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Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Donegal Hat

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia / Movie - Memorabilia Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Donegal Hat
There are some iconic costumes and props that on their own can instantly identify a character or a movie. Anyone who sees a Deerstalker hat or an Inverness cape immediately thinks of the great Sherlock Holmes, especially as portrayed by the ultimate Sherlock: Basil Rathbone. However as he continued to play the character, he began to feel, as many actors who become part and parcel to a specific role, a bit limited. In fact he walked away from his lucrative series at 20th Century Fox. That is, until Universal Studios offered him a generous proposition to bring the character back in the early 1940's. He did come back, as did his trusty sidekick Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson in a series, of extremely successful Holmes mysteries. However, he did insist that for his own image, and to bring a more "modern" feel to these films, he would forgo both the Deerslayer and his coat. Instead, his clothes were more up-to-date, and his hat became almost as iconic. It was an Irish Donegal Tweed Wool Hat. This is one of those hats. Hand picked from the famous Millars Hatters in Ireland, this is one of his actual hero screen worn hats used in his series of Universal Studios Holmes mysteries between 1943 and 1946. It has the original Millars label inside, and has the original "B. Rathbone" written across the lining of the hat in Indian Ink as was the custom. Comes with both a Letter of Provenience from Robert L. White Appraisals, as well as a COA from "Up Your Attic" and signed by Don Melvoin.