Men's Hats & Caps

Snapbacks, fitted caps and the Cremas and Rojos editions:

how a cap closes matters more than the logo. A fitted cap has no strap and comes in exact sizes, so it either fits your head or it does not. A snapback adjusts, which makes it the safe one to buy second-hand. Unstructured dad caps and mesh truckers sit lower and lose their shape sooner. New Era holds the licence for Comunicaciones and Municipal as well as the MLB teams, in fitted and adjustable versions, so a club cap is built like a Dodgers one and gets copied the same way.

Palm sombreros and felt cowboy hats:

a palm sombrero is for a day in the field; a felt cowboy hat for a wedding, a horseback parade or the rodeo at the Jutiapa fair. Palm hats are still braided by hand from dried leaf, sewn into shape and set in a hot press, a trade rooted in Santa Cruz del Quiché and still worked in Jalapa and Jutiapa. A tight, even braid feels smooth under the thumb and outlasts a loose, coarse one. Felt is a different decision. Fur felt costs more than wool felt and holds its shape through a downpour that leaves wool limp. The X number inside the crown is each maker’s own grade, not a shared scale, so compare it only within one brand. A wide brim shades neck and ears, while a cap covers only the eyes, which is why cap wearers lean harder on men’s sunglasses.

Hat sizes and the fitted cap you cannot try on:

sizes run in eighths of an inch, and a 7¼ suits a head of about 58 cm measured just above the ears. An eighth too small leaves a red line across the forehead; an eighth too big lifts in the wind. A fitted cap or felt hat bought unseen is a gamble; a snapback forgives almost anything. Read the size inside a cap that already fits you rather than guessing.

What a New Era is worth once it has been worn:

a licensed New Era costs from about Q300 for an adjustable to nearly Q500 for a fitted, with the club caps a little below the MLB ones. Second-hand, the sweatband sets the price. An unworn cap with its sticker and tags can ask close to new, because to a collector it is new. Salt marks on the band and soft front panels take most of that value away, whatever the logo.

The visor sticker, the taping and a tired sombrero:

as with the caseback on one of the men’s watches, the small details give a copy away. On current New Era caps the gold sticker is reserved for fitted sizes and every other style gets silver, so a recent snapback with a gold sticker is a warning. Inside, look for printed taping over the seams with crisp lettering, a stitched tag and the flag logo embroidered on the left side. Press the front panels to check the crown has not collapsed, and look for a wavy visor, the mark of a washing machine. On a hat, go to the pinch at the front of the crown where hands grab it: felt thins and palm cracks there first. Set the hat on a table to see whether the brim still sits level, and fold the sweatband down to check its stitching.

Size, sweatband and hat box for the next owner:

buyers decide on the first two, so photograph the size sticker and the band in daylight along with the front, the flag side and the back. Give the size from the sticker, or the inside circumference in centimetres, and for a hat the material: wool felt, fur felt or palm. Say whether it has been worn or washed, and call a replica a replica. Name a club anniversary or title edition exactly, because collectors search for it. A felt hat travels badly squashed into a courier parcel, so a buyer in Huehuetenango or Chiquimula will often rather come and collect it: say where you are and whether the hat box is still with it.