The Cavanagh Club

[Brad Bowers]

Been meaning to post this for a while now...

Here is a Cavanagh. Well, two Cavanaghs, actually, though we'll only be focusing on one. One of these Cavanaghs is from the 1960s. The other is not... Pay no attention to the boxes, they don't go with the hats.

Okay, to the hat in question. 5 3/4" crown, 2 3/16" brim, 2" ribbon.
For comparison, the '60s hat also has a 5 3/4" crown, but a 2 3/8" brim, and 1 17/16" ribbon. Both hats have the frayed ribbon edge.

Good gravy Marie, the liner address tells us is this is a pre-1936 hat!

It has the "Improved Cavanagh Edge" patent marking, so that means it's May 1931 to 1936.

Lookee here! The store stamp is for the Park Avenue shop itself!

Here's the handwritten factory label.

And further proof of the date, 1933 to 1935:

This makes it the second earliest Cavanagh in my possession, the other being 1928 to 1933.

One of my most exciting hats.

This is what I love about Cavanagh styling. Two hats, three decades apart in age, yet remarkably similar in styling. God bless you and rest your soul, John Cavanagh. :eusa_clap

Brad

 

[rlk]

Fantastic find in amazing condition!!

 

[fluteplayer07]

Outstanding find! Thanks for that interesting comparison/explanation. A paradigm for collecting as usual, Brad.

 

[Dreispitz]

Happy New Year, Brad and congratulation to your find! There have not been too many Cavanaghs up for auction over the last months.

 

[delectans]

Chocolate Milk Cavanagh

I could not think of a more appropriate day to post my Chocolate Milk Cavanagh, than on what would have been the 147th birthday of John Cavanagh himself. An easy one to remember as it is the day after my wife's birthday!

Crown: 5" as creased.
Ribbon: 2-1/8".
Brim: 2-1/2" at the front. 2-3/16" at the sides and back.
Sweatband: 2".

My apologies for the lighting and quality of the photos, but I was anxious to post something on this special day. I will work on posting better photos when time allows.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Good grief, I can't believe I forgot the man's birthday! I've been WAY too busy today.

Thanks for reminding me, delectans, and thanks for posting a wonderful Cavanagh!

Brad

 

[DRB]

delectans, you are really doing a great job of putting together a nice group of hats. I love the cavanaghs. Congratulations! ........Dennis

 

[delectans]

Good grief, I can't believe I forgot the man's birthday! I've been WAY too busy today.

Thanks for reminding me, delectans, and thanks for posting a wonderful Cavanagh!

Brad

The pleasure was mine, Brad! Lovely pair of Cavs you posted above, by the way.

delectans, you are really doing a great job of putting together a nice group of hats. I love the cavanaghs. Congratulations! ........Dennis

Thank you, Dennis. I really admire all of your hats, and you sure have some gems in the pipeline!

 

[buler]

Cavanagh-Dobbs Common Stock

Got this great stock certificate today. Dated Mar 3, 1932 and possibly signed by John Cavanagh (or some secretary...) himself.

B

 

[fluteplayer07]

Buler, that is incredible! Nice find!

Nice hat, delectans.

 

[DRB]

AL, one more thing I did not notice before. Your hat is a dimensional brim. That is the first Cavanagh edged hat I have ever seen as dimensional. Perhaps there are more out there, but I have never encountered them. Very unique I think. Looks great.

 

[delectans]

Nice hat, delectans.

Thanks, flute!

AL, one more thing I did not notice before. Your hat is a dimensional brim. That is the first Cavanagh edged hat I have ever seen as dimensional. Perhaps there are more out there, but I have never encountered them. Very unique I think. Looks great.

Thank you, Dennis. The sides and back are actually 2-3/8"(I mistakenly listed 2-3/16" above), but the front is definitely 2-1/2".

 

[Viper Man]

delectans- Great hat! I noticed that crease in your ribbon up front, if you spray a small bit of distilled water on it, you should be able to smooth that out.

 

[delectans]

Thanks, Viper Man,I appreciate it. I was planning to apply a little steam to the ribbon but did not have the opportunity to do so prior to taking the photos. The wrinkles should come right out as they are not deep in the fabric.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Carroll John Derby

Here's a relative rarity in the hat world. It's a Carroll John Derby. Carroll John was Carroll John Cavanagh, the son of John Cavanagh. He offered a line of hats through John Cavanagh, Ltd., starting in 1936. The line was aimed at young men and was designed as an entry-level hat, with a lower price than the Cavanagh line of hats. I've only seen a couple of them come up for auction over the years. The Carroll John brand lasted at least until 1942, but seems to have disappeared after that. Carroll John joined the Navy and married in 1943, so his interests may have gone elsewhere.

Being a lower-priced hat, I notice the finish is not as fine as on Cavanagh hats, which is to be expected, but everything else seems to be of good quality.

7 1/2, with felt pads included front and back, the hat fits my head perfectly. Whoever WWC was, his head was pretty much like mine.

It has a pleasing English-style belled and squared-off crown, and a nicely done slight upsweep on the sides. Nice, sharp-edged D'Orsay curl. The binding has seen better days, as has the bow.

The shop stamp is also for the Park Avenue shop. I love finding these!

Suddenly, we come to deep, dark secret at the heart of the lower-priced Carroll John hats. They're not made in the Cavanagh division at all (which was intentionally kept separate from the rest of the factory)! They're simply a rebranded Dobbs. lol And now the truth comes out.

Thanks to Robert (rlk) for the tip on the auction, I now have a Carroll John hat!

Brad

 

[randooch]

Good story, Brad, and a nice derby to boot!

 

[rlk]

I'm so glad that it turned out to be wearable as well as of historical interest. Looks good on your head too.

 

[DRB]

Professor: That is a fantastic hat that looks virtually new. Hard to believe that it is vintage. I especially like that curl on the brim. Since you say that it was most likely a lower end priced hat, do you think it is rabbit fur?

 

[Brad Bowers]

Professor: That is a fantastic hat that looks virtually new. Hard to believe that it is vintage. I especially like that curl on the brim. Since you say that it was most likely a lower end priced hat, do you think it is rabbit fur?

Thanks, DRB! It seems almost new, except for the worn binding, which doesn't show well in the photo. It almost certainly is European hare/rabbit. Most hats from that era are going to be of that composition, though they do offer blends as well as pure beaver. Price sometimes has something to do with it, of course, but you could buy a lightweight pure beaver Derby from Cavanagh for the same price ($20)as both a beaver blend and a hare/rabbit. It wasn't as big a marketing deal back then as it is today. In Cavanagh's soft hats, however, the price increases from $20 to $40 for pure beaver.

I forgot to mention that Cavanagh called this type of finish an "English Ruff Finish," so it was stylistically important, but it also requires slightly less labor.

Brad

 

[delectans]

you could buy a lightweight pure beaver Derby from Cavanagh for the same price ($20)as both a beaver blend and a hare/rabbit. It wasn't as big a marketing deal back then as it is today. In Cavanagh's soft hats, however, the price increases from $20 to $40 for pure beaver.

Any paticular reason for this price structure, such as raw material or finishing cost, that you are aware of?

Splendid and scarce Derby that looks great on you, by the way.