Went antique hunting with a lady friend today.

[Maj.Nick Danger]

And I stumbled upon this,.......

A Resistol. 1 and 3/4 inch brim, 4 and 3/4 inch crown, beaver xxx with the kitten finish, (and it is soft as a kitten's behind )
I bought it anyway, even though it's not my size, as it looks like it had been worn only once if at all, and the price was right.
Made for a defunct local department store, Higbee's, which was aquired by Dillard's about 20 years ago.
But I wonder if it may be older than that?
Could any of our esteemed hat experts here kindly lend a little of their expertise in dating this? Much obliged in advance.


Here's the inside.

And a stamp inside the sweatband.

 

[Art Fawcett]

This hat is pretty solidly in the '60s Maj...my guess would be 64-66. nice find!!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Groovy!

Thank you Art. It's got that Sinatra look to it for sure, so I was guessing 60's to 70's. [huh]

It's really in amazing condition for a 40 year old hat! The pics don't really do it justice. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I read somewhere that Resistol quit making dress hats in 1968, and concentrated on Western hats thereafter. Does it have the clear plastic at the top of the liner?

Is there a model name?

Looks cool!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Hmm,..1968?

That would follow. In my attempts to find Resistol on the web, I noticed that the only thing they seem to make currently is the western style hats.
Yes, the central portion of the liner where the logo is does have clear plastic over it. And no, there is no model name, just the initials, "GTW", and a number near the size printed on the inside of the sweatband, 0W4227. Maybe a model number? [huh]

 

[Magus]

Size?

Hi Nick...whats the size on that baby?....nice lid!

M

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Oh,...forgot to mention,....

.....it's a 7 and 1/8. Interested Magus? This looks to be your style exactly. PM me if so, and I can set up for a better photograph tonight. The actual color is a bit cooler than my quick snapshots.

Here's the other side of the inside of the sweatband with the size stamped in ink.

 

[funneman]

Nice Lid

....hey Nick, if that doesn't fit Magus, I'm interested. It's brown, right?

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Yes, definately,.....

A dark chocolate brown. Darker than what our friend here is wearing. ---> :fedora:

 

[jamespowers]

I read somewhere that Resistol quit making dress hats in 1968, and concentrated on Western hats thereafter. Does it have the clear plastic at the top of the liner?

Yep, you read it here. They quit making dress hats due to their consolidation within HatCo in 1968. If it doesn't say Byer Rolnick then it is after 1968 as well.
I think yours does in the liner below the Resistol logo right Maj?
Resistol made great dress hats. I have a Kitten Finish or two, a little older, that I like as well. "Keep yours hands off my Kitten!"

Regards,

J

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Yeah,....

It does say Byer Rolnick now that you mention it. I saw "By something or other" when I first got it home, then saw the names on the Resistol website.

 

[thefedorastore]

Major Danger, thanks for stopping in today. I have one of those in my vintage section, and that Kitten Finish is really nice. Can't say there are many hats that compare to that felt these days. There are some that get close. That's a nice find. If you need to unload it, I can list it in my store on consignment for you.
Duane

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Thanks Duane.

Maybe we could do that. Hat is in mint condition. Only "wear" is a little bit to the Higbee's logo on one side of the sweatband. PM the details to me if you would.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Just picked up something similar

Got one from eBay, a Resistol "707." It doesn't say beaver or kitten or anything, but it's a lovely soft felt in dark chocolate brown.

Style is similar to the Major's, stingy brim (downright miserly, in fact) with a center dent. Trouble is, the auction said 7-3/8, which I figured was close enough to the 7-1/2 I normally wear (and which is a tad loose), but when I flipped the sweatband down, it had "7-1/4" stamped in it.

Still, it may be close enough, it sits a little high on my head, but wearable. I need a haircut, so it may fit better after I get one.