About Real Nice Hats
I'm very proud of the many nice comments from my previous customers. If you're deciding between this hat and one offered by another seller I invite you to read my feedback and let that be a factor in your final decision. I'm a retired gentleman with a lifelong love for fine quality western style hats. I've collected many hats in my life and developed a network for acquiring more all the time. I typically maintain an inventory of several hundred hats in various stages of restoration. Over the years I've learned a number of restoration techniques from professional hatters and developed my own hat restoration process that I'm constantly refining. If I add up all the hours I put into some of my hats I'm forced to concede that often times this work doesn't really pay well, but I'm not here trying to get rich selling hats on eBay. I do it out of love and appreciation for the superior quality that went into making these old hats at a time when pride in workmanship and creating a product with enduring value really meant something. One of my favorite qualities of a nice felt hat is its durability and the dramatic metamorphosis that takes place when I transform a dirty, old, neglected, misshapen hat into something beautiful; a hat that looks good as new, ready to bring enjoyment to its proud new owner for yet another lifetime. So please bear in mind, there's a huge difference between one of my hats lovingly restored through hours of work and attention to detail and most other used hats on eBay. I try to list about a dozen hats each week, so if you don't see what you're looking for among my current listings, just save me as a seller and check back next week.
My Restoration Process
Depending on the condition of the hat when it comes into my possession, some or all of the following may apply. My multi step deep cleaning process removes any unsightly stains or odors. Then each hat is reblocked tight to return it to its original open crowned and flat brimmed form. After reblocking the condition of the sweatband is inspected. If the leather is found to be brittle, cracked or damaged, I make the appropriate repairs which may include restitching loose areas, filling any cracks or gaps with a professional grade leather repair agent, and the application of a pliable backing strip for added structural integrity. By repairing rather than replacing the original sweatband all the important brand, quality and dating information is retained. Thenif it came with one, the cleaned liner is reinstalled and a hat band is applied. Finallyeach hat is steamed shaped by hand and stiffened with a professional grade shellac solution.
General Hat Info
X value depends on age
If you're shopping for a new hat the “X” system is useful for comparing hats of the same brand, but with vintage hats more consideration should be placed on when the hat was made. Generally speaking, the older the hat the more beaver fur was incorporated into the felt, which with western style hats translates to a thinner, stiffer felt and a lighter weight, higher quality hat. Hats beyond a certain age didnt use "Xs" and relied on the price tocommunicate quality. Back around the 1910s or 20s when Stetson first started giving their hats an “X” designation the 7X was their top end hat, but most of their hats didn't get any Xs at all. A fellow eBayer recently sent me a 1922 Stetson price list and from most to least expensive it went 7X, 5X, 4X, 3X, Real Nutria, Nutria, No. 1 Quality, Extra Quality, Excellent Quality, and Select Quality, so the original Stetson 3X cost more and was higher quality than the No. 1 Quality and the Nutria, both of which commonly sell for well over $200 on eBay. That's why whenever I see a 1920s or 30s Stetson 3X priced low I snap it up quick. There's simply no comparison between an early Stetson 3X and the current Stetson 3X which is made of 100% wool. The problem Stetson ran into with their new X system is there's no “FDA” of hats, so there was nothing to prevent company XYZ from marking their inferior hats with 10, 100 or even 1000 Xs. So the X race was on, and over the decades there's been substantial Xflation.
X value depends on maker
The X rating system is not and never has been consistent maker to maker. As much as I love those early Stetson 3X hats, I'm pretty sure the earliest 3X Resistol hats are even higher quality. But when other hat makers started putting more Xs on their hats the whole industry followed suit. This is how Xflation got extreme, but also uneven. For example, if Stetson's thousand dollar hat is a 100X, and that same year Larry Mahan's thousand dollar hat was marked 500X, is the Larry Mahan a better hat? Well, maybe or maybe not. Is it 5 times better quality than the Stetson, and therefore some kind of amazing deal? The simple answer is no, but the truest answer is probably which hat do you prefer? Quality isn't absolute. Depending on the blend fur felt can have a wide range of properties, from thinner to thicker, softer to stiffer to color, texture, and sheen, your own subjective preferences have a role to play. A $1000 dollar hat from any well regarded company will certainly be a nice, high quality hat that will last you a lifetime and then some, but one may be softer or firmer, lighter or heavier, thinner or thicker, ect, ect. The one that feels right on your head and makes you feel good when you wear it is the best quality hat for you.
