Vintage Borsalino -7 3/8

[bond]

Very nice vintage Borsalino in size 7 3/8. Color is a taupe with a light salmon undertone with matching salmon ribbon. Button cord. New stock sweatband, cleaned, liner replaced.
This is not a velour,but more like a xx quality felt. Vintage is 1940-50s. Original owners card was left inside the old sweat.( See pic.)
Felt is excellent condition. Brim is 2 1/2".
Pm with q's
Asking 225.

 

[lawjam]

How is the fit? i.e. is it exact 3/8, large 3/8, closer to 1/2, etc.

 

[bond]

Hat fits me very comfortable and I wear a 3/8 Long oval.

 

[Michael Plante]

A google search reveals that this hat was once worn by an authentic American hero:

Awarded for actions during the World War II

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain [then Commander] Warner Scott Rodimon (NSN: 0-62586), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. HOPEWELL (DD-681), in action against enemy Japanese forces during the bombardment of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 14 February 1945. Attempting the rescue of survivors from a stricken vessel in the face of enemy shore fire, Captain Rodimon courageously engaged five enemy batteries and, by his aggressive action, succeeded in silencing several of the gun positions although his ship had been severely damaged. His determination, initiative and courageous devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

General Orders: Commander 7th Fleet: Serial 058 (September 11, 1945)

Action Date: February 14, 1945

Service: Navy

Rank: Captain

Company: Commanding Officer

Division: U.S.S. Hopewell (DD-681)
http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=56345

Would you take $175 for it... card included?

 

[Michael Plante]

Captain Rodimon's obituary:

Warner Rodimon, 97; retired rear admiral, Silver Star winner

By Jack Williams
STAFF WRITER

June 20, 2005

With shore batteries heavily damaging his destroyer off Corregidor Island in the Philippines, Warner S. Rodimon showed the kind of inspiring leadership that his crewmen on the Hopewell would never forget.

In an action that would earn him the Silver Star, the future rear admiral scrambled to direct a counterattack and provide sanctuary for survivors of the Hopewell.

Years after that World War II fight, the Hopewell's surviving crewmen wrote a letter of appreciation to their commander.

"Your leadership and firm hand kept us focused and alive during the greatest adventure of our lives," they said.

Rear Adm. Rodimon, who also received a Bronze Star during World War II, died June 15 at his home in La Jolla. He was 97.

The cause of death was complications from cancer, which he had been battling for several years, said his grandnephew, Randolph Court.

On Feb. 14, 1934, the Hopewell was supporting minesweepers clearing a channel north of Corregidor Island when it was hit several times by shore batteries. Seventeen crew members were killed and 12 wounded.

Rear Adm. Rodimon later saw action in the Korean War, commanding an ammunition ship assigned to arm naval task forces. He went on to serve as squadron commander of eight destroyers in 1955 and 1956.

One of his last assignments, before retiring in 1959, was as marine director of the Panama Canal Co., a U.S. government corporation. Adm. Rodimon oversaw the operation of a mechanized waterway. His responsibilities included the maintenance of canal locks, ship repair, a marine railway and ferries, towboats and launch vessels.

Upon his retirement, Rear Adm. Rodimon and his wife, Dorothea, settled near the ocean in La Jolla. For 13 years, he worked as a civilian for the National Alliance for Businessmen, finding jobs for veterans.

Warner Scott Rodimon was born Sept. 17, 1907, in North Hampton, Mass. He received an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1925.

Early in World War II, he was assigned to the battleship Massachusetts. As an air defense officer, he participated in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa.

While cruising off Casablanca, Morocco, the Massachusetts engaged in a gun duel with the French battleship Jean Bart, firing some of the first blasts of the war by an American vessel.

After the war, Rear Adm. Rodimon took part in atomic bomb testing at the Bikini atoll in the Marshall Islands. Before the Korean War, he directed naval aid efforts in Oslo, Norway, as chief of the U.S. Military Aid Group.

In retirement he enjoyed tennis and golf for many years while occupying a home built in 1927 down the street from the Marine Room restaurant.

He was preceded in death by his son, Scott Harrison Rodimon, stepson, Robert Harrison Van Meter, and brother, Clark Caillat Rodimon.

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Dorothea, a longtime La Jolla real estate agent.

A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. July 15 at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church.

http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050620/news_1m20rodimon.html

 

[Rick Blaine]

PM sent

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Wow! What a history!

 

[Michael Plante]

PM sent.

 

[bond]

Wow what a history is right!
If only I would have bothered to google his name earlier, maybe I could have upped the ante.
At any rate I even forgot how much I was originally asking for the damn hat and I just accepted an offer of 195.shipped.
I hope the new owner appreciates the heritage of this renowned hat even more now. Especially thanks to the fact checkers with whom I shall next time consult first before listing hats with card of owner listed in it.