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The Dobbs Diner...
- Thread starter DanielJones
- Start date
danofarlington
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- Arlington, Virginia
That's a good one.
Alive'n'Amplified
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Always a crowd pleaser, Robert. Nice pick!! :thumb:
bowlerman
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Buler, that's fantastic, man. I'm lovin' these flat ironed bowlers lately!
Alive'n'Amplified
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I'm a fan of the flat brim! Nice derby, buler!
randooch
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+1! That block sticker gilds the lily.
Alive'n'Amplified
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Dobbs TWENTY - Black 7 1/4
This is my first black fedora. The color black didn't really appeal to me for a hat, because it seemed like such an easy color to wear. That said, I didn't think it would complement my wardrobe like my grey, brown, and blue hats do. My idea of a dark hat was blue, charcoal, or black cherry. But then I saw this on ebay...
The seller didn't list this hat as a "TWENTY", but like my grey "FIFTEEN", I noticed the sweatband designation and had to have it. Who can pass up a TWENTY? Funny enough, I was the only bidder on this hat, so I got it for a fantastic price.
Dobbs did a great job with this felt; it is very luxurious. The bow is tailored very nicely, tucked and pulled tight. It didn't show much wear, but the sweatband needed a good cleaning; it was amazing to see how much dirt came up. A good steaming reactivated the felt and it was very easy to shape. The block is pretty tall, 5 3/4". It's almost like the crown tapers in and then back out at the top. Maybe some more steam will help to relax this a bit so that it's more uniform all the way up.
It's a great hat and it fits fantastic. Black wasn't such a bad color after all. Here are the specs...
Make and Model - Dobbs TWENTY, 7 1/4
Color - Black
Crown Height - 5 3/4"
Brim Width - 2 3/8"
Ribbon Width - 2"
Extras - Guild Edge, flex fit sweatband
This is my first black fedora. The color black didn't really appeal to me for a hat, because it seemed like such an easy color to wear. That said, I didn't think it would complement my wardrobe like my grey, brown, and blue hats do. My idea of a dark hat was blue, charcoal, or black cherry. But then I saw this on ebay...
The seller didn't list this hat as a "TWENTY", but like my grey "FIFTEEN", I noticed the sweatband designation and had to have it. Who can pass up a TWENTY? Funny enough, I was the only bidder on this hat, so I got it for a fantastic price.
Dobbs did a great job with this felt; it is very luxurious. The bow is tailored very nicely, tucked and pulled tight. It didn't show much wear, but the sweatband needed a good cleaning; it was amazing to see how much dirt came up. A good steaming reactivated the felt and it was very easy to shape. The block is pretty tall, 5 3/4". It's almost like the crown tapers in and then back out at the top. Maybe some more steam will help to relax this a bit so that it's more uniform all the way up.
It's a great hat and it fits fantastic. Black wasn't such a bad color after all. Here are the specs...
Make and Model - Dobbs TWENTY, 7 1/4
Color - Black
Crown Height - 5 3/4"
Brim Width - 2 3/8"
Ribbon Width - 2"
Extras - Guild Edge, flex fit sweatband
Last edited:
Brad Bowers
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It stands for Very Very Light. The VVL heyday was 1958 to 1966, though there was a version of it as early as 1953.
For searching, use Google, and type site:thefedoralounge.com into the search box, and then add your search terms, in this case, Dobbs VVL, and it will bring up those posts only on the Lounge, and only relating to the Dobbs VVL.
Brad
Thank you Brad!!
Brad Bowers
I'll Lock Up
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Dobbs Top Hat, with come serious condition issues.
It's a bit of an enigma, as C&K says they didn't add silk hats to their factory lineup until 1917, but this and several others I've seen clearly date from September 1908 to early 1915. My guess is they either were experimenting with silk hats at that time, or else they were having them made elsewhere. No idea where, if that's the case.
It's an extremely lightweight hat, with the cotton mull forming the crown to be very thin and flexible, especially when compared to my older C&K topper, which is thick and heavy. The thinness of the hat is part of the reason the top of the crown was crushed at some point in its lifetime.
There is no sweatband, but in early C&K/Dobbs top hats they seldom tell anything except for the retailer. The numbers written inside the hat don't tell us much, either.
Finally, the real reason I wanted it was for the tip crest, which has the 242 Fifth Avenue Address and "The Knapp-Felt Shop." They moved next door to 244 in early 1915, making this one of the earliest Dobbs hats.
An interesting variation of this hat sold recently. It had a grommeted vent hole in the top of the hat, so perhaps it was for equestrian use.
Brad
It's a bit of an enigma, as C&K says they didn't add silk hats to their factory lineup until 1917, but this and several others I've seen clearly date from September 1908 to early 1915. My guess is they either were experimenting with silk hats at that time, or else they were having them made elsewhere. No idea where, if that's the case.
It's an extremely lightweight hat, with the cotton mull forming the crown to be very thin and flexible, especially when compared to my older C&K topper, which is thick and heavy. The thinness of the hat is part of the reason the top of the crown was crushed at some point in its lifetime.
There is no sweatband, but in early C&K/Dobbs top hats they seldom tell anything except for the retailer. The numbers written inside the hat don't tell us much, either.
Finally, the real reason I wanted it was for the tip crest, which has the 242 Fifth Avenue Address and "The Knapp-Felt Shop." They moved next door to 244 in early 1915, making this one of the earliest Dobbs hats.
An interesting variation of this hat sold recently. It had a grommeted vent hole in the top of the hat, so perhaps it was for equestrian use.
Brad
Alive'n'Amplified
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Dobbs Milan
Here is a really nice Dobbs Milan that I picked up from Etsy. The condition is beautiful and the sweatband is soft and supple. I've been really wanting a wide brimmed Milan for quite a while; I really like this one. The straw color is very appealing; honey. I didn't like the pug at first, but it's been growing on me. The sweatband is perforated in several spots, so I'm sure it will be cool and enjoyable in the summer! Also, can someone explain the lacy weave where the crown meets the brim? Was this standard on Milans? Does it increase airflow? Here are the specs...
Model - Milan
Color - Honey
Size - 7 1/4
Crown (front) - 4 3/8"
Crown (rear) - 3 7/8"
Brim - 2 3/8"+
Orig. Price - $10
And on with the pics!...
Here is a really nice Dobbs Milan that I picked up from Etsy. The condition is beautiful and the sweatband is soft and supple. I've been really wanting a wide brimmed Milan for quite a while; I really like this one. The straw color is very appealing; honey. I didn't like the pug at first, but it's been growing on me. The sweatband is perforated in several spots, so I'm sure it will be cool and enjoyable in the summer! Also, can someone explain the lacy weave where the crown meets the brim? Was this standard on Milans? Does it increase airflow? Here are the specs...
Model - Milan
Color - Honey
Size - 7 1/4
Crown (front) - 4 3/8"
Crown (rear) - 3 7/8"
Brim - 2 3/8"+
Orig. Price - $10
And on with the pics!...
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Very nice. It is a ventilation system - works especially well if you wear it without the pug. 
Can't remember if these are both Dobbs hats (the one on the left is)... will have to wait until summer to be sure. They are piled up on the top shelf, resting.
Can't remember if these are both Dobbs hats (the one on the left is)... will have to wait until summer to be sure. They are piled up on the top shelf, resting.
mikespens
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A very fine milan David.
Brad Bowers
I'll Lock Up
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I've shown this photo before of what appears to be a giant Dobbs Boater. I don't know when it was taken, but it was published in 1924.
I now have a bit more on the hat. Not much, but it's something. Here's another photo of the hat, with three men. The man on the right is John Herbert Radley. The hat is mostly a Boater with the exception of the extreme roll on the brim. Probably to help it keeps its shape, as that would take an enormous amount of gelatine to stiffen it.
John Herbert Radley emigrated from England in 1911. He found work at the Marshall Hat Factory in Falls River, MA. In 1913, the Foreman P.D. (most likely foreman of the pouncing department) sent him a postcard asking if he'd like to come work for C&K. Radley did, and by 1914 he was working his way up through the company. He even may have met his wife there, as she was working as an "Operator in a straw hat shop" in 1910. They were married by 1915. By 1940, Radley was foreman of the Ladies' hat department of Hat Corporation of America, earning $2,080 a year (and all of this with a 6th grade education). Sometime probably before 1946 he became ill and had to take some time off of work. While being assured that his position was secure, he was denied it when he returned after his recovery, which left him bitter towards the company. I don't know where he ended up at that point.
Photo and story courtesy of Radley's granddaughter, Elizabeth. No idea when it was taken, or if Mr. Radley helped make the hat. It's possible that it was a novelty everyone had their photo taken with.
Brad
I now have a bit more on the hat. Not much, but it's something. Here's another photo of the hat, with three men. The man on the right is John Herbert Radley. The hat is mostly a Boater with the exception of the extreme roll on the brim. Probably to help it keeps its shape, as that would take an enormous amount of gelatine to stiffen it.
John Herbert Radley emigrated from England in 1911. He found work at the Marshall Hat Factory in Falls River, MA. In 1913, the Foreman P.D. (most likely foreman of the pouncing department) sent him a postcard asking if he'd like to come work for C&K. Radley did, and by 1914 he was working his way up through the company. He even may have met his wife there, as she was working as an "Operator in a straw hat shop" in 1910. They were married by 1915. By 1940, Radley was foreman of the Ladies' hat department of Hat Corporation of America, earning $2,080 a year (and all of this with a 6th grade education). Sometime probably before 1946 he became ill and had to take some time off of work. While being assured that his position was secure, he was denied it when he returned after his recovery, which left him bitter towards the company. I don't know where he ended up at that point.
Photo and story courtesy of Radley's granddaughter, Elizabeth. No idea when it was taken, or if Mr. Radley helped make the hat. It's possible that it was a novelty everyone had their photo taken with.
Brad
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Brad Bowers
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1953 Dobbs Rainbow
My colleague in the History Department won this beautiful, blue, 1953 Dobbs Rainbow for me last weekend at a silent auction. It’s my first Rainbow, filling a hole in my collection. Even though it’s early-‘50s, the hat still has a pleasing ‘40s sensibility about it. It’s two sizes too small for me to wear, but that’s okay. Most of my research collection is not my size.
Embroidered liner with plastic (acetate?) tip protector.
From Gano-Downs, a high-end department store in Denver. I especially like the Mc part of the initials, something I haven’t seen before.
Here is the ‘50s factory label with block size, for Josh J
Factory price tag with OPS information. Narrows it to ’51 to ’53. By Fall of 1955 the $12.50 price was eliminated in favor of $12.95, due to higher fur costs. This is the start of the $XX.95 pricing. That doesn’t affect the dating of this hat, but is just for further information.
Finally, a 1953 Dobbs Rainbow advertisement. It notes the twistline braid on both the ribbon and the top of the edge binding. The nice thing about certain hat models with decades of longevity is that some of the details change every year or two, helping us to narrow down their dates, as long as ads are available to us for comparison. Ads for the 1951 and 1952 Dobbs Rainbows all appear to have decorative stitching on the brim edge, rather than the twistline braid edge binding. For that reason, I have discounted this hat as either a ’51 model or a ’52 model.
It’s possible that my ’53 Rainbow could have been manufactured in late-1952, but it was definitely manufactured before July 9, 1953, as that’s the date the 10-month strike hit Hat Corporation of America. From my research, no hats were manufactured again until early 1954, when management and a few non-union workers were turning out miniscule numbers of hats from the factory. The strike didn’t end until May 1954.
Brad
My colleague in the History Department won this beautiful, blue, 1953 Dobbs Rainbow for me last weekend at a silent auction. It’s my first Rainbow, filling a hole in my collection. Even though it’s early-‘50s, the hat still has a pleasing ‘40s sensibility about it. It’s two sizes too small for me to wear, but that’s okay. Most of my research collection is not my size.
Embroidered liner with plastic (acetate?) tip protector.
From Gano-Downs, a high-end department store in Denver. I especially like the Mc part of the initials, something I haven’t seen before.
Here is the ‘50s factory label with block size, for Josh J
Factory price tag with OPS information. Narrows it to ’51 to ’53. By Fall of 1955 the $12.50 price was eliminated in favor of $12.95, due to higher fur costs. This is the start of the $XX.95 pricing. That doesn’t affect the dating of this hat, but is just for further information.
Finally, a 1953 Dobbs Rainbow advertisement. It notes the twistline braid on both the ribbon and the top of the edge binding. The nice thing about certain hat models with decades of longevity is that some of the details change every year or two, helping us to narrow down their dates, as long as ads are available to us for comparison. Ads for the 1951 and 1952 Dobbs Rainbows all appear to have decorative stitching on the brim edge, rather than the twistline braid edge binding. For that reason, I have discounted this hat as either a ’51 model or a ’52 model.
It’s possible that my ’53 Rainbow could have been manufactured in late-1952, but it was definitely manufactured before July 9, 1953, as that’s the date the 10-month strike hit Hat Corporation of America. From my research, no hats were manufactured again until early 1954, when management and a few non-union workers were turning out miniscule numbers of hats from the factory. The strike didn’t end until May 1954.
Brad
rlk
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Thats as striking as it is handsome. Is that a Powder Blue?
