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So I bought some vintage hats recently. A few of them have this black deteriorating powder coming out from them. I think they are 70s or 80s. Is there any way to clean them easily? I think they would sell for around $50 each without the dust so I was wondering if anyone had a good method to clean them up
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They are like mesh trucker hats, there’s no mesh in them though. They are collapsible now if that makes sense. Not sure if it would be safe to wash them or not
Have you guys ever sold them as is in the vintage hat category? They have pretty cool military graphics so I feel like someone could buy them as a display piece or something for their mancave. I would of course disclose that the mesh was disintegrating
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Understood. This is quite common with those old snapback hats. The foam just falls apart.
If the hat has a cool patch on it, we just remove the patch.
If you really think the hats are valuable as wall art, you could list and be transparent about the dust. Just know that’s a big downer for buyers…but necessary so they know it cant be worn.
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The best way to clean these is with a shop vac. Take the attachment off and just use the hose. I Would also recommend using a mask to protect your lungs.
I have sold a lot of these over the years and collectors want them cleaned. They sell for more money without having dust and dirt all over them. My general rule is I will clean them if I can sell them for more than $20-$25.
I disagree a bit with Jay. I always keep the patches on and find they sell for more money even if the hats are in very good condition. Collectors a lot of times will take the patch off but are willing to pay more money for the hat.
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I disagree a bit with Jay. I always keep the patches on and find they sell for more money even if the hats are in very good condition. Collectors a lot of times will take the patch off but are willing to pay more money for the hat.
To be clear, we just remove patches from hats that are basically trash. Where the foam has disintegrated or the hat is unwearable.
Often devil’s dust means the hat can’t be worn because its not “structurally” stiff anymore and wont fit on the head nicely. There are some very rare hats that are in this condition that we sell as-is. Very few.
When you sell hats that cant be worn anymore, what do you think the buyer does with it? How do you list it so the buyer knows he cant wear it?
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I list the hat as worn or distressed. I show pictures that it can’t stand on it’s own. A lot of times they display them .
My experience has been that most high end hat buyers understand this. They see so many listings with dust and terrible condition hats that I believe mine stand out.
Jay, most vintage high end trucker hats have the foam disintegrated and cleaning them is worth the effort.
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In general I don’t list hats where the foam is disintegrating. I’ve sold a couple in the past and I’ve pulled patches off some as well. These days I only try and sell hats that I’d be happy to receive and wear myself as a buyer. I currently have a pile of hats that I’ve collected that have bad foam (I have to keep them in isolation to avoid them contaminating my good hats). I’m planning on auctioning the bad pile off as a lot as some would be quite desirable if they didn’t have the foam problem. Experienced hat buyers might know what bad foam means. I don’t think the average person wouldn’t know what to expect if they bought one with that problem. They might think it’s a minor problem and be very disappointed.
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