Post New Hats Here!

[The Hatted Professor]

This is my first longhair hat and my first Pork Pie. I can’t get the brim of this thing sorted out. Do I need to buy a flange to fix it?


Dobbs began in New York in 1908 as the retail arm of Crofut & Knapp and later became one of the principal Hat Corporation of America brands.

The factory label, gold coach sweatband stamp and plastic-covered liner appear to date it to the 1950s or early 1960s. Let me know if I'm missing something. It is marked size 7 3/8 Long Oval. “Walkers” was presumably the retailer, but I can't find anything on that retail location. It has a "DOE" personalization but I ran into a similar dead end trying to come up with something interesting there. Not surprising; three initials aren't much to go on.

The guild circle emblem to the right of the Dobbs Twenty lable is in reference to Dobbs' version of the Cav edge. You really have to wonder why we lost the capacity to create this edge - it is such an interesting finish detail.

One thing I can say about longhair hats—you don’t have to worry about lint and other assorted nonsense showing up in your photos.

Point... longhair.

Dobbs "Twenty" Longhair Pork Pie

It’s not a longhair, it’s a heather felt. HCA used heather felt a lot during this era.

 

[Judgmentalist]

It’s not a longhair, it’s a heather felt. HCA used heather felt a lot during this era.

Thank you. I hate making preventable mistakes like this.

 

[The Hatted Professor]

Thank you. I hate making preventable mistakes like this.

No worries.

 

[ruvort]

New hat, courtesy of @BobHufford

I really need to figure out a better way to take photos, because these don't do it justice. Felt feels great and is basically in perfect condition.

 

[BobHufford]

New hat

Looks great on you! Thanks again

 

[rstewart8706]

New hat, courtesy of @BobHufford

I really need to figure out a better way to take photos, because these don't do it justice. Felt feels great and is basically in perfect condition.

Great looking hat!

 

[Judgmentalist]

A flange would help but it will take on the shape of whatever one you use. I'd start with steam... Use an iron that lets you blast steam and use your hands to straighten it out on a flat surface or ironing board. I will often just iron the brim flat-ish with the iron and ironing board (put a pressing cloth between the iron and felt) to get back to a starting shape and then use my hands if it seems like that would be easier.

Mid/late 50's seems like a good guess to me, I feel like by the 60s they stopped including the blocking height.

What's the brim width out of curiosity?

Brim width is about 2 1/8"

 

[Fedora63]

I'm a new member and recently purchased my first beaver felt hat, a Stetson Pinnacle. I tried a Stratoliner and a Temple and found that I prefer the Pinnacle. Is this model discontinued? I still see it for sale at select retailers.

 

[Judgmentalist]

My first Boater. Still not sure how much wear I'm going to get out of this but we shall see. Happy to have one or two in the collection at any rate. I like it on more than I thought I would, to be honest. Gives me kind of a festival or fair vibe. I have yet to debut it for my wife though. We will see what she thinks.

It’s not super old. The Italian manufacture and labeling appear to place it sometime after 1972, when HCA Industries left the hat business and sold the Cavanagh name, along with its other hat brands, to Koracorp. It was however, pretty cheap, so can't go wrong there.

Cavanagh boater

 

[The Hatted Professor]

My first Boater. Still not sure how much wear I'm going to get out of this but we shall see. Happy to have one or two in the collection at any rate. I like it on more than I thought I would, to be honest. Gives me kind of a festival or fair vibe. I have yet to debut it for my wife though. We will see what she thinks.

It’s not super old. The Italian manufacture and labeling appear to place it sometime after 1972, when HCA Industries left the hat business and sold the Cavanagh name, along with its other hat brands, to Koracorp. It was however, pretty cheap, so can't go wrong there.

Cavanagh boater

HCA stopped making their own boaters in the ‘50s and imported them from Italy, complete with Italian labels. This one is late-‘50s or ‘60s.

 

[Judgmentalist]

HCA stopped making their own boaters in the ‘50s and imported them from Italy, complete with Italian labels. This one is late-‘50s or ‘60s.

Good to know. Thank you. Working on getting better at this research thing.

 

[Rmccamey]

Great hat. Wear it around the voting days and you're sure to get compliments.

My first Boater. Still not sure how much wear I'm going to get out of this but we shall see. Happy to have one or two in the collection at any rate. I like it on more than I thought I would, to be honest. Gives me kind of a festival or fair vibe. I have yet to debut it for my wife though. We will see what she thinks.

It’s not super old. The Italian manufacture and labeling appear to place it sometime after 1972, when HCA Industries left the hat business and sold the Cavanagh name, along with its other hat brands, to Koracorp. It was however, pretty cheap, so can't go wrong there.

Cavanagh boater
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[Judgmentalist]

This one came with its original box, which provided more history than I usually find with a hat. The delivery label appears to be dated December 13, 1961, and is addressed to Mr. C. F. Campbell at 104 Portland Road in Summit, New Jersey. The 1962 city directory identifies him as Christopher F. Campbell, an electrician who worked in New York and lived at that address with his wife, Helen.

Rogers Peet was a well-regarded New York menswear firm founded in 1874. This hat was sold through its store at 258 Broadway and Warren Street. The building there was completed in 1899 after a fire destroyed the earlier Rogers Peet location, and the company continued doing business at that address into the 1970s.

Despite the Rogers Peet branding, the reorder label under the sweatband identifies MacLachlan as the manufacturer. “Edgeley II” was presumably Rogers Peet’s model name.

Rogers Peet “Edgeley II” by MacLachlan, size 7 3/8 Long Oval

 

[blewnote]

Nice old Champ of indeterminate age. I don't know enough about how to date Champ hats and the info here seems sparse compared to Stetson/Dobbs/Knox. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say 1940s (maybe late 30s) based on style and the unreeded sweatband. No inventory or size tags present on this one.

It was one of a 3 hat lot I bought for the Lee Adventure (disappointing) and was the one I actually got excited about when I pulled it out.

It's got cool stitching (6 lines) on the brim and ribbon. Nice pairing of tan and red for the colors. It's what I guess they'd have called a rough felt, probably classified as a semi-sports hat based on the floppiness and casual vibe of the stitches and colors.

I think I've only seen the moniker Super Champ on one other hat here, a homburg of I remember correctly. Anyone know anything about that designation?

Haven't done any cleaning yet, but it doesn't need much, just a couple spots on the underside of the brim (and a brushing to get rid of my dog's hair which gets everywhere!). Gonna look great this fall with some tweed sportcoats!

 

[Pellie]

Nice old Champ of indeterminate age. I don't know enough about how to date Champ hats and the info here seems sparse compared to Stetson/Dobbs/Knox. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say 1940s (maybe late 30s) based on style and the unreeded sweatband. No inventory or size tags present on this one.

It was one of a 3 hat lot I bought for the Lee Adventure (disappointing) and was the one I actually got excited about when I pulled it out.

It's got cool stitching (6 lines) on the brim and ribbon. Nice pairing of tan and red for the colors. It's what I guess they'd have called a rough felt, probably classified as a semi-sports hat based on the floppiness and casual vibe of the stitches and colors.

I think I've only seen the moniker Super Champ on one other hat here, a homburg of I remember correctly. Anyone know anything about that designation?

Haven't done any cleaning yet, but it doesn't need much, just a couple spots on the underside of the brim (and a brushing to get rid of my dog's hair which gets everywhere!). Gonna look great this fall with some tweed sportcoats!

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Indeed....cool stitchings. First time seeing a ribbonstitching.

 

[Blare]

Nice old Champ of indeterminate age. I don't know enough about how to date Champ hats and the info here seems sparse compared to Stetson/Dobbs/Knox. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say 1940s (maybe late 30s) based on style and the unreeded sweatband. No inventory or size tags present on this one.

It was one of a 3 hat lot I bought for the Lee Adventure (disappointing) and was the one I actually got excited about when I pulled it out.

It's got cool stitching (6 lines) on the brim and ribbon. Nice pairing of tan and red for the colors. It's what I guess they'd have called a rough felt, probably classified as a semi-sports hat based on the floppiness and casual vibe of the stitches and colors.

I think I've only seen the moniker Super Champ on one other hat here, a homburg of I remember correctly. Anyone know anything about that designation?

Haven't done any cleaning yet, but it doesn't need much, just a couple spots on the underside of the brim (and a brushing to get rid of my dog's hair which gets everywhere!). Gonna look great this fall with some tweed sportcoats!

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Oh wow. I love the brim and ribbon stitching. What a beautiful hat. The debossment of the sweat logo does look fairly old. Not sure when Champ went from a model name under LaSalle Hat Co to the actual brand Champ (I believe it was late 40s)… but this one looks like could be in the era of Champ being a model name. Any look at a manufacturer tag under the sweat?

 

[blewnote]

Oh wow. I love the brim and ribbon stitching. What a beautiful hat. The debossment of the sweat logo does look fairly old. Not sure when Champ went from a model name under LaSalle Hat Co to the actual brand Champ (I believe it was late 40s)… but this one looks like could be in the era of Champ being a model name. Any look at a manufacturer tag under the sweat?

No like I said there's no inventory or size tags present. Just the markings on the sweat and the stamp on the interior of the crown. I tried to search up some vintage ads but had no luck.

 

[Judgmentalist]

Nice old Champ of indeterminate age. I don't know enough about how to date Champ hats and the info here seems sparse compared to Stetson/Dobbs/Knox. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say 1940s (maybe late 30s) based on style and the unreeded sweatband. No inventory or size tags present on this one.

It was one of a 3 hat lot I bought for the Lee Adventure (disappointing) and was the one I actually got excited about when I pulled it out.

It's got cool stitching (6 lines) on the brim and ribbon. Nice pairing of tan and red for the colors. It's what I guess they'd have called a rough felt, probably classified as a semi-sports hat based on the floppiness and casual vibe of the stitches and colors.

I think I've only seen the moniker Super Champ on one other hat here, a homburg of I remember correctly. Anyone know anything about that designation?

Haven't done any cleaning yet, but it doesn't need much, just a couple spots on the underside of the brim (and a brushing to get rid of my dog's hair which gets everywhere!). Gonna look great this fall with some tweed sportcoats!

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I love the ribbon on this hat.

 

[Judgmentalist]

Many thanks to @ruvort , who brought this amazing boater to my attention. I assumed it wouldn't fit, since most 7 3/8 vintage hats are too tight for me, but it fits really well. Perhaps boaters like this aren't subject to the same shrinking-with-age problem other types of hats are?

I've been trying to research the maker with no success. I will post later in the boater forum and hopefully somebody will have some information. "Dirigo" means "I lead" or "I direct" and is the official state motto of Maine, but no idea if that has anything to do with this hat. I found one reference to a simlar hat in an online museum collection, but it didn't provide any more information. The M H Co (I assume this is the correct order) below "Quality Supreme" may be a reference to the Merrimac Hat Company. I've also seen it written as Merrimac Hat Corporation, and I believe the second version is correct, and that they both refer to the same entity.

I absolutely love the weave on this hat. The sweatband resizer ribbon is awesome.

Crazy-weave boater - isn't this cool? lol

 

[jeffgarf]

Many thanks to @ruvort , who brought this amazing boater to my attention. I assumed it wouldn't fit, since most 7 3/8 vintage hats are too tight for me, but it fits really well. Perhaps boaters like this aren't subject to the same shrinking-with-age problem other types of hats are?

I've been trying to research the maker with no success. I will post later in the boater forum and hopefully somebody will have some information. "Dirigo" means "I lead" or "I direct" and is the official state motto of Maine, but no idea if that has anything to do with this hat. I found one reference to a simlar hat in an online museum collection, but it didn't provide any more information. The M H Co (I assume this is the correct order) below "Quality Supreme" may be a reference to the Merrimac Hat Company. I've also seen it written as Merrimac Hat Corporation, and I believe the second version is correct, and that they both refer to the same entity.

I absolutely love the weave on this hat. The sweatband resizer ribbon is awesome.

Crazy-weave boater - isn't this cool? lol
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Very cool weave.