Where are the hats?!?!

[obiwantok]

If you order from Lids.com they offer free shipping to the store Lids or Hatworld store nearest you (in 7-14 days). When they arrive they give you a call and there you go. Might be helpful (and save a little money) if you're looking for a hat where the team isn't local. I only wish they had a wider selection on Minor League caps.

[schwep76]

I collect hats too. It's my current goal to get one 5950 from each MLB team. Right now I'm halfway there, with 15.

[Mac the Knife]

Guys its simple - if your local outlets don't carry the hat you want, order it online.

I understand the "buy local" mentality, but if the locals want to be pure homers and keep only the local teams stuff in stock, they aren't willing to do what it takes to get (or keep) your business, and consequently you have every right to take it elsewhere.

[Moser316]

I'm not sure if this is irony or just plain bizarre, but I think it's kinda cool...

First, a little history. I used to collect hats when I was a kid -- like back in '86. I'd go to the local minor league baseball games during the summer, and if I had saved enough of my allowance, I would get to buy a hat. They were the mesh back style which has unfortunately become a fashion item now. Of course, my first hat was the royal blue Atlanta Braves hat. I wore that damn thing night and day. Probably bathed in it, knowing how much I loved it!

As my tastes evolved, and I became more obsessive about wanting one of each team. Almost got there, but kind of got distracted by other things, most notably the professional fitted hats that cost more than twice as much as the mesh hats. And considering that this was during the mid to late 1980s, I was able to grab a few cool items. Which leads me to this post...

I was doing some cleaning tonight, and I came across several unmarked boxes. They were fairly large, but extremely light. I was dumbfounded, so I opened them up. Oh. My. God. There were all my hats from my childhood! All the crappy mesh hats (including the heavily soiled Braves hat and it's replacement) and all of the fitted hats were there. Some of the highlights included the following fitted caps...

1970s Pirates black on yellow pillbox

1980s White Sox "SOX" (black on white softball era)

1980s Tigers road (Cecil Fielder era)

1960s Houston Colt .45s

And believe it or not...

1960s Washington Senators

Sadly, the Senators doesn't fit anymore, but I'm going to keep it. I had totally forgotten that I bought it many years ago. I mean, these hats were all bought before 1992 or 1993. I had moved on from the hat collection by then. But I gotta tell ya, I was into retro before retro was cool. Back in 1991, how many other 13 year olds do you thinkwore Colt .45 hats?

Damn, I was the same way when I was a kid. Wish I had the sense to keep those hats. Here was my collection, which dated from about 1988-1991 (at least what I can remember of it):

Baltimore Orioles (cartoon bird)

Baltimore Orioles (ornithologically correct bird)

Milwaukee Brewers

New York Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays

California Angels ("fat" halo)

Chicago White Sox (current Gothic SOX style)

Oakland Athletics

Chicago Cubs

Montreal Expos (pinwheel style)

New York Mets

Pittsburgh Pirates

Cincinnati Reds

Houston Astros

[JetsLuvver]

But I gotta tell ya, I was into retro before retro was cool.  Back in 1991, how many other 13 year olds do you thinkwore Colt .45 hats? 

I was into the older-style logos before anyone else was sporting them too. In fact, I still have the Astros "H-star" hat I bought from Woolworth's about ten years back. Those stores always seemed to carry lots of stuff with outdated logos on them (I found a Bobby Hull-era Winnipeg Jets hat at one once, and this was around 1996.).

[mightynine]

Lids is very much a YMMV brick and mortar store.

However, the website is a great source for just about anything (they've still yet to get the Nats BP cap). And if you collect caps, get the membership card. Five bucks will save you a lot of money in the long run. And if you're patient, get the free shipping to the store. With the membership card and that combined, I always pay less than the list price.

It's where I picked up my new Braves alt 5950 size 8.

[Mac6674]

I'm in shock over the size of some of your heads; how do you guys hold them up?

The Lids we have near here is OK about having MLB hats, but mostly they have the college fashion hats, which are ugly as sin. Unfortunately, most of my best hats have come on road trips; I try to get to Baltimore once a year, and every time I get a different throwback hat; I got the Expos old hat at the O in '01, and I picked up a couple at Cooperstown last year.

Anyone in North Jersey can hit the Garden State Plaza; they have one little sports store that usually carries all the hats plus some throwbacks. (i forget the name; it's by Sbarro's)

[bterreson]

I'm in shock over the size of some of your heads; how do you guys hold them up?

The Lids we have near here is OK about having MLB hats, but mostly they have the college fashion hats, which are ugly as sin. Unfortunately, most of my best hats have come on road trips; I try to get to Baltimore once a year, and every time I get a different throwback hat; I got the Expos old hat at the O in '01, and I picked up a couple at Cooperstown last year.

Anyone in North Jersey can hit the Garden State Plaza; they have one little sports store that usually carries all the hats plus some throwbacks. (i forget the name; it's by Sbarro's)

if you need a pink or baby-blue cap of any team. lids is the place to be

[Frylock]

Well, here's the update...

I went back my local Lids, and they still didn't have the Nats 5950 home hat in stock. I thought about it some more, and decided that I didn't need the 5950. As long as it was red and fitted, I would be happy.

So I ended up getting this Franchise hat by Twins. It's just the right size, and I love the low profile crown. I wish the logo was just little less three dimensional, but overall, I'm very pleased with the hat.

As for the Lids membership card, I ended up getting one. I don't buy a ton of hats, but since it's good for a calendar year and not just thru the end of '05, I figured why not. I also bought my fiancee a cap, so I saved some money on the whole deal. Not only that, but I discovered there is a Lids for Less outlet store just 20 minutes out of town. Now I'm jonesin' for hats!

[pcgd]

Well, here's the update...

I went back my local Lids, and they still didn't have the Nats 5950 home hat in stock. I thought about it some more, and decided that I didn't need the 5950. As long as it was red and fitted, I would be happy.

So I ended up getting this Franchise hat by Twins. It's just the right size, and I love the low profile crown. I wish the logo was just little less three dimensional, but overall, I'm very pleased with the hat.

As for the Lids membership card, I ended up getting one. I don't buy a ton of hats, but since it's good for a calendar year and not just thru the end of '05, I figured why not. I also bought my fiancee a cap, so I saved some money on the whole deal. Not only that, but I discovered there is a Lids for Less outlet store just 20 minutes out of town. Now I'm jonesin' for hats!

although the new hat club program is good, I liked the old one better.

When I got it (I think it was mid 90's) you got it by spending 25 dollars in the store. If you didn't spend that, you could buy the hat for 25 bucks and get the membership. The best part was, it was lifetime. No renewing or anything. So I used my card over the years up until about 3 months ago when they gave me a new card (free)

So when I bought my florida marlins hat back in 93 for 25 bucks, I've gotten 10% off for 12 years.

[sacker12]

I went by a nearby sporting goods store the other day, and they have a ton of old-school 5950's on sale. Unfortunately, the ones that I was most interested in, like the blue and white Jays hat, the Brewers ball and glove hat, and the old Astros hat with the orange star and white "T", were not in my size. So, I had to settle on one of the old teal Mariners' alt hats that they wore back in the mid-90's. I even saw some old minor leagues hats there, too.