, wearable hat. Thank you Dr. Max. : )

Stetson One Hundred
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Take a look at the brim break. It looks as though this hat started life at a larger size and was sized down to 7 3/8 at some point. At least to me. Is that what you guys are seeing? I am making this assumption because of the line around the brim that looks to be an earlier brim break that has been moved down onto the brim. If that is incorrect, please let me know.
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Yep, it was altered from its original state.
Look at the sweat, where it comes together. You can see where it was cut and pieced back.

 

[Blare]

Courtesy of @drmaxtejeda .

This is my first hat that says "One Hundred" anywhere, and also my first hat with this thin ribbon. This hat also has the thinnest brim ribbon I think I've ever seen. This is a cool hat. I love the shape of it, and the color. All in all, a very nice, wearable hat. Thank you Dr. Max. : )

Stetson One Hundred
View attachment 800708
Take a look at the brim break. It looks as though this hat started life at a larger size and was sized down to 7 3/8 at some point. At least to me. Is that what you guys are seeing? I am making this assumption because of the line around the brim that looks to be an earlier brim break that has been moved down onto the brim. If that is incorrect, please let me know.
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Yep, it was altered from its original state.
Look at the sweat, where it comes together. You can see where it was cut and pieced back.

If I am not mistaken, Max had a master craftsmen Ignacio at his disposal who was practically able to work miracles.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Take a look at the brim break. It looks as though this hat started life at a larger size and was sized down to 7 3/8 at some point. At least to me. Is that what you guys are seeing? I am making this assumption because of the line around the brim that looks to be an earlier brim break that has been moved down onto the brim.

If you study the catalogs, felt charts, etc you will see that the Stetson One-hundred was never offered as a fedora in typical fedora dimensions. It has been resized & fedoraized.

 

[Judgmentalist]

If you study the catalogs, felt charts, etc you will see that the Stetson One-hundred was never offered as a fedora in typical fedora dimensions. It has been resized & fedoraized.

I very much appreciate your input. I have been planning on digging into it. It looks like they were usually OR/Western style, is that correct?

Also, if you have anything to share about the quality of a "One Hundred" hat from this era compared to a more common Stetson hat from the same era, I would love to hear your observations. I'm about to pull my few Stetsons out and starting seeing what I can see.

 

[blewnote]

If you study the catalogs, felt charts, etc you will see that the Stetson One-hundred was never offered as a fedora in typical fedora dimensions. It has been resized & fedoraized.

I'm curious about this, having purchased numerous Open Roads (which I believe come in the same dimensions/blocking/flangeing as the 100s?) and for all intents and purposes I feel like they'd look just like the Stratoliner I have if I were to give the brim a little more curl, which is easily done by hand or with a flange. And even if I didn't change the brim shape, creasing them into a C crown with a pinch makes em look indistinguishable from a fedora to me.

Didn't they just come open crown, like many hats of that day, and you or the salesperson could shape it when you purchased it? And weren't the dimensions basically a 5 3/4" crown with between a 2 1/2" and 2 7/8" (with some outliers either smaller or maybe larger), which seem pretty standard for a fedora as well? And wasn't the Open Road basically a hybrid between a Western and a fedora, that could be a city hat or a working hat depending on how you wanted to style it?

I do agree that a 2" brim seems small for a 100 and the back has more curl than I'd necessarily expect for an Open Road style hat, but not so much that it really would jump out at me if the brim were snapped up and a cattlemen crease was bashed in.

Just curious what you're seeing that makes you say it's been physically changed to a "fedora" instead of just being styled differently (since I know you know your hats!).

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Also, if you have anything to share about the quality of a "One Hundred" hat from this era compared to a more common Stetson hat from the same era, I would love to hear your observations.

While I think there probably was an increased internal cost associated with a fur felt hood destined to be a Stetson One-hundred the real increased cost might have been in the labor to finish it. I have a Resistol 3X that was an open crown with a hand felted edge. The finished fur felt is every bit as nice as a One-hundred. We know the hand felted edge was discontinued because it was labor intensive. It stands to reason they would have hand picked the felt hood that was to receive so much labor time in the final product. In the case of this Resistol the 3X hood probably got the same finishing process as would a One-hundred. A more common 3X order would not have.

I'm curious about this, having purchased numerous Open Roads (which I believe come in the same dimensions/blocking/flangeing as the 100s?) and for all intents and purposes I feel like they'd look just like the Stratoliner I have if I were to give the brim a little more curl, which is easily done by hand or with a flange. And even if I didn't change the brim shape, creasing them into a C crown with a pinch makes em look indistinguishable from a fedora to me.

When you compare the numerous Open Roads you have purchased I assume you are speaking about vintage OR’s (vOR’s) & not the modern 6X with its 4.25” crown & modern blocking? Because typical vOR’s of the era range from 2.75 to 3.0” x 5.25 to 5.75” open crown. And vintage Stratoliners (vStrat’s) vs the modern Strat dimensions of 2.5 x 4.5”? The vStrat dimensions typically run 2.5” x 4.5 to 5” open crown. ( Some very early Strats had brims up to 2.75” before 2.5” became standard). And the famous Block #52 of the vOR with its straight standup sides with no taper? Newbies typically pay little attention to blocking. The vOR & Strat are totally different in blocking. So I don’t find them indistinguishable.

Didn't they just come open crown, like many hats of that day, and you or the salesperson could shape it when you purchased it? And weren't the dimensions basically a 5 3/4" crown with between a 2 1/2" and 2 7/8" (with some outliers either smaller or maybe larger), which seem pretty standard for a fedora as well?

According to catalogs the Stetson One-hundred (100) was available in models from an OR thru a full size Western (~3.25” brim). The most common 100 that surfaces today tends to be a 3 x 5.75 to 6” & was originally an open crown thin ribbon, available both in bound edge & raw edge brims. They are block #52’s except for the full size Westerns. From the description of the 100 in question the only dimension we have to work with is the 2” brim. Surely you don’t question the fact this 100 has been cut & resized to fit & be more fedora like? If the objective was to size down to fit it would not have been necessary to cut & bind the brim at 2”. I’ve lost track of why you think it could be an OR & by extension a Strat.

I do agree that a 2" brim seems small for a 100 and the back has more curl than I'd necessarily expect for an Open Road style hat, but not so much that it really would jump out at me if the brim were snapped up and a cattlemen crease was bashed in.

As I have said, show me a wholesale fur felt grade chart, a catalog entry or other ephemera where the 100 grade felt was offered in a fedora hat.

 

[Judgmentalist]

While I think there probably was an increased internal cost associated with a fur felt hood destined to be a Stetson One-hundred the real increased cost might have been in the labor to finish it. I have a Resistol 3X that was an open crown with a hand felted edge. The finished fur felt is every bit as nice as a One-hundred. We know the hand felted edge was discontinued because it was labor intensive. It stands to reason they would have hand picked the felt hood that was to receive so much labor time in the final product. In the case of this Resistol the 3X hood probably got the same finishing process as would a One-hundred. A more common 3X order would not have.

When you compare the numerous Open Roads you have purchased I assume you are speaking about vintage OR’s (vOR’s) & not the modern 6X with its 4.25” crown & modern blocking? Because typical vOR’s of the era range from 2.75 to 3.0” x 5.25 to 5.75” open crown. And vintage Stratoliners (vStrat’s) vs the modern Strat dimensions of 2.5 x 4.5”? The vStrat dimensions typically run 2.5” x 4.5 to 5” open crown. ( Some very early Strats had brims up to 2.75” before 2.5” became standard). And the famous Block #52 of the vOR with its straight standup sides with no taper? Newbies typically pay little attention to blocking. The vOR & Strat are totally different in blocking. So I don’t find them indistinguishable.

According to catalogs the Stetson One-hundred (100) was available in models from an OR thru a full size Western (~3.25” brim). The most common 100 that surfaces today tends to be a 3 x 5.75 to 6” & was originally an open crown thin ribbon, available both in bound edge & raw edge brims. They are block #52’s except for the full size Westerns. From the description of the 100 in question the only dimension we have to work with is the 2” brim. Surely you don’t question the fact this 100 has been cut & resized to fit & be more fedora like? If the objective was to size down to fit it would not have been necessary to cut & bind the brim at 2”. I’ve lost track of why you think it could be an OR & by extension a Strat.

As I have said, show me a wholesale fur felt grade chart, a catalog entry or other ephemera where the 100 grade felt was offered in a fedora hat.

Thank you. My primary interest in getting some of these hats that say "Twenty" "Fifty" and/or "One Hundred" on them was to feel the felt quality for myself. I now have three or four of these hats, some of which I haven't posted about here yet.

For my money, chasing the label based on felt quality doesn't pay for itself. I don't have enough experience to determine if chasing labels for the other finishing details is worth it to me or not, not that that is applicable to this hat, apparently.

I'm not collecting most of the hats I have for the sake of adding jewels to my collection. I buy hats I like and will wear first, for research/learning/experience second, and very rarely "this is a cool hat or has some historical significance" third.

For this hat, I'm happy to have it. I may wear it as is. I may send it to someone to try to put it back in some semblance of it's original configuration. We shall see. I'm open to suggestions.

For this Stetson One Hundred, the brim measures 2 1/4" from the ribbon; bang on 2" at the original brim break.

Are you saying that, in addition to changing the original shape of the hat, and sizing the hat down to 7 3/8, some one also trimmed and finished the brim edge differently than it was originally finished?

Here are some pictures of this hat so you don't have to scroll back up. @Hurricane Jack thanks for your input. Anybody else that would like to participate is welcome to do so.