The BORSALINO BROTHERHOOD

[steur]

I went there yesterday, only got an ascot and a pair of brown brogues. The hats were all too small, often 57 and down. Various Stetson, Mayser and perhaps one or two Borsalino. I would like a lighter one for the summer, but have to keep looking. The charity shops have some hats here in the city, but also the small sizes. I tend to buy them and give them to my friend who's a hatter, mostly for women though. What size are you? I'm 61.5.

You do have a very tough size for vintage hats, Markus. They are out there, but much more scarce than the smaller ones, like 56 (my size) or 57 (Steve's size). Borsalinos you can always bring along if you find any at a decent price: always good for trading.

 

[Markus Rasmussen]

You do have a very tough size for vintage hats, Markus. They are out there, but much more scarce than the smaller ones, like 56 (my size) or 57 (Steve's size). Borsalinos you can always bring along if you find any at a decent price: always good for trading.

Yeah, really hard size. A 61 fits snuggly, but still hard. People just had smaller heads back then I guess?

 

[steur]

Yeah, really hard size. A 61 fits snuggly, but still hard. People just had smaller heads back then I guess?

Absolutely. There's been a graph somewhere on the lounge, if I remember correctly, which showed the dominant sizes used to be 56 and 57 in the earlier part of the 20th century. These were produced in large numbers, which is my experience too: in the vintage stores I can fit the majority of hats, guaranteed. Larger sizes were produced in much lower numbers.

 

[HatMan25]

Welcome to the lounge hatman25. Very nice Borsalino you've bought there and at a very good price too. Probably not beaver though. Borsalino did not use beaver felt very often and if so it would be marked on the hat's liner or sweatband as "castoro" or "beaver" if the hat was intended for the American market. The colour on the label is probably "bismuto" (not "bismaye"). The c/marine is the colour of the ribbon (the c stands for cinto: ribbon). Alessandria is the place where it was made and not the model name. It was produced in the "Augusta" production line, which is the emblem on the liner. I don't think it was produced in 1972, but earlier than that, most likely mid fifties to mid-sixties. Welcome to the Borsalino brotherhood too.

Thanks for the reply and the historical insight. I enjoys hats with a great story!

 

[steur]

This one belongs here too of course. It made it over from Greece (of all places). Not my style, not my colour and it appears not my size. Still had to have it.
Borsalino Martora in the colour Gaggia (google translate comes up empty handed on that one). Size 56 (but seems to have shrunk a size), with the raw edge brim at 4,5cm and the crown at 9,5 cm at the center dent. It has the full appearance of a "little hat" (which I don't like). I wanted it because of the "martora" felt (pine marten). Seems not many of those are around (Daniele has one) and there is one in Timothiescloset's Ebay shop. Lovely hand to the felt and very lightweight. Not "as light as light" as the sweatband would have you believe, but with 76 grams certainly not a heavy puncher. The colour is not that bad actually (Max!); a very dark green.

 

[steur]

Part II
Here are the remaining shots, some of the Etsy page and a few of the one still on Ebay. These two and the one Daniele has all come from Peluso of Napoli. Maybe some sort of speciality for them, like a lot of these coffin box Borsalinos seem to have come from the shop of Radiconcini (a lot, not all).
Gaggia is a new colour to me; never seen it before.

The Etsy shots:

The one on Ebay

 

[HatMan25]

Nice hat and info!!!

 

[steur]

Nice hat and info!!!

Thank you!

 

[steur]

I was still waiting for this one yesterday and today it already came in.
Borsalino lobbia, Gulaela model, in the colour Rutenio. From the pictures I had expected it to be bismuto or opale, but this was a nice surprise, because I didn't have one in this colour yet. Brim at 6cm and crown 11cm at the center dent.

 

[Steve1857]

I was still waiting for this one yesterday and today it already came in.
Borsalino lobbia, Gulaela model, in the colour Rutenio. From the pictures I had expected it to be bismuto or opale, but this was a nice surprise, because I didn't have one in this colour yet. Brim at 6cm and crown 11cm at the center dent.
View attachment 163793 View attachment 163794 View attachment 163795 View attachment 163796 View attachment 163797 View attachment 163798 View attachment 163799 View attachment 163800 View attachment 163801 View attachment 163802

Nice buy, Stefan. Congrats. Let me know if you come across one in my size [emoji4]

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[DRB]

I was still waiting for this one yesterday and today it already came in.
Borsalino lobbia, Gulaela model, in the colour Rutenio. From the pictures I had expected it to be bismuto or opale, but this was a nice surprise, because I didn't have one in this colour yet. Brim at 6cm and crown 11cm at the center dent.
View attachment 163793 View attachment 163794 View attachment 163795 View attachment 163796 View attachment 163797 View attachment 163798 View attachment 163799 View attachment 163800 View attachment 163801 View attachment 163802

The colour Rutenio is beautiful. The hat is in great condition. Good buy.

 

[steur]

Nice buy, Stefan. Congrats. Let me know if you come across one in my size [emoji4]

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The colour Rutenio is beautiful. The hat is in great condition. Good buy.

Thanks, gents. Always on the lookout (feel like the eye of Sauron sometimes).

 

[Daniele Tanto]

I was still waiting for this one yesterday and today it already came in.
Borsalino lobbia, Gulaela model, in the colour Rutenio. From the pictures I had expected it to be bismuto or opale, but this was a nice surprise, because I didn't have one in this colour yet. Brim at 6cm and crown 11cm at the center dent.

Molto bella, una vera lobbia di primavera!
Stefan the contrasting ribbons on the gray is one of my favourite combo on the Borsalino homburgs

 

[jonesy86]

The felt on my only vintage hat is so light that it’s almost a tropical hat.

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[deadlyhandsome]

The felt on my only vintage hat is so light that it’s almost a tropical hat.

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If I didn’t know better I’d think that picture of you on that perfect tropical beach was photoshopped. Wow!
And a nice Borso too.


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[jonesy86]

If I didn’t know better I’d think that picture of you on that perfect tropical beach was photoshopped. Wow!
And a nice Borso too.
Thanks, I'm still amazed at what I see right out my back door. Thanks to @Tukwila for passing on to me this 7 1/2 Borso!

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[steur]

Molto bella, una vera lobbia di primavera!
Stefan the contrasting ribbons on the gray is one of my favourite combo on the Borsalino homburgs

Daniele, thank you. Very pleasing to add a Gulaela to the fold. It's a keeper.

 

[steur]

The felt on my only vintage hat is so light that it’s almost a tropical hat.

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Wonderful hat. The Savoy is a great model.

 

[alanfgag]

This one belongs here too of course. It made it over from Greece (of all places). Not my style, not my colour and it appears not my size. Still had to have it.
Borsalino Martora in the colour Gaggia (google translate comes up empty handed on that one). Size 56 (but seems to have shrunk a size), with the raw edge brim at 4,5cm and the crown at 9,5 cm at the center dent. It has the full appearance of a "little hat" (which I don't like). I wanted it because of the "martora" felt (pine marten). Seems not many of those are around (Daniele has one) and there is one in Timothiescloset's Ebay shop. Lovely hand to the felt and very lightweight. Not "as light as light" as the sweatband would have you believe, but with 76 grams certainly not a heavy puncher. The colour is not that bad actually (Max!); a very dark green.

As cool as cool... I found one hit on Gaggia translation as false acacia or black locust tree. Perhaps the brown/green together? Not a custom for the coffee machine maker of the same name, I think... ;^) Wonderful and interesting hat.

 

[steur]

As cool as cool... I found one hit on Gaggia translation as false acacia or black locust tree. Perhaps the brown/green together? Not a custom for the coffee machine maker of the same name, I think... ;^) Wonderful and interesting hat.

Alan, thanks. You were more thorough (and more successful) searching for gaggia than I was. Thanks for that. Makes sense with the colour, but who know about that coffee machine maker...
Now all I need is a Lontra, oh, and a Castoro