OUTSTANDING True Vintage Late 1940s to very early 1950s - KNOX - Light Brown Fedora - Size is 7-1/8+++ to 7-1/4 (read below).
With that Beautiful Silk (not satin!) headliner! That Hat Liner (this has one of the super thin plastic liner covers) is so soft and silky to the touch and really does match up with the dating on this.
We believe this to be a 1940s Lightweight Beaver Twenty, it felt like that while we were steam shaping it but the texture and the way it feels while shaping this has us STUMPED! We will revisit this later on down the description!
This has a Double Stitched brim edge, we have only seen that on the 1930s and early 1940s fedora hats. This has NO under-welt and NO over-welt! We ran our fingers around that brim edge and there is nothing there! So again Dating this has been a REAL CHALLENGE!
We know the Size Tag states 7-1/8 but there was No hat sizing standardization back then! This measures closer to a Perfect 7-1/4, it's just a faction under a Perfect 7-1/4 by a 1/8 of an inch and could easily be stretched to a Perfect 7-1/4, read below, see end pictures. That happened post 1970 when the Tilley Hat Sizing Chart was developed and adopted by all the Big Hat manufacturers and others too.
We were able to add that video to show how easily and soft this really is! The brim is easily flipped up or down and you can see that shaping is so Easily Done! If you want the brim steamed in the down position and the Pinched crown steamed into the fedora Please just write to us and ask after you purchase this Fedora. We will send you pictures before we ship for your approval.
Please be sure to READ the whole description!
With that Silk hat liner! Not satin but Real Silk! They just don NOT make hats like this anymore! It was NOT easy to determine the dating because there is a thin PLASTIC hat liner cover but it also has the KNOX logo stamped onto the Coat Trolley String Button! We have only seen that Bottom with a stamped KNOX logo on pre 1950s Knox hats! Does anybody have any better information on this fedora? Please write to us if you do and PLEASE just don't say,”this dates to XXXX”, please help us by giving some sort of an explanation too.
WE ALWAYS fill the picture gallery so you can see EVERY DETAIL! We NEVER HIDE ANYTHING! We just can't find anything really wrong with this OUTSTANDING Hat! It's appears to have been very rarely worn! There is No wear on the leather sweatband at all. We'd say less than a handful of times! Please look at all the pictures, they say so much more than we can say about this Hat! We only found that pencil point size, very shallow moth nip on the top and a couple other very small shallow surface moth chews underneath. These are really NEVER seen when wearing any Great Fedora! Nobody will ever even notice these at all!
Now after taking pictures outside my grandson says there is a very slight difference in color, he says he cannot see it inside the home but in the light he can barely see it, it is just above the grosgrain ribbon, it's a shade different than the rest of the hat. He added a picture that tries to exaggerate the difference, can you see it? It's there. Dad and I can't really see it but we have very old eyes. So look through all the pictures and he says to BLOW them up and look towards the end pictures too. Write to us if you need some help.
We have added a video of just how easily this is Hand Bashed! It is EXTREMELY SOFT and Very Very Pliable! This does not act like exactly Beaver material! It's just to pliable! Even the Beaver TwentyFive is NOT as soft and pliable as this one is?
When steam shaping it it softened up to a very soft melted buttery feel and that's how a high grade Beaver would feel. But after removing it from the old wooden hat form it was still just way to soft and pliable! Again NOTHING like the Beaver hats we are used to working with. So one of Dad's hat collectors has written back to us to tell us he believes this is Beaver with Rabbit material? Or what could be a Pure Fur Felt? Again we are COMPLETELY STUMPED! This is NOTHING like any fur felt hat that you'd ever see post 1950s! Those are much more stiff and NOT pliable like this one is!
Ok so another one of Dad's hat collectors wrote to suggest that it maybe a true original NUTRIA material. Because f how very very soft and pliable it is after steaming it. We do have experience with the 1950s Nutria but this is just a bit different.
Note: we added that Video showing how very soft and pliable that it is. You can see how quickly and accurately “Hand Bashing” this takes only seconds, see video.
NOTE: that thin tissue paper hat cover you see in the pictures is just disintegrating every time we touch it. We are afraid that will not make it back inside the box without completely tearing apart and making a complete MESS of everything. SO THAT IS BEING REMOVED FROM THIS SALE! It just not worth the mess it's going to make! Do NOT worry! You hat will be very gently packed inside a protective cover when it's goes back inside the hat box!
When it takes 3-5 seconds to Hand Bash this into different shapes. And it is so easily “Hand Bashed”! We decided to steam shape this into just a Center Dent which made this a Perfect Hat and by Hand Bashing a Pinched Crown into it, that made this a Pinched Crown Hat.
Now if you'd like to have the that Pinched Crown (we suggest the pinched crown, it just makes it that much sharper looking, that's our own opinion or the Telescope Crown or Pinched Telescope Crown) shape steamed into the hat lease write to us and we will get that done for you and we will send you pictures before it is shipped for your approval.
We filled the picture gallery so you can see every detail! Nothing to hide on this great Vintage Hat!
The color is a Light Brown color, NOT TAUPE. Picture of the whole underside of the hat (without hat box) is the closest and best reflects the actual color.
MUST READ THIS PLEASE!
So many folks DO NOT want to spend the EXTRA MONEY on shipping the Large 8 Sided Knox Hat Box! We have had 2 who have written us so far! That we have made the Hat Box and Optional Purchase? Shipping this Large hat box requires a very Large shipping box! After measuring the shipping box it requires a 16X16X14 box. If you do NOT want this hat box we will edit the weight and dimensions BEFORE YOU PURCHASE IT. Shipping will be around $20. Plus or minus a couple of dollars, NOT to exceed $22!
NOTE1: the 1950s yellowish Know 8 sided hat box is still in great condition. Yes, there is some very minor paper wear and it does have its original hat holding insert set! It's well worthy of storing, shipping and displaying!
CURRENTLY THIS IS THE 8 sided KNOX HAT BOX THAT IS OPTIONAL IN THIS SALE!
NOTE 2: YOU MUST WRITE TO US IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE KNOX HAT BOX,
NOTE 3. Shipping outside the Continental USA is Currently WITHOUT the hat box! You MUST write to us if you do want that hat box BEFORE a buying the hat so we can adjust the weight and dimensions.
SO BEFORE BUYING THIS OUTSTANDING FEDORA, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE WRITE TO US?
NOTE 4: IF WE SEND YOU AN OFFER IT IS WITH THE 8 Sided Knox Yellowish HAT BOX!
There is a size tag stating “7-1/8” but back then there was NO hat sizing standardization.
We actually measure each 3 times using different methods.
This actually measures to a size 7-1/8+++ at 22-5/8, See pictures.
So a perfect size 7-1/8 is 22-3/8 inches and a perfect 7+1/4 Or -22-3/4 22-6/8 inches. This is only 1/8 of an inch under a perfect 7-1/4.
Many of our buyer are using that Amazon $15 hat stretcher getting Excellent results! We suggest when stretching any hat that first apply Glove Oil (Walmart sells that for $5), yes the same glove oil used on Baseball Gloves. Apply Glove Oil and allow it to completely absorb, about 12 hours. Repeat this a second time, allow it to completely absorb, then start stretching your hat. Remember only do very fractional turns each day. Then remove and test it. If it fits, you still need to use the hat stretcher for at least another couple of days (sometimes even longer) to have the stretch remain in the leather sweatband's memory. It's really very easy to do! If you need help please write to us.
Details
Color Light Brown
Length 13.7 inches
Width 11.7 inches
Height 5.2 inches, at the tallest point, in the Center Dent style
Matching Brown Grosgrain Ribbon 1.5 inches
Brim Width 2.8 inches
This does have its original coat Trolley string. This was another telltale sign of the dating of this Great Fedora! The Trolley String is completely Functional! The Button on the end has no loop but simply folds under the string as it goes around the hat, see pictures.
The Feather may not be original to this fedora but it looked great so we left it!
Take a look at dads other great vintage hat he has listed, we try and list couple each week. If you have any additional information or corrections, please write us.
This is just a really great hat!
Local pickup is always free.
Ship with Fedex or USPS priority mail, whichever arrives quickest. Both costs a couple dollars more but they are very reliable and they do not crush or damage boxes, also much faster shipping. I
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Dad has collected hats for a lifetime and there are 100s of them, on shelves, stacked in closets and spare bedrooms.
We are slowly listing these special hats weekly.
We stand behind the eBay garentee and have NEVER had and issue with returns. We ask you to verify your hat size before you buy and we supply the maximum amount of pictures but if you need anything please write and ask. No Smoking - No Pets
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