Vtg Ostwald Marching Band Hat-White Feather Plume-8 Pt Shield-Excellent Cond

Description

Offered is this hat with a short brim, made by the Ostwald Company, part of a uniform for a marching band, probably for a high school. The black hat features a white plume of feathers and a large metal eight-pointed star on the front. Two additional metal buttons connect the straps to the hat. I don't know how old the hat is, but it appears old enough to be vintage. The Ostwald Co. began making band uniforms in the 1930s and in the 1950s became the dominant supplier of band uniforms in the USA. The company is apparently still in business but has been known as Macmillan Ostwald since the 1970s, so this probably dates to before that time. Interestingly, the company helped begin the prestigious Sousa/ABA/Ostwald Award for composition. This may be a rare find; at the time of original listing I could not find any other Ostwald hats like this for sale on eBay.
The hat has no size markings but is quite small, with the oval opening approx. 7 3/4" x 5". It is approx. 9" long, about 7 1/2" across and about 11 1/2" high, including the plume. It is in excellent condition, with almost no wear. The vinyl straps are almost like new and the metal is shiny, except for a small amount of tarnish on the plumeholder.
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