Vintage Silk Top Hat Collapsible 1930s Henry Heath 7 1/2 XL

This is a very nice quality black silk top hat made by venerable London hatmaker Henry Heath.  Henry Heath was established in 1819 on Oxford St.  They were a manufacturer and originally their hats could only be purchased directly from them, although eventually that practice changed.      

The liner is also stamped with “Men’s Shop Eaton’s College Street” - Eaton’s occupied the College Street location in 1930.  This silk top hat has no size label, but should fit a size 7 1/2” - it measures 23 3/4” around the opening, and 8 1/4” by 6 7/8” across the opening.

This silk top hat has a few condition problems.  There is some fraying to the front edge of the brim and a fray spot at the left edge of the brim.  In addition, there is a fray spot to the ribbon around the base of the crown at both the front and back.  Finally, it looks like there is some pulling to the stitching at the top of the crown, but it is intact (see last three photos for close-ups of the damage).  The loose seams are due to someone “popping” the hat - you should be careful when opening a collapsed top hat by holding the top and gradually letting the crown expand.  This silk top hat would benefit from a cleaning, but is perfectly usable as is.  Please note that depending on your location, this silk top hat may be shipped collapsed.    

Despite the frays, this is a wonderful vintage silk top hat by a venerable London maker - difficult to find old top hats in large sizes, especially a size 7 1/2!