Benjamin Christensen
@shakabrodie
A man that doesn’t really need an introduction, a true OG when it comes to collecting New Era 59Fifty’s, this week’s feature is Hat Club’s own — Benjamin Christensen. We’re excited to feature Ben this week and learn more about his love for fitted caps. Let’s jump in.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and when you fell in love with fitted caps?
My name is Benjamin Christensen and I've been in love with baseball caps as early as the 1980's, but I didn't scoop up my first fitted until 1999 when I was the bat boy for the now-defunct Bakersfield Blaze.
How many caps do you currently have in your collection?
I haven't done a hard count in a few years, but if I had to guess, I'd say I'm close, if not over, to 2000 hats.
Why do you prefer fitted caps over any other hat style?
I've always preferred an exact fit, compared to anything adjustable because I typically wear my hats backwards, and adjustable straps and snaps don't look as good when worn backwards. Plus, the adjustable feature tends to itch my forehead.
When shopping for a new cap, what draws your attention?
The bulk of my collection is On-Field hats, so I typically scoop up ones from the past that I still haven't crossed off of my list. We're talking about hats that were worn prior to the 1970s. As for anything of a custom variety, I lean toward anything that will typically match with my Champion NBA jerseys.
Do you have any crazy stories or adventures for trying to purchase a cap?
Probably the craziest story is how I dropped $120 on a hat back in 2013. With the resell game, this is a relatively low figure; however, back then, nobody spent that much for a hat. The hat that I scooped up was a 2013 Atlanta Braves Spring Training hat that was produced and then pulled after one week due to negative feedback from the public. I bought it to complete my set.
What cap have you been reaching for the most lately?
Anything that says OAKLAND on the front due to the situation between Oakland Athletics fans and A's ownership trying to distance themselves from the city.
Are there any caps that you’re still on the hunt for?
A lot, actually. Most of the ones I'm after are reproduction fitteds of MLB ON-Field hats from prior to 1975.
Last, is there anything you want to see more of when it comes to fitted hats?
Not necessarily. I think the biggest thing that I want to see is more originality when it comes to custom hats. Over the last 3 years almost every company, that's not Hat Club, is still trying to catch lightning in a bottle based on themes and ideas that Hat Club has already released to the public. There are still a lot of original ideas out there that nobody has tapped into yet, but I keep seeing the same things done over and over again which has actually caused me to slow down on buying hats over the last year.
