Vintage Stetson Playboy Royal Gold Medal Gray Fedora 7 ¼
Vintage Stetson Playboy Royal Gold Medal Gray Fedora 7 ¼. My best guess is this hat is from the 1940s. Behind the sweatband is missing. If has some moth damage/divots, but no holes all the way through the felt. The felt is very thin and creases at the lightest touch.
This is the kind of felt (crown) that you can blow a crease into. There is some soiling so look closely at all the photos and zoom in. If you have any concerns about the condition or need to see flaws etc.Please request additional photos and I'll get you what I can. I can send you photos of stains, moth damage, etc.
This hat is used and does show signs of prior wear. The photos are a part of the description so zoom in and look close and ask for more phots if you are still not sure or if there is a part of the hat you cannot see. I do not guarantee fit.
I can provide interior length and width measurements. Upon request, I can provide you with the circumference/size as determined by a milliners sizing tool, but in my experience that tool measures hats approximately 1/2 size or 0.5cm smaller than the actual size.
The stiffer the felt the less accurate the tool is. My opinion on the fit is just my personal take and is NOT to be relied on for how the hat will fit you (it's just how the hat fits me).
Also understand that sizing varies between makers and can vary based on when the hat was made. Furthermore, hats can become stretched out, shrink, just fit differently one brand or one date of manufacture to the next. I package hats with reasonable care, but the box, packaging materials, heat, and the "care" shown by postal employees all work to distort crowns and brims.
This applies to used/vintage hats and to hats that are new and new with tags alike. Shaping and reshaping hats is part of the fun of hat ownership, and this hat will need some shaping when it arrives. Additionally, hat may be shaped/creased/bashed off center and require adjusting by the new owner.Most of my hats are hand creased / bashed / shaped and neither the brim nor the crowns will be symmetrical. Misshaped hats are not considered a defect and are to be expected. Ribbons and bows can arrive creased or loose. I cannot attest to the originality of the hat or its component parts. I don't know if repairs have been made or what methods were used in any repairs.
I cannot determine the type of fur used in the felt of the hats. Leather sweatbands are prone to dry rot and other problems. I try to provide accurate photos, but I make no warranties on the condition of the leather. Additionally, some sweatbands are not real leather or are a bonded leather, and others are synthetic. Some sweatbands that look like leather may be a synthetic material. I'm not an expert on determining the composition so please make sure you evaluate sweatbands from the photos and ask questions if you have any concerns. I do not guarantee that leather looking sweatbands are in fact leather. Vintage hats are by definition old. Old things wear out, develop issues, sometimes need repair, etc. Used hats, even those not that old, can have moth/insect damage. Moth damage is not always obvious and you should expect moth damage on all of my hats unless I specifically state that the hat is free of such damage.Look at the photos carefully and request additional photos if needed. Straw, and similar hats, can dry out. This drying makes them susceptible to cracking and splitting. Please zoom in on the hats and closely evaluate the felt or "straw" and make your own determination on any defects or flaws. Color rendering is always a potential issue.
Please request additional photos in varied lighting if you have any concerns about the color rendering. Some of my photos may be indoors in artificial light and the colors shown will not be accurate compared to what they look like in natural light. Some natural light will also change the perception of color. Hats also look different in direct natural light compared to indirect light. If accurate color rendering is important to you please ask for photos in natural light, but even those may be different from the color of the item.Felt colors in particular are hard to accurately capture and can change depending on many factors. Accurately dating hats is not always possible.
Additionally, while I know a good bit about vintage hats I don't know it all. When I provide the vintage/decade of a hat it's just my best guess. My home is shared with a cat so please take that into consideration if you have allergies or other pet concerns. I don't invoice buyers and if you win multiple items you will need to pay for them separately. The box and any other accessories are for display only and are not included unless expressly stated otherwise in the listing.Please see my other auctions and good luck.