Why collect hats?I found a hat I liked at a flea market 25 years ago, an East German hat. I was stationed in Frankfurt. It started from there. It just began to grow. I’m sort of collector anyway.

They’ve done research on why people collect things. One author of a book on the subject described collecting as attempts to “make sense of the multiplicity and chaos of the world, and perhaps even to find in it hidden meaning.” You think?That’s a little deep for me. I think it’s interesting the way they’re made. If you look at the angle on our hats and the British hats … or look at this Russian hat — they come up to a high bill, they’re much bigger….

So are you saying that the hats say something about the national character?No.

How many hats do you have?I have about 4,000, total. I have about 400 with me. They range from the early 1800s to the present day. I have a lot of French hats. I have hats from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey. A good many, I’ve gotten on trips.

What’s the big, furry one?It’s the Thin Red Line. Maybe 200 years old. It’s bear fur. It’s OK to touch it. Why have it otherwise? There’s no point collecting something if you can’t show it off.

Do you have a favorite?I get asked that a lot. The West Point hat (with ostrich feathers) is one. Some have sentimental value. Some are very rare. The more rare they are, the neater they are to have.

Are any hats off limits?I don’t collect (Nazi hats) specifically because of the connotations they carry.

Do you ever come in here when no one else is around and try them on?No, no. Tobey Keith — he was running around in here, trying them on.

Interview by Nancy Montgomery.

Rusty FrutigerDay Job: U.S. Army brigadier general, and U.S. Army Europe Chief of Staff, Deputy Commander of U.S. Army NATO.

Hobby: Collecting military (and police) hats, with part of his vast collection displayed on the walls of his office.

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