Victorian riding hats!

Yesterday my friend Joy and I set out to investigate a new shop in Phoenix and then headed over to another shopping area to look for more goodies.  More on those in the coming days.

In a consignment shop yesterday, Design 'N Consign, in Phoenix, I spotted a vintage blouse on a form and asked if it was for sale.  It wasn't, but the clerk said, wait, I have some vintage hats that just came in that you might be interested in.  Was I ever!  Check these out!!

Here's the first hat.  Black velvet with hand embroidery on it.

Here's the back.  The hat ties/strings hook together in the back and these long ties can trail down the rider's back, onto her long dress that flows over the back of the horse.  More hand embroidery!

Here's a better close up of the hand embroidery.

A close up of the top of the hat.

This is the underside of the hat.  Beautiful hand embroidered gold trim with beads, you can see the hand stitching inside, and inside the hat in gold on red it says "Betty Widmann".  Then the rest of the gold writing is in German and the only word I can make out is "Battenberg".

Next hat!

Different hand embroidery, still black velvet.

From the side.  The original hooks and eyes are still there to hold the back tails of the hats together.

Beautiful!

More elaborate hand embroidery with gold thread and tiny beads!  And in this picture you can see some of the hand stitching in the red part.  No name or location in this one.  Please click on the pictures for larger views.

Were these a find or what??!!  I know they are antiques.  Their general overall condition is good.  The second hat is beginning to come apart on the top.  However, these were something you don't come across often!!  I have not been able to find anything remotely similar on eBay or any pictures on line that would help me date these.  But I am positive they are mid to late 1880's and probably Victorian since they are black.

Can you see me clapping my hands together with glee??  Am I going to sell them?  Don't know yet.  I need to find out a value for them before I decide.  I know they are worth far more than I paid for them.  You just don't find these everyday!