" The Great British Hat Makers "

[steur]

Walter Earnard & Son on its way to me now.....with a Knox box! Not sure the date on this one....30's maybe?....hope it is in as great a shape as it looks......pictures from seller.....
M
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Nice find, Mark. Hope it is in good nick.

 

[PanosChris]

Not sure if that belongs here or there is another relative thread. Please advise me accordingly if so. This was actually a bonus hat since it was packed on top of a vintage Stetson grey homburg hat posted in the Homburg Nation thread. Dark blue fedora (probably wool). Felt is soft and thick with some substantial weight on it. It is unlined (although there is some stiching behing the sweatband) and features ventilation holes. Brim has some minimal flange but it does not snap.

 

[steur]

Not sure if that belongs here or there is another relative thread. Please advise me accordingly if so. This was actually a bonus hat since it was packed on top of a vintage Stetson grey homburg hat posted in the Homburg Nation thread. Dark blue fedora (probably wool). Felt is soft and thick with some substantial weight on it. It is unlined (although there is some stiching behing the sweatband) and features ventilation holes. Brim has some minimal flange but it does not snap.
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It's a nice find, Panos. Attaboy is indeed of English make and all of them are made of wool. Manufactured by Denton Hat Company Ltd.
I have one in black and @fabiovenhorst has one in homburg style.

 

[PanosChris]

It's a nice find, Panos. Attaboy is indeed of English make and all of them are made of wool. Manufactured by Denton Hat Company Ltd.
I have one in black and @fabiovenhorst has one in homburg style.

Thanks for the info Stefan ! The previous owner sold this as a "blue stetson bowler hat" (imagine it on top of the grey homburg I posted yesterday). It's always fun to get a bonus hat and it makes a nice winter one too

 

[Steve1857]

Not sure if that belongs here or there is another relative thread. Please advise me accordingly if so. This was actually a bonus hat since it was packed on top of a vintage Stetson grey homburg hat posted in the Homburg Nation thread. Dark blue fedora (probably wool). Felt is soft and thick with some substantial weight on it. It is unlined (although there is some stiching behing the sweatband) and features ventilation holes. Brim has some minimal flange but it does not snap.
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It definitely belongs here, Panos. Nice bonus find.

Denton are part of the Manchester group of hatters. Top notch hatters in their day with Battersby and Lee among the best.

The wool felt is the reason the brim doesn't snap like a felt hat.

This one is just as vintage as your wonderful Stetson Homburgs. The Trimmers' Union stamp mark is proof of that.

The remains of the inside stitches attest to a lost liner.

Again, nice bonus and a good addition to your collection. Congrats, Panos.


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[PanosChris]

It definitely belongs here, Panos. Nice bonus find.

Denton are part of the Manchester group of hatters. Top notch hatters in their day with Battersby and Lee among the best.

The wool felt is the reason the brim doesn't snap like a felt hat.

This one is just as vintage as your wonderful Stetson Homburgs. The Trimmers' Union stamp mark is proof of that.

The remains of the inside stitches attest to a lost liner.

Again, nice bonus and a good addition to your collection. Congrats, Panos.


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Thanks Steve for your comments and info! I think the same with you with the stitches and ex-liner, it's just the top label and ventilation holes that are kind of confusing. Maybe a later modification ?

 

[Steve1857]

Thanks Steve for your comments and info! I think the same with you with the stitches and ex-liner, it's just the top label and ventilation holes that are kind of confusing. Maybe a later modification ?

I believe them to be original. The tip logo would have been seen under the original liner's "onion" oil top. The vents are somewhat typical for wool felt hats, though not all.

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[PanosChris]

I believe them to be original. The tip logo would have been seen under the original liner's "onion" oil top. The vents are somewhat typical for wool felt hats, though not all.

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Good to know Steve, thanks! I wasn't aware the logo could be found below the liner. Removal of the liner by the original owner makes a lot of sense given the thickness of the felt, too warm I guess, even for Norway It could well just lost too.

 

[Steve1857]

Good to know Steve, thanks! I wasn't aware the logo could be found below the liner. Removal of the liner by the original owner makes a lot of sense given the thickness of the felt, too warm I guess, even for Norway It could well just lost too.

It's not exactly below the liner, but can be seen under a protective oil / pre plastic substance which is part of the liner.

Often called onion due partly to its shape and yellowish colour.

The attached photos show one such on an English made Stetson.

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[PanosChris]

It's not exactly below the liner, but can be seen under a protective oil / pre plastic substance which is part of the liner.

Often called onion due partly to its shape and yellowish colour.

The attached photos show one such on an English made Stetson.

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Ah I see, thanks for educating me Steve!

 

[Steve1857]

I can thoroughly recommend this book about the hat industry in and around Luton, south east England.

It mainly deals with the areas expertise in the production of straw hats, but covers the manufacture of other hats, too.

I picked it up while on holiday in the UK. Amazon may still have copies.

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[Steve1857]

While brushing my hats today, I realized that I'd bought this lovely example of British hat maker craftsmanship about a year ago at the weekly Saturday flea market here in Elsinore, Denmark.

A Moores & Sons' Bowler created at their Denton factory, Manchester, made "expressly" for Magasin du Nord (the Harrods of Copenhagen and even more exclusive then than now) probably in the 1920s or 1930s. It's a very solid, heavy bowler with a hat liner that is a joy to behold.

I wondered what the term "Vacuum Fitting" meant, but soon found out once I put the bowler on. The wide and thick leather sweat band seems to expand thus fitting the hat tightly to the head. Not in an uncomfortable way though. This leads me to surmise that the original owner who ordered it needed this particular feature because he didn't want his bowler to easily fall off. Copenhagen and its environs are not particularly windy, so this suggests to me that it was used while out horse riding.

Whatever its history, and oh if only hats could talk, I am so pleased it became a part of my collection.

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[steur]

While brushing my hats today, I realized that I'd bought this lovely example of British hat maker craftsmanship about a year ago at the weekly Saturday flea market here in Elsinore, Denmark.

A Moores & Sons' Bowler created at their Denton factory, Manchester, made "expressly" for Magasin du Nord (the Harrods of Copenhagen and even more exclusive then than now) probably in the 1920s or 1930s. It's a very solid, heavy bowler with a hat liner that is a joy to behold.

I wondered what the term "Vacuum Fitting" meant, but soon found out once I put the bowler on. The wide and thick leather sweat band seems to expand thus fitting the hat tightly to the head. Not in an uncomfortable way though. This leads me to surmise that the original owner who ordered it needed this particular feature because he didn't want his bowler to easily fall off. Copenhagen and its environs are not particularly windy, so this suggests to me that it was used while out horse riding.

Whatever its history, and oh if only hats could talk, I am so pleased it became a part of my collection.

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Now why didn't I comment on this one before? Don't know, but it's a glorious bowler, Steve. Moores was a maker of very fine hats. Haven't been ablte to catch one of their bowlers before.

 

[steur]

Patterson&Co trilby in a size 57. Overwelt brim at just over 4cm, so a real stingy. Felted ribbon in black. Crown a good 11cm at the center dent. The felt is almost identical to the Hückel melé I posted last week, which was a nice surprise. I've had a Patterson hat before and that one was very stiff indeed, while this one is very soft. Too big for me and not my preferred style. But a well made hat. Mid to late sixties I think.

 

[Steve1857]

Now why didn't I comment on this one before? Don't know, but it's a glorious bowler, Steve. Moores was a maker of very fine hats. Haven't been ablte to catch one of their bowlers before.

Thanks, Stefan. This is the only one I've managed to come across, so they are hard to find in the vintage market. If I were to go out on a limb, I'd say this is the best bowler in my collection.

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[steur]

Last one of the four I bought of the same owner. These hats all belonged to prof. dr. C.S. Kruyt (I know because they came in a box with his name on it). Born 1920 and apparently still alive (hat wearing is good for you). This is him:

Fourth one is a Joshua Turner in black. Size 57 with an overwelt brim at 5cm and crown 10cm at the center dent. Unlined and unreeded construction. Very lightweight at only 77grams, which is uncommon for English made hats. Joshua Turner was a London based hatter who was listed in the register of English makers of 1902 as a woolfelt maker. In the register of 1945 they are no longer listed at all.
This hat has me a bit stumped. Some features point towards an early (pre-war that is) hat: the unreeded construction, the way the ribbon and bow are done and the shape, but that doesn't really fit with the wearer, who was born in 1920. Could be it wasn't made by Joshua Turner but just branded and the label seems to suggest that (looks like the labels used by Moores or T&W Lees). I'm going to go with late forties for that reason.

 

[Steve1857]

Another Bowler to the collection and another Manchester hat, too.

I believe this one to be inter-war years: closer to WWI than WWII in my opinion, so late teens or early to mid twenties.

I don't believe Hartley & Boedeker survived after WWII, so I'm very pleased with this one.

As hopefully can be seen from the photos, it has quite a high crown. Just over 5 inches (13,3cm). It's the tallest of my Bowlers.

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[drmaxtejeda]

While brushing my hats today, I realized that I'd bought this lovely example of British hat maker craftsmanship about a year ago at the weekly Saturday flea market here in Elsinore, Denmark.

A Moores & Sons' Bowler created at their Denton factory, Manchester, made "expressly" for Magasin du Nord (the Harrods of Copenhagen and even more exclusive then than now) probably in the 1920s or 1930s. It's a very solid, heavy bowler with a hat liner that is a joy to behold.

I wondered what the term "Vacuum Fitting" meant, but soon found out once I put the bowler on. The wide and thick leather sweat band seems to expand thus fitting the hat tightly to the head. Not in an uncomfortable way though. This leads me to surmise that the original owner who ordered it needed this particular feature because he didn't want his bowler to easily fall off. Copenhagen and its environs are not particularly windy, so this suggests to me that it was used while out horse riding.

Whatever its history, and oh if only hats could talk, I am so pleased it became a part of my collection.

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Wonderful liner, Steve. Sometimes I envy European's antique hats availability. Then I remember the weather in Europe and feel at peace again.

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[steur]

Another Bowler to the collection and another Manchester hat, too.

I believe this one to be inter-war years: closer to WWI than WWII in my opinion, so late teens or early to mid twenties.

I don't believe Hartley & Boedeker survived after WWII, so I'm very pleased with this one.

As hopefully can be seen from the photos, it has quite a high crown. Just over 5 inches (13,3cm). It's the tallest of my Bowlers.

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Nice find, Steve. It does have a substantial crown. It doesn't shy away from what it is. The brim is awesome!

 

[TheOldFashioned]

Wonderful liner, Steve. Sometimes I envy European's antique hats availability. Then I remember the weather in Europe and feel at peace again.

Says the guy who spent a month in Spain. Didn't you avoid the rain in Spain? It stays mainly in the plain.