Where Is Indiana Jones’ Hat Today?

Indiana JOnes Fedora no
Getty Images

In 1977, Harrison Ford‘s career was launched into the stratosphere with the release of the original Star Wars. Playing charming rebel Han Solo, one would naturally think that Ford’s career would forever be linked to that one character and franchise above all others. But obviously, fate had other plans. Just four years later, in 1981, a Steven Spielberg film called Raiders of the Lost Ark introduced the world to one of its most popular movie characters  — Indiana Jones, played to even more acclaim by Ford.

Inspired by a story partially written by Star Wars head honcho George Lucas, the groundbreaking blockbuster gave us our first look at the globetrotting archaeologist who hated snakes and loved adventures, his whip, and — most of all — his hat. But after 40-plus years and five films, where is Indy’s famous hat today?

Where Did Indiana’s Hat Come From?

In 1979, even before the Raiders of the Lost Ark script was finalized, Indy’s look was being developed. Influenced by screenings of various Humphrey Bogart and Charlton Heston classics depicting a similar time period, costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis was enlisted to bring the vision to life. Convinced that a Fedora-style hat was the way to go, she took Ford to Bermans and Nathans in London’s Camden district, where he tried on hat after hat until they decided on the best style for his head and face.

Once the proper Fedora style was selected, the real fun began. Landis shifted her attention to Herbert Johnson in London and selected an Australian model from the company’s presentation line. Boasting a wide brim that could easily be adapted, she worked with the designers to adjust the Fedora’s width, crown and the color, eventually landing on Indiana’s signature earth tone. Landis then got to work aging the hats by scrubbing them with mineral oil and crushing them under her bed to look appropriately beat-up and worn. The Fedora — and the movie  — clicked with audiences, and one of film’s most iconic looks was born.

Where Is Indiana Jones’ Hat Today?

Raiders of the Lost Ark Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, 1981

Paramount/Everett Collection

With five big screen movies and one prequel TV series (not to mention countless novels, video games and comic book adaptations) all stemming from the Indiana Jones franchise, it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of Indy-style fedoras — originals, replicas and fakes — floating around.

In an interview with The Ringer in 2020, Landis claims to have procured an original version of the hat from George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch for a Hollywood exhibition for London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 2012, after searching through a messy collection of unlabeled wardrobe items.

But if you’re looking for a thoroughly documented item on public display, your best bet is the actual Fedora used in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, donated by Lucas to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., the same year the movie was released.

While many movie fans are happy to flock to the Smithsonian to catch a glimpse of film history, the idea of actually owning such a valuable piece of paraphernalia continues to appeal to those who can afford it. In fact, a Ford-worn Fedora from 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was sold for a whopping $630,000 during a 2024 auction in Los Angeles.

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1980s Top Summer Blockbusters

July 2019

Celebrate the biggest summer movies of the ’80s, when moviegoing morphed from mere entertainment to blockbuster events.

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