07/12/2025
I recently sold a vintage 1940s Panama hat to . Over the week of the 4th of July in 2023, I took a roadtrip from Dallas to visit with some friends in Lake City, CO. Along the way I stopped at thrift stores and church charity shops to see if I could find anything cool. On the second day of my roadtrip, I stopped for coffee in Alamosa, CO and saw the Rainbow’s End La Puente Community Thrift Store. I went over and the lady behind the counter greeted me and told me that they were having a fill-a-bag sale and to take a look around. I was looking thru a bin of old hats and I found this particular hat jumbled up at the bottom. When I saw it, I knew exactly what it was. It was a Panama hat made in Ecuador (the original and finest Panama hats were always made in Ecuador and are only called Panama hats bc workers building the Panama Canal wore them and brought them back to the US from Panama). It was made in the 1940s based on the store label and is of the finest quality. A modern hat of comparable quality would cost in the $1000 ~ $3000 range. After getting back home after a week, I carefully brushed it off and gently steamed it with a towel and iron to get it back into shape. While steaming it, I could still faintly smell the sulphur originally used to whiten the natural Toquilla Palm fibers! Russell bought it and I shipped it to him in Salt Lake City. He took it to JW Custom Hats to have it professionally cleaned and reshaped to his taste. It turned out BEAUTIFULLY. I am very happy and satisfied to have been a part of this ~80 year old hat’s journey and am glad to see it being worn again after all these years! Thank You 🙏
