What's the holy grail of hat collecting?

[jedichase]

Hey everybody,

Although I'm new here I've been collecting hats and other antiques for a couple of years now. However, I've never heard of a hat that is etremely hard to find or was made in a very small quantity. Besides original movie hats (Bogarts fedora in Casablanca, or Ford's fedora in Raiders), what is considered the rarest fedora in the world? Thanks for reading and for any info.

Chase K.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Hey jedichase!

Hey everybody,

Although I'm new here I've been collecting hats and other antiques for a couple of years now. However, I've never heard of a hat that is etremely hard to find or was made in a very small quantity. Besides original movie hats (Bogarts fedora in Casablanca, or Ford's fedora in Raiders), what is considered the rarest fedora in the world? Thanks for reading and for any info.

Chase K.

Hiya & welcome to TFL! Glad to see another Cracker.

Great & oft axe'd (as is the vernacular, here) question, I think many would agree it would be one of these in a size wearable by modern man. They came w/ the ermine tails of the critters used in the hat, a real BFD of a lid. Others here however have more diverse criteria... what is YOUR Holy Grail, jedichase?

 

[DavidJ]

That's the hat that came to my mind, and I could even wear it! I personally don't know my Holy Grail hat, but I'm sure I'll know it when I see it.

 

[jlee562]

Of modern hats, the Optimo 1000 comes to mind.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I would say RLK would have it for sure.

 

[mercuryfelt76]

For me, although not a fedora, the ultimate rare find would be a grey (or any colour other than black) silk top hat.

 

[randooch]

I bet it appears within these 32 pages:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...doras-are-you-pining-for&highlight=holy+grait

 

[barrowjh]

I think any vintage hat that serendipitously turns out to be a really top-shelf hat AND in pristine condition would add up to a well-pleased collector. This ebay buy cost me just over $100 -

I sent it off to Optimo for a full refurb and it became the hat in this pic

There was this navy blue (cobalta) borsalino that a lady put on ebay with a $70 BIN:

This is classic 1930's construction (sweat sewn directly to the felt except for the forehead area, liner sewn to the felt), really a nice hat to own and wear.
JTL provided a seminar on teardrop creasing with it in post #5 in this thread:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?36304-MONTEAGLE-2009&highlight=monteagle

Neither of those two hats measure up to an ermine beaver 100 Stetson, but they represent a level of quality almost all of us will be well-pleased to acquire and wear. I have a few other examples, but I think these two go a long way towards describing a reasonable 'holy grail' for me.

 

[Sam Craig]

Besides original movie hats (Bogarts fedora in Casablanca, or Ford's fedora in Raiders), what is considered the rarest fedora in the world? Thanks for reading and for any info.

Chase K.

Well, Chase, for me it would be the three hats I've been looking for since 1974:

1 Long finish beaver top hat in a medium brown or tan

2 Beaver felt Mexican combrero

and 3, the American equivalent, an original Tom Mix-style western

All three in my size and wearable condition, of course.

I don't really look for them anymore, but I will say, when I was 30 years younger, the search was exciting and I came very close on a couple of them several times.

Of course, I must add, in those days money ... anything over 25 bucks ... was an object.

Today with the Internet, all you need is the cash.

Sam

 

[mercuryfelt76]

Sam, you're right, I forgot the sky-high beaver top hat. There seem to be a lot of "civil war" collectors who only sell their beaver top hats to American buyers. Besides I want a British one, like Brunel used to wear but I just can't find one in this country. Did the British destroy em all? I suppose we didn't have a celebrated civil war to encourage us to keep em. If anyone owns a 7.5" (or more) high "dandy" top hat in a 7 1/8 UK, preferably British made, I'd be glad to make you an offer...

 

[Sam Craig]

I blame the lack of old toppers here directly at the feet of Gene Autrey and "Frosty the Snowman"

There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found.

Bull

Stinkin' vandal kids ... putting top hats on filthy snowmen

Harrumpfff!

Sam

 

[alanfgag]

Abstinence.

 

[buler]

Abstinence.

ound:

Yeah, right.

B

 

[jedichase]

Thanks for the welcome. Even though my search for a holy grail hat thread turned nothing up I knew that there had to be one.

My personal holy grail at this point in collecting would be a adventurebuilt raiders in beaver, and for non-fedoras a british colonel's pith helmet.

 

[Historyteach24]

Mine would be a custom art fawcett and a vintage stetson whippet that fits my size 7 1/2

 

[Lloyd]

seal velour, 7 1/2 LO with a wide brim please
preferably brown but I'll take whatever I can find.

 

[bowlerman]

I've been fantasizing about Optimo's hats (from afar I like their Oxford and their 47th street), but would probably have to sell all my others in order to afford one!

Otherwise, this one is still kind of my Holy Grail:

It was my grandfather's Stetson fifteen 3X mode edge with amazing colors (to me anyway). He died when I was one year old. My dad currently has it, and wears it himself once in awhile.

 

[delectans]

That lid is beyond the Grail, Jeff.

 

[ShortAndCashed]

Mine would be a mint condish silverbelly Stetson Stratoliner. I want one really bad. But, in 7-3/8, they're expensive and hard to find. So, I'll probably find a cheap silverbelly western, and try to convert it.

 

[hatophile]

I've been fantasizing about Optimo's hats (from afar I like their Oxford and their 47th street), but would probably have to sell all my others in order to afford one!

Otherwise, this one is still kind of my Holy Grail:

It was my grandfather's Stetson fifteen 3X mode edge with amazing colors (to me anyway). He died when I was one year old. My dad currently has it, and wears it himself once in awhile.

"Uh hey, Dad, do you mind if I borrow the hat?"