Ah, yes sir, indeed! I can understand and appreciate anyone’s point of view. Especially since many fans were willing to purchase HJ Poets during the time when the quality was a shadow of what it is today, for the sake of the name. Whatever makes someone happy is the best for them! If the original fe...

Thanks for all that information, Michelle. I 100% agree with the choice of felt supplier you decided to go with. From what I’ve seen, FEPSA felt is as close to vintage felt that a person can get today. And the fact that you offer the beaver is wonderful. Getting the original maker with the best mate...

Just beautiful felt quality and shape.

Seeing one of these beauties in person is something to behold! The work of a master craftsman!

Is this it?

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Beautiful!!

I wonder what people generally feel regards Raiders hat: modified factory HJ hat vs fully bespoke hat. Seen lots of posts that point to both possibilities. I kind of think it may have been a factory hat because of pics of the interior of the screen used hat for sale, showing 7 1/4 stamped in the fel...

Back to the hat train, I think that business practice applied to HJ back in the day. I remember reading someone say that Swales mentioned that the Poet was a seasonal hat, made to be purchased and worn through the season, then it would eventually get used up and you’d buy a new Poet. So, I think tha...

Thanks for the information! It makes the mystery even more enticing!

Oh, I didn’t doubt Cury as being the Brazilian felt source. Just that it wasn’t specifically mentioned in the post I was referencing. But it was surmised that the felt was Brazilian (Cury) sourced to HJ through Christie’s. And I guess the change was when HJ went from Christie’s (Raiders) to Borsalin...

Oh my, I love these posts! Such interesting reading. I read an old post here where someone stated they met Richard Swales in the London shop and he mentioned that HJ used Christie’s to manufacture their hats and the felt source was Brazilian. No mention of Cury there, but, another tie to Christie’s....

Fading memories would definitely make it difficult to get any new information now. I would personally put more stock in what Richard Swales said than Deborah Nadoolman, since she had a lot more to worry about than just the hat, and Swales only had involvement with the hat. Also in trying to pick out...

Very true, Indiana Jeff. Especially if the stingy brim hat was popular, the Poet could have been the widest brim on display in the shop. Herbert Johnson might not have had their McAlpine or other wide brims on display. If I recall correctly, HJ said the Poet was one of their most popular wide brim s...

If I had to guess, I would say that Australian model came from the appearance of the un-modified Poet. The brim of the ones I’ve seen have somewhat of a “drover” appearance which is Australian. But, I think the only way to put that mystery to rest is if Deborah Nadoolman was to clarify exactly what ...

I’m glad it goes on! Makes it more fun to me. The Australian model is something I found very interesting in the record. Especially since I never was able to find a Herbert Johnson Australian listed anywhere. But, who knows what was on display in the shop and how it was listed. Perhaps there was a on...

Apologies for resuscitating an old threat, but this seemed like the best place to post a few thoughts. Based on some new information and a bit of conjecture, this is what I would guess is possibility. I think the Raiders hat was possibly an amalgamation of a factory and a bespoke hat. From what I’ve...

I completely understand how things can get carried away, and I appreciate your sentiments and reasons. I think part of the reason for this is that nowadays, ALL of these hats by various hatters have gotten SO good. That isn’t such a bad problem to have on the whole. Compared to years ago. It’s under...

Just wanted to chime in that I appreciated your (eazybox) posts. It might be nice knowing that your input has been appreciated by some. I do agree that Herbert Johnson’s current offerings look very good as does the block shape. And I’m happy that you’ve found the hat that ended your quest!

Herbert Johnson apparently was outsourcing production to factories during the time hats were made for all three original Indy movies. The fact they are bespoke and handmade now indicates higher quality than the original, which is great for consumers! But I was wondering if the details of the factory...

I’m unsure. I think a lot of what I have seen is old information or unsubstantiated conjecture.

Thanks! Even if the felt isn’t the same, the current HJs look better made than the ones in the films following Raiders. Perhaps even better than the Raiders hat itself if Herbert Johnson was in a bit of a decline since the golden age of hat-wearing. Please excuse my ignorance, but, I was curious if ...

I too am sadly late to the party. I was curious if any information had come to light regarding the original supplier of the felt for the Raiders hat. I believe recalling that someone who handled both Raiders and LC screen used hats mentioned how pliable the Raiders was. With that information sadly g...

Thanks so much for the warm welcome! It sure is a fascinating story! I should have come here years ago, as there is so much wonderful information I have found in a few hours that I have spent much time looking for (and failing to find) elsewhere.

First post on any forum, ever, but the information on Indy’s hat is just too interesting not to join in on. Re: the folding of the sweatband, I seem to recall a video that showed Harrison Ford shooting a staple gun to the fedora on his head as a joke. After that, he mentioned how he had learned to k...