OUTSTANDING True Vintage very late 1940 - early 1950s Borsalino - Brown - Bowler - Homburg (read below) - Perfect Size 7. With the Beautiful with that Silk (not satin!) headliner!
We just can't find a thing wrong with this OUTSTANDING Hat! Please look at all the pictures, they say so much more than we can say about this Hat! There are NO loose or broken threads on the Grosgrain Ribbon or the Bound Brim Edge.
EXCELLENT just doesn't Describe this hat. We just believe this is one of Borsalino's OUTSTANDING Hat!
We were finally able to add a video of this actual hat being “Hand Bashed”! It's only takes seconds to do!
Old Note; We tried to add the actual video of this hat but for some reason it would not attach. We will try again when my Grandson shows up to help us. We were able to add that Video of another same Hat showing how very soft and pliable that Beaver Material is. You can see how quickly and accurately “Hand Bashing” this OUTSTANDING Borsalino really is! 5 seconds at the most will easily shape this Great Hat!
We chose to call this a Bower and Homburg hat because once Dad and Grandson steamed shaped this into an Open Crown we saw a perfect bowler shape! Because this is made From Beaver and Not the traditional Bowler made from Felted Wool it takes seconds to Hand Bash this into different shapes. And it is so easily “Hand Bashed” by adding just a Center Dent which made this a Perfect Homburg Hat and by Hand Bashing a Pinched Crown into it, that made this a Pinched Crown Homburg Hat.
Now if you'd like to have the Homburg Shape or the Pinched Crown Homburg 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.
This has that late 1940s “ONION SKIN” liner cover. It is still completely intact! No cracks or breaks on it. Onion Skin is the pre-plastic liner cover. It has yellowed over time and is delicate. But even after steaming and shaping it it still remains intact!
If you look at the pictures there is a picture of the under-tag, it show that French size numbering system was used and it has a “4-1/2” printed on the tag, which translates to a size 7.
Dad and grandson cleaned and shaped this into an Open Crown Homburg hat, than when in the Open Crown looks like a Perfect Bowler hat!
We filled the picture gallery so you can see every detail! Nothing to hide on this great Vintage Borsalino Hat!
NOTE: THERE IS NO HAT BOX INCLUDED IN THIS SALE! There were 2 hats inside that Borsalino hat box and the second hat has been listed with that box.
But this does Include an original Borsalino pamphlet that was found in the bottom of the hat box. We believe that this is from the same time period?Also rarely found with the hat.
The Liner is made from SILK and it is NOT a Satin hat liner! At this time period Borsalino made their hat liner from SILK. Just another feature you don't find in hats today! A true piece or Hat Art! Borsalino manufactured real hat art! It's a skill not found in today's hats, a lost art!
This was purchased at “Cesare Christina Piazza Delia Liberia, Gallarate, Italy, we believe it's actually from the late 1940s and not the early 1950s.
Dad and Grandson only cleaned this with a horsehair brush and it's perfectly clean, no stains! NO MOTH BITES! NO STAINS!
Thanks to one of our hat collectors for contacting us to help identify the dating on this Borsalino fedora and the material.
Initially it was a challenge to figure out how high a quality this hat is, we knew it was a very high quality material but since this was a bit out of Dads expertise we took out Dads personal collection of Borsalino hats and the his 1950s Stetson hats. Also the help from one of Dad's hat collectors.
By steam shaping this and the actual hand shaping it was much easier to determine that this is a High Quality Beaver material and not made from HARE (English Rabbit). While steam shaping this it felt like a very soft “melted butter” and was so easily tuned up. The Beaver just makes this is soft and pliable when shaping it, as the steam is applied to it. If this was HARE it would have been so soft and those Hare fibers are easily noticeable on the hat. This did NOT have any of the Hare in it!
So after comparing this to Dad's collection of 1950s Stetson Beaver Quality hats: 3X, Ten Fifteen, Twenty and TwentyFive this was an easy match to the Beaver Fifteen.
We hope we are explaining this well? All we are trying to say is this is ONE VERY HIGH QUALITY MATERIAL!
The color is Dark Brown. We don't know why it doesn't come out consistently in all the pictures? It's all the same color throughout! Picture of the whole underside is the closest and best reflects the actual color.
When we say Hare, that refers to the English Rabbit that Borsalino uses in many of their hats. Borsalino also made many hats years ago made from Beaver.
Along with that Original Borsalino Paperwork.
There is a size tag stating “4-1/2” which translates to a size 7, in the America Hat size conversion. But we actually measure the hat 3 times to determine the size, tagged or not, and it is and measures to a size 7 at 22 inches. We use the 1970s Tilley Hat size Chart to confirm all our measurements. Still in use today!
NOTE: this was just edited to now to add a Brown coat trolley string. See last picture. This replacement one is NOT sewn onto the hat but could be by any decent tailor or the end can be trimmed off and used just as anadornment. It's pretty easily done.
Dad has a few different color newer 1960s Coat Trolley strings that are listed here on eBay. They make great additions to any hat for that extra bit of styling. These are old stock and though still very elastic there can be slight color fading. It's minor but we have seen it.
Color is Brown
This is a size 7 Or 22 inches or 56
Length 13.2 inches
Width 11.4 inches
Height 5.4 inches, at the tallest point, in the Bowler style
Matching Brown Grosgrain Ribbon 1.6 inches
Brim Width 2.3 inches, and then the bound curled brim edge
We will look to see if we can find a feather for this Hat? Write to us if we have located one in Dad's dead stock?
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
Please see our 100% Ratings and very excellent feedback.
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
Thank You
