3X OPEN ROAD

[DOUGLAS]

This is just came in today. It seems to be OR month around here. I've seen some exceptional examples here lately. This one is a 3X. It is strange but of all the different grades this one has become my favorite. It seems to have the right balance of softness and stiffness. This has a 4.5" crown at the sides and 2-7/8" brim which is a bit more than I prefer but still workable for me.

It is possible that the wind cord was added or replaced since it is a different color from the ribbon.

 

[RBH]

Once agian, a great Open Road..

Wonderful hat Douglas! Like you I like my brims to be under 3''.,
2 3\4 is what I would rather have.
But I have to say that brim width really fits your face well.
:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[DOUGLAS]

Thanks RBH,the hat is very comfortable. I will just need to get used to the wider brim. I usually go for 2-5/8". Hell, I not going to quibble over a fraction. The price tag although nice is on the sweat, that bugs me more than the brim.

 

[RBH]

The price tag although nice is on the sweat, that bugs me more than the brim.

If you are like me when I buy a hat, I buy it to wear. When I run into something like your price tag, I try to remove it without causing to much damage, I then keep all such stuff with the hat box I store the hat in.
It wouldnt take too many wearings to mess the tag up.

 

[Razzman]

Great looking hat Douglas. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[tonyb]

Small world?

Among the more "weathered" of my Open Roads is a Royal DeLuxe version I bought from an antique shop on the Washington (state) coast late in '05. On its sweatband is embossed the dealer's mark, reading, in a typeface identical to that on your hat's original price tag, A.W. Barkley. In block type it says Aberdeen, Washington.
Anything like that on your hat's sweatband, Douglas?

 

[DOUGLAS]

I know what mean RBH. I like to keep the hats as close to the way I find them as much as possible.My rotation is such that I can wear this hat as is without doing much damage to the tag however if it looks like it might become loose I will transfer it to the rear of the sweat.
Thanks Razzman. It was a toss up between this one and the one that Marc won.I liked his for the open crown but this one had a shape I couldn't refuse.

 

[DOUGLAS]

YUP, Tony Mine has that same stores mark.

 

[tonyb]

Just curious then, Douglas: where is the seller located? I've often found dealer's marks on hats from long-defunct stores that were located quite near where the eBay sellers live. Seems that before the age of the online auction some hats didn't travel far.

 

[DOUGLAS]

Tonyb, the seller is from Washington/Vancouver. Your theory seems to make a lot of sense. I gotta hit some stores Upstate.

 

[ideaguy]

the hat is just right, Douglas- with your new facial hair treatment, the wider
brim doesn't overpower at all. Goatee & Moustache are a great look, you carry it
off very well. Thanks for your comments re: my post & photos, sorry it turned into a posting mess. Will try again-if any suggestions on how to get photos up
without completely botching it, please, fire away.

 

[undertaker]

Very nice indeed. What color is that one? It looks on my monitor to be a gray tone.

Regards,
J.S.

 

[Feraud]

What a beauty! Douglas, you have one of the finest collections of hats I have seen. :eusa_clap

 

[DOUGLAS]

Thank you for the kind words gentlemen.

J.S.,you are correct, the hat is gray but leaning on the blueish side. I would love to find a Brown one in this condition in the 3X grade.

Ideaguy, any thread that shows hats is good by me. you have quite the collection.

Feraud, one of these days I will get my collection organized. My wife is going to Japan for a month on a project so I will have a lot of time on my hands . My daughter wants me to spread all my hats on the floor and take a picture.

 

[Feraud]

My daughter wants me to spread all my hats on the floor and take a picture.

I do not think there is a lens wide enough to capture that picture!

 

[DOUGLAS]

I don't think my floor is big enough for all the hats either

 

[John in Covina]

Great Open Road! Panache!

 

[Marc]

:eusa_clap Very nice Douglas!!! Congrats on that one!

I wish mine was a 3x as well, but then again, I probably hadn't gotten a mint condition for as little as 39 bucks. Well, guess I'm just a sucker for beaver felt and the way it feels and pounces out.

Regards,

Marc

 

[DOUGLAS]

Marc,the 3X is my favorite Stetson grade. Across all the different models they have produced when they are the 3X they just seem to hold their shape better and still feel soft. Had I not seen this one I would have bid on yours. The open crown in mint condition is hard to pass up.