Description: Top Quality Resistol INDIANA JONES Raiders Style Beaver and Rabbit Fur Felt Fedora HatSize: Measures 57 cm which is a 7 1/8Custom made by seller from a high quality pre-owned Resistol genuine beaver and rabbit fur felt hat How it was made: First I trimmed the brim to the exact specifications of the movie hats, which is 2 1/2" on the sides and back that lengthens to 2 3/4" at the front. Then I sewed on the 1 1/2" wide black grosgrain ribbon with a classic bow on the lefthand side. Finally I steam creased the hat giving it that classic 1940s fedora style pinch front crown with a slight upward curve on the sides and back of the brim that transitions to straight and tipped down at the front. Why it was made: As a young man in 1981, I'll never forget my first date with my future wife. I took her to see Raiders of the Lost Ark on it's opening weekend and we both agreed it was one of the best movies we'd ever seen. Now in my retirement, with hat restoration as a hobby, there's a special place in my heart for Indy's iconic movie hat. I feel bad for those lacking any knowledge of hats who might buy one of the many cheap wool hats mass produced and marketed as "official" Indiana Jones hats. They may never understand why Indy's hat seemed to look even better the more he used and abused it, while their "official" Indy hat quickly lost it's shape and went limp. When I search "Indiana Jones Hat" on eBay most of what shows up fall into two distinct categories. There are the many "official" cheap wool hats, and a few fantastically overpriced hats from boutique "makers" who've pretty much just followed the same process I described above. Maybe I'm under valuing my time, but believe I can convert more high quality fur felt hats to "Indy" style hats and sell them for a reasonable price between those $1000 to $500ish boutique hats and the $30 to $50ish cheap wool ones. So look for me to offer more Indy hats in the future priced from $100 to $200. Please see my other listings for more hats and various hat accessories. I’m always happy to combine shipping and may even be persuaded to offer a discount for multiple item purchases.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 brand new, ready to bring enjoyment to its proud new owner for 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 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 to see my new offerings. I’ve also recently begun offering hat bands, hat pins and brand specific hat boxes to compliment your hat purchase.My Restoration Process My 3 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 patch and reinforce it with a pliable backing strip bonded to the back. By preserving rather than replacing the original sweatband all the important brand and quality information is retained. Then each hat is steamed shaped by hand and stiffened with a professional grade shellac solution. If it came with one, the cleaned silk liner is reinstalled and a hat band is applied.General Hat InfoX 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 didn't use "Xs" and relied on the price to communicate 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.
Price: 179.99 USD
Location: South Jordan, Utah
End Time: 2024-12-17T20:51:28.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Pattern: Solid
Character: Indiana
Occasion: Business, Casual, Formal, Party/Cocktail, Travel, Wedding, Workwear
Size: 7 1/8
Signed: No
Color: Brown
Material: Beaver, Fur
Fabric Type: Felt
Vintage: No
Personalize: No
Brand: Resistol
Department: Men
Unit Type: lb
Model: Resistol Indy Fedora
Style: Fedora
Theme: Christmas, Classic, College, Countries, Cowboy, Dad, Designer, Horse, London, Movie, Music, Nature, Outdoor, Paris, Retro, Teacher, Transportation, University, USA, Wedding, Western, Indiana Jones Style Fedora
Features: Lightweight, Lined, Moisture Wicking, Water Resistant, Wide Brim
Season: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Unit Quantity: 1
Handmade: Yes
