10 Unbelievable Fitted Cap Collections

Image via Complex Original

Number of Fitteds: 2,000+

“My first fitted hat was a Yankees hat, and I had to wear shoes that matched. You have to understand, I grew up on that. And it was probably a pair of Nike Tailwinds, it was that long ago. This is what we grew up on. This is how we grew up. We grew up on dressing properly, or trying to dress properly because it was part of being cool. You had to be fresh to be part of being cool. So that was what we based things that we did off of.”

Name a New Era, any New Era, and DJ Clark Kent has it. A hat that never made it to production? Clark probably has it buried under his pile of 2,000-plus fitteds he has to choose from every day. And he makes sure his 59FIFTYs are worn with a purpose, and that’s to stay fresh. So you can expect his cap to match his huge collection of kicks too.

Number of Fitteds: 850+

“I started wearing New Era caps when I was a kid. I always wanted to wear what was on the field. I didn’t want to wear what the other kids were wearing, I wanted to wear what my heroes were wearing.”

Gary doesn’t want to wear the caps everyone else has. He wants the ones that have history behind them. Game-worn baseball caps from specific, memorable games in memorable eras sets Gary’s collection apart from the rest. His collection is literally one of a kind.

Number of Fitteds: 50+

“In the military, a lot of people are from a lot of different places. Wearing an Atlanta Braves hat, for me, is important because it shows where I’m from and it lets everybody know that this is my allegiance, this is my favorite team, this is my city.”

As one of the more respected collectors today, Ricky Ruby has established his collection through his allegiance to the Atlanta Braves. He proudly displays his love for the baseball team in a slew of different versions of the team’s logo, many of which you won’t be able to find anymore. That is some real dedication.

Number of Fitteds: 300+

“I always wanted to be original and myself, so when I would cop a new cap I always wanted to support and rep my city and teams. So you can say I always wore my allegiance, stayed true to my city and teams.”

The die-hard Chicago fan lets it be known with his gigantic collection of Chi-Town sports fitteds from baseball to basketball to hockey and more. Colorways are not an issue as he makes sure the core colors are accounted for, however venturing off to others is very much acceptable.

Number of Fitteds: 800+

“My goal is to really get all the hats that every team wore through the years. Whatever they started up to the present. A team changed hats? I have to get them. And if their first cap started in 1900, I have to find that hat from 1900.”

Sometimes referred to as the King of New Era, Angel’s love for New Era caps dates back to the ’80s, with his collection continually growing since. Fluctuating between 800 and up to 1,100 fitteds at one time, he treats his 59FIFTYs like they’re his babies—they’re all his favorite. Good enough for us.

Number of Fitteds: Unknown

“My granddad was a hat guy, my dad’s a hat guy, so naturally I became a hat guy. I tried my hardest not to find another addiction seeing I was already into shoes. I had a few snapbacks when I was a kid, but I wanted to wear what my favorite baseball player, Eric Davis, was wearing. The 59FIFTY was as official as you could get. I’d scrounge up $20 and buy the on-field caps from Cincy Sports or Koch Sports. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t until 2007 that I wore a cap other than an MLB on-field.”

If you follow Tyjuan Mathis on any of his social media handles, you’d be hard-pressed not to give him one of the top spots for craziest assortment of fitteds. With a collection that could be in the thousands, the cap and sneaker collector is the owner of Chicago’s Leaders 1354 and has all the eyes of the industry. We just wonder how he gets so much heat.

Number of Fitteds: 650+

“I started wearing New Era caps in 2000. My collection reached 30 caps by 2005, and I bought my 200th cap at the grand opening of the New Era flagship store in Berlin. I was the first customer.”

Hailing from Germany, the capaddict.com keeper lives up to his website’s name with an incredible array of sports and non-sports fitteds to choose from. His room dedicated to his New Era caps is pretty eye-catching as it’s filled with on-field 59FIFTYs and limited editions he likes to match his sneakers with.

Number of Fitteds: 500+

“I love Minor League Baseball, and it takes up a good percentage of my collection. I always look forward to the beginning of each season to see what new styles are being released. I prefer caps with simpler, classic logos.”

Minor League caps are hard to come by, but California-native John Beare probably has them all—even ones dating back to 15 years ago. With a collection around 500, you can bet your bottom dollar there are more than a few gems you might have to pay a few bucks to get a glimpse of.

Number of Fitteds: 200+

“I received a Brewers New Era baseball cap as a gift when I was a kid, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

The Wisconsin-native Chris Cornolo’s love for the 59FIFTY matches his love for sneakers as he is often found proudly displaying both. Catching a glimpse of a limited New Balance sneaker next to a limited New Era cap sends chills down our spine.

Number of Fitteds: 365

There isn’t much information on this German man of mystery except for his interview with New Era Addict and his Instagram feed, but it’s no mystery that his collection is insane. With an array of crazy customs you’d never expect to see mixed with an extremely colorful assortment of classics, you can definitely see that this is no ordinary collection.