Club Obi Wan

I can understand your thinking, Steve hats will only increase in value.
I to have one of his KOTCS in 100% beaver, along with certificate of two small piece of the felt clipping from when he was making the hats for the film wonder they'll ever have a value.
Any way I wear it, but not as much as my ROTLA.

And always good to see a fellow NH on the site.

Croft

I live in Kentucky, never been to N.H. I had a friend that lived in your
state, a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander of a submarine.

Darrell

On the other hand, I know Steve, though flattered, would be horrified to know his hats weren’t being used and enjoyed.

I, too, have a beaver CS made from MARCs felt, liner, and sweat band, but by Steve on his blocks, along with a note of explanation and felt samples/certificate. I’ve never worn it due to the fact I have so many OTHER hats I wear, it just never makes the rotation. I’ll get around to it....

Only crazies like us will understand any provenance connected to these hats, and unless they’re signed by Harrison Ford himself, or are screen used, they’re seen as either used clothing or just another well made hat in the open market, so may as well enjoy it.

To put it in a different light, with the way HJ has come back like a lion in bespoke hats, and their activity in supporting the Indy fans with sales and sponsorship of summits of same, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised they’re working themselves into a position to get back into the new film. If that happens, they will be hat of record for 4 of the 5 Indy films, with the AB being the hat from the least favorite of the franchise. Probably not exactly a great marketing strategy for us in sales on the secondary hat market for our AB’s, especially if THATS why you’re holding one back as ‘investment potential ‘.

No reason to be hiding your light under a basket. Life is too short to be keeping things back and not enjoy them while we can.

JMO.

Regards! Michaelson

Yeah, I want to echo what Michaelson said: I really don't think an Indy IV hat is going to appreciate much in value, and I don't think your having worn it will significantly depreciate that value. The people who think its awesome to own a Steve Delk hat won't care if it's been worn, so long as it's still in great shape.

Last week Josh Gates did one of his Expedition Unknown programs about the Mitchell Hedges crystal skull.

He is probably one of the most public and hard core Indy fan out there, and doesn't care who knows it....unlike SOME adventure hosts who secretly like Indy, but keep their distance from the fact in public.

Josh showed a LOT of Indy related items on that show, but even HE said the skull was used as one of Indy's quests in the film 'we don't mention or talk about'. Yep, he said that right on the show after a quick show and cut away from the official CS poster.

So, as much as Temple has been referred to as the Indy film that gets the least amount of 'love', CS is the 'film that will not be named' by the heavy hitters. Saying once again, having a hat connected to that film isn't a strong point to the collecting world anymore.

Wear your AB's, folks. They are great hats, made by a master craftsman, and sitting on a shelf isn't doing them any good as possible retirement funds in the future.

Regard! M

Hey, Darrell, happy to see another Kentuckian on the forums as well as another Daryl (even if you spell it wrong )
If you’d rather keep your expensive hat in the box, then go for it! I’ll agree that its not going to be going up in monetary value outside of our community, and the hat was made to be worn, but to the right collector an original Steve Delk adventurebilt hat may be worth some $$$. Hats to say how much, but if you’re looking t sell one day you may get more than you paid. I myself kick myself regularly for passing my opportunity to order a hat from Steve over a decade ago when the price was low and the wait was less than a year.

Having an Adventurebilt and not wearing it, is like having a new Jeep and not driving it. They are both meant to be used, and the dings and scratches along the way add to the character, not distract from out.

Sorry I was just tipping my to rick5150
But NH is a nice place, cold winters, hot humid summers, ah humidity, can't wait.

Croft

I am guilty of owning an Adventurebilt CS by Steve and not wearing it. Not saving it for anything but it is in my closet in a hat box with about 10 other fedora hats in boxes by various makers...…Have worn it a few times in the past before moving back to the States. Have about 10 other fedora style hats that are currently being rotated daily that are not stored in boxes. Little by little, have been donating hats and jackets as I do not have the space to keep them since moving to the DC area. You really don't realize how much you buy over the years until you move from a really large house into a very small one.......

Hey, this begs the question, what hat size are you?

Charybdis wrote: Hey, this begs the question, what hat size are you?

58 or 7 1/4.

Whether KS was a disappointment or not I think the thing that could still continue to make Adventurebilt hats collectible is the fact that the hats were made by a fan for the movies. That and the KS bash is a great bash (probably the second best in my opinion). And on top of that, it's my understanding that Steve doesn't make hats anymore.
Steve spearheaded restoring Indy hats back to a respectable place. There weren't many decent options before he came around. Who knows what the Indy hat market would like today without him pursuing his passion. Whatever the case I know I try to wear mine from time to time.

Regardless of popular opinion of Crystal Skull, having a hat made by Steve or Marc, or a jacket made by Tony, is still really special. These were lovingly made for the fans from the folks who supplied costumes for the film. They were produced in very small numbers as custom orders. To this very small niche community, Adventurbilt hats and Nowak jackets are highly prized. Of course they should be worn, and no, there are not a lot of folks out there who would care to spend a bunch of money on them now as collectibles, but even so, they are rare and special to die-hard Indy fans.

Indysdad wrote:Whether KS was a disappointment or not I think the thing that could still continue to make Adventurebilt hats collectible is the fact that the hats were made by a fan for the movies. That and the KS bash is a great bash (probably the second best in my opinion). And on top of that, it's my understanding that Steve doesn't make hats anymore.
Steve spearheaded restoring Indy hats back to a respectable place. There weren't many decent options before he came around. Who knows what the Indy hat market would like today without him pursuing his passion. Whatever the case I know I try to wear mine from time to time.

not sure if KS was a disappointment as I don't know what KS abbreviates.


Crystal Skull is great for what it is though. Thanks for playing.

Jeremiah wrote:

Indysdad wrote:Whether KS was a disappointment or not I think the thing that could still continue to make Adventurebilt hats collectible is the fact that the hats were made by a fan for the movies. That and the KS bash is a great bash (probably the second best in my opinion). And on top of that, it's my understanding that Steve doesn't make hats anymore.
Steve spearheaded restoring Indy hats back to a respectable place. There weren't many decent options before he came around. Who knows what the Indy hat market would like today without him pursuing his passion. Whatever the case I know I try to wear mine from time to time.

not sure if KS was a disappointment as I don't know what KS abbreviates.


Crystal Skull is great for what it is though. Thanks for playing.

Haha Whoops! Of course, that was meant to be Crystal Skull. Thanks for pointing out my typo.

Charybdis wrote: Hey, this begs the question, what hat size are you?

My hat size is 7 3/8". I am guessing you wanted to know hat sizes of anyone replying?

Darrell

Charybdis was asking about hat size because Glenville86 mentioned he had and AB that he doesn't wear.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Ha ha. Yes a bit of a joke since he mentioned he had been giving items away!

Unfortunately I am a size 59...

Does anyone have a picture of Steve’s first hat that he posted on the site? I heard that he posted his first Raiders hat and said something along the lines of, “I did it.”

Not sure of which ‘first’ you’re referring to. He was experimenting with Akruba Camptown’s Back in the mid 90’s and various felts.

He had several firsts when it came to recreating a Raiders fedora.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Not sure of which ‘first’ you’re referring to. He was experimenting with Akruba Camptown’s Back in the mid 90’s and various felts.

He had several firsts when it came to recreating a Raiders fedora.

Regards! Michaelson

I don’t know exactly which one, but Michael from Retroblasting said that Steve apparently posted a picture with the caption, “I did it,” where it was Steve’s first complete custom, or something along those lines.

He might be referring to the time when he came up with the block which ultimately became THE raider block he used for the bulk of his hats.

Could be.

Regards! M

I dusted off my '07 beaver felt AB made by Mr. Delk and took some photos while enjoying my morning coffee. Aside from tightening the pinch and retacking a small part of the ribbon, this hat looks the way it did the day I received it back in September of 2007. I actually retired it back in 2015 to preserve its life and used my Fed IV from 2015 to now, but I realize that was a mistake and there's no other hat I'd rather wear.

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Life's too short not to enjoy these nice things we have in our closet.

You can also have that hat rebuilt over and over and over again. I know, as that's what I've been doing with mine since 2004.

You treat them decent, and they'll give you your money's worth every time.

REALLY nice one, by the way!

Regards! Michaelson

Steve made my Adventurebilt for me back in 2012.




Cheers!
David

My reblocked Adventurebilt...


Picture by Penman Hats

And a pic of me wearing it...

Nice lookin Adventurbilt, need to take one of mine in it’s current state, which is good and lived in.

Love that smile.

Croft

Indiana Croft wrote:Nice lookin Adventurbilt, need to take one of mine in it’s current state, which is good and lived in.

Love that smile.

Croft

Thank you.

As for that smile comment...

A superb hat which goes great with the shirt! Looks great on you!

Have a good one Canyon,
Bo

Bo Invader wrote:A superb hat which goes great with the shirt! Looks great on you!

Have a good one Canyon,
Bo

Many thanks.

Just took these about 10 minutes ago, not my best.
But the star of the show is my AB, re-block by John about 5 +/- years ago.
Beaver felt, started out looking like (tried anyway) the hat when he was hanging onto the front of the truck, but I didn't like it, so I tweaked till it came time for a re-block, off to John and here it is.







And Canyon I think you have a wonderful smile, not like mine.

Croft

Indiana Croft wrote:And Canyon I think you have a wonderful smile, not like mine.

Croft

Thank you, sir!

Canyon, your AB is looking great--and it's always a pleasure to see your smile! EDIT (forgot your photo was there, too): and Croft, you always look good in your gear sir!

About a month after KotCS came out and 3 days before bordering to Israel for my very first archaeological excavation, I received my CS AB from Steve Delk. Now, 1 re-block, 3 excavations, a finished PhD, a published book, single parenting, several classes taught, a new Indy film on the way, and many other adventures since, my AB has acquired its own lived-in "Streets of Cairo" feel (wearing my Magnoli LC jacket with it):



Excited to see the first photos of Ford from Indy V today! Keep adventuring!!!!

Best wishes,
Dr. Nebraska S.

The hat looks fantastic on you Nebraska, also, you gotta love that timing of when you received it.

Great shots! Love the passion for wearing the fedora. You really do stand out when you wear it. I am curious though Nebraska - did you find the hat to hat to be practical? I have a chance to teach in Egypt next January and I am wondering about headgear. I usually wear a cotton Tilley Hat which has served me well but wondering about a fedora as a better option. I do love that the Tilley has a chin strap for high winds or ferry crossings. Oh and that it is 1/5 the price of a fedora. I assume no one wears Pith helmets in heat anymore.
best
Canada

Thank you both!!!

Canada, most days when on the dig site, I wore a Henschel hat while actually digging and then the AB for the rest of the time and traveling throughout the country. And as I did more supervising and less physical labor, I wore the AB more often. But I can understand the desire for a chinstrap, too—I remember clutching the brim pretty tight at a windy ledge on Masada!


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Looking great Dr. Schulte!

Dr. Nebraska S. wrote:Canyon, your AB is looking great--and it's always a pleasure to see your smile!

Why, thanks!

Dr. Nebraska S. wrote:Thank you both!!!

Canada, most days when on the dig site, I wore a Henschel hat while actually digging and then the AB for the rest of the time and traveling throughout the country. And as I did more supervising and less physical labor, I wore the AB more often. But I can understand the desire for a chinstrap, too—I remember clutching the brim pretty tight at a windy ledge on Masada!


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I've not added one but I've been aware of things like this for years. I've always been tempted but not tried to add one to my AB.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E7IAZ6Y

Riothamus

I ordered an Adventurebilt from Steve back in 2008. Never heard from him again or got to see any hat. But I did hear he had fallen ill and that his computer crashed at some point so he had lost a lot of orders.
I hope he's okay and that my little "donation" came to good use during rough times. He sure did make some lovely hats.


CJ

Chiliana Jones wrote:I ordered an Adventurebilt from Steve back in 2008. Never heard from him again or got to see any hat. But I did hear he had fallen ill and that his computer crashed at some point so he had lost a lot of orders.
I hope he's okay and that my little "donation" came to good use during rough times. He sure did make some lovely hats.


CJ

as strange as it may seem to say it, this post from Chiliana gave me a nice smile
– which is, as I say, a bit odd given that there’s a lot of disappoint and “best laid plans” going wrong in the recalling of how things played out – and it’s a story I hadn’t though about in a long while

… but I smiled for the positive note on which CJ ended his post

you see, CJ and I (and some others, I’m sure) had a mostly identical experience; I also ordered an Adventurebilt from Steve back in 2008 (at the time we were calling it an “Idol Grab Bash” in Beaver – I’ve still got the e-mail and notes lol)

But like my friend above I never did see the hat

I too, of course, heard tell of Steve’s illness (and his computer problems) and while I would’ve liked to have gotten a hat from Steve, my larger concern was how this great Friend and Contributor to This Community was dealing with so many big struggles

I recall there there was also a point in 2013 when someone put out an appeal to send a little cash Steve’s way (so bad was his situation) …
like some others I sent along what I could (a hundred bucks or so) in the hope that it would help him out a little
Strangely, he e-mailed me back the next day, writing
“Appreciate your kindness sir. Thank you! Do I owe you a hat? If so, email me the specs, color which film hat your wanted and I will get that one to you. Thanks. Steve”
I was happy to read the message thinking that maybe it meant he had rounded a corner and so although I didn’t wan to seem like I was “pouncing” on the opportunity, I did write him back the very next day saying, simply, that “yes, I am still waiting on one of your hats, thanks… here are the details and I hope you’re doing okay”

But sadly, that Was the last time I heard from him and I never did see the hat …
but my larger concern was simply not having any idea of whether Steve was doing any better … but hoping it would all work out for him

anyway, I hope things did eventually get better for him, though
To echo part of what Chiliana said…
He was an awfully nice fella and an Important part of this Community
And he sure made some beautiful hats

Very thoughtful responses, Chiliana and Mitch!

It's hard to follow after those posts, but I was meaning to share recent photos of my other AB, a rabbit raiders that I've re-bashed more into a LC. It's still a lot darker than my CS, so I wear it sometimes more formerly. This is with my Magnoli Barnett suit, but worn without a vest it looks similar to the Venice suit:

Chiliana Jones wrote:I ordered an Adventurebilt from Steve back in 2008. Never heard from him again or got to see any hat. But I did hear he had fallen ill and that his computer crashed at some point so he had lost a lot of orders.
I hope he's okay and that my little "donation" came to good use during rough times. He sure did make some lovely hats.


CJ

I'm sorry to hear you never got your hat!

I'm not sure of his health these days or current hat making status. I also ordered a hat from him back in 2008. After several years of unanswered emails I finally received my order in Oct 2013 only after sending Steve an additional $100 paypal "donation" with a reminder of my order. He immediately replied to say thank you and that he had indeed lost my order. I got my hat 2 weeks later! I don't know if this tactic will still work but it's an idea to try. It's probably too late now though as I believe John Penman has all of his blocks. My model was a beaver Kingdom hat blocked on the same block as Harrisons as we were very similar in head size. A few years ago John Penman reblocked it for me and rebashed it into a raiders since my hat seemed to have the Raiders brim proportions and not the Kingdom proportions. I prefer the Raiders look anyway!

All these years later it still sits proudly on my shelf, and is the hat I wear most often. A great business man he may not have been, but an amazing hatter he sure was!

-Clipper

Clipper wrote: I'm sorry to hear you never got your hat!

Thank you for your concern. As much as I would have liked to have one of his hats, his health and well being is much more important because in the end it is just a hat. But when I think about it, in a way, I did actually get one of "his" hats.

Before Steve came into the picture I had never seen such great craftmanship in a fedora before. Steve's dedicated work in the Indy-hat business made him a sought after man, especially after he got the contract to do the Indy4 hats(which one can say is a blessing with a curse hiding in its shadows because I think he got way more orders than he could handle). And Steve was kind enough to give new hatmakers some pointers on how to make hats the best they can be. Today there are many great hat makers out there that now pleases the Indiana Jones community better than ever and I think that is much thanks to Mr. Steve Delk's work and his ability to inspire. I see a lot of Steve Delk in the well crafted hats of today. The hats that comes out from those shops of today looks amazing. Even Herbert Johnson have now pulled themselves together and risen from the ashes, which I think is much thanks to the boulder Mr. Delk started rolling. It is a bit of a sweet thought that Mr. Delk's love for the "Raiders" hat would eventually turn out to save it. The circle is complete.


While I was waiting for my AB, I bought a Federation 4 Deluxe as an temporary option. The thing has been with me ever since and it has been with me around the world on some crazy shenanigans. Many memories in it now so no other hat, even with better quality or durability can ever replace the sentimental value I have for it. But if I recall correctly, when they were making the Federation 4, Akubra asked Steve for help with the specs for their new hat to make it close to Indy's as possible and Steve kindly helped them out. So knowing there is a little bit of Steve Delk already in my hat makes me proud.

We, the fans of the Indiana Jones hat, owe the man a lot.

Hats off to him.


CJ

Not the Federation 4, but the Federation itself. Steve and I both worked with Ron at HatsDirect to create the line, and I got to take the prototype to the first Queen Mary summit. They contacted Steve because he had been playing with Akubra Campdrafts and had an ongoing correspondence with HatsDirect when I was asked to be involved.

Steve definitely took the ball and ran with it when Ron asked for help. You can even read that write up in the Federation HatsDirect website description.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Not the Federation 4, but the Federation itself. Steve and I both worked with Ron at HatsDirect to create the line, and I got to take the prototype to the first Queen Mary summit. They contacted Steve because he had been playing with Akubra Campdrafts and had an ongoing correspondence with HatsDirect when I was asked to be involved.

Steve definitely took the ball and ran with it when Ron asked for help. You can even read that write up in the Federation HatsDirect website description.

Regards! Michaelson

Ah I see. I thought his contribution was only the update from the Fed3 to the Fed4. Sorry I live and learn. But that the Federation itself was a teamwork between akubra/HatsDirect and members here, now THAT I knew.

Not the thread to talk about Federations but when did the first Federation actually pop up? I've only seen Fed3 and the Fed4.

Regards

CJ

Developed 1998 in time for the Australian Federation Centennial in 2001 and named for same.

No clue why they include 'IV' in the description, as the IV indicates the 'fourth' interation of the actual design, not the name of the hat.

Here's the link to their description and history on their site:

https://hatsdirect.com/pages/the-federation-iv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards! Michaelson

Does anyone have or know of a video of Steve Delk? I’d just like to know what he sounded like and such. The closest thing I could find was Bernie Pollack’s impression of him.

Not that I'm aware of.

Steve and I were interviewed by a newspaper back at that time for an article (2008). Nice lady reporter, but unfortunately got a lot of the information wrong, misquoted, or just flat tangled up, I think that was the only actual interview he ever did.

http://www.lareecarucker.com/pages/indiana.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He and I spoke on the phone quite a bit.

Bernie pretty much nailed his drawl.

Regards! Michaelson

I guess I was lucky in dealing with Steve. In January of 2015 I put in an order for a rabbit Raiders. By April, I had my hat in hand.