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Boss of the Plains?

MikeinRome

One Too Many
Messages
1,016
Just received this beautiful, what I believe to be a Boss of The Plains, in the mail. The hat came with a purple fabric wrapped around it and stampede straps basically stapled into the hat. I was hoping that there was a chance that the original ribbon would be hidden underneath the purple fabric- to my surprise I was right! The sweatband was missing but the block tags still in tact. The crown had some old crease marks in it and could use some structure, so using a variety of blocks and hand work, I did my best to reestablish the open crown. (since I dont have a BOP block)

I removed the fabric and stampede straps and sewed in a new 2" wide sweatband. quick brush off...Fits great!

The brim is very dense felt and super stiff. Im assuming this is a clear nutria based on a comparison I did to another in my collection from around the same time period.

Not bad for $70!
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That's a great find. It's a Laloo model per it's Block Number, as shown in one of my posts on this same page and the attached photo, which is said to be from a 1915 catalog. What they called a Laloo back then bears no resemblance at all to the Laloo of the 40's and 50's. I'm curious about the Depth of your crown. The tag seems to say it's 4 3/8 inches. A Laloo is supposed to be 5 1/2 inches. What does it actually measure? EDIT: Turns out this isn't a Laloo model. The 424 Block was used for various hats, including the Laloo.
 

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MikeinRome

One Too Many
Messages
1,016
The numbers in that ad seem to match the Block Number on the tags, from what I can determine. That's what I decided about my Stetson Austral. And the hat dimensions match also, unless your hat has some oddball crown depth for some reason. There's a couple other hats on this thread with the same Block Number as your hat.
 
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MikeinRome

One Too Many
Messages
1,016
Wow, that's interesting! I wasn't expecting that. Wonder what year that ad appeared. OK, I see what's happening. That Block Number 424 was used for a number of different hats. Seems it was used for the Laloo, which had a 5 1/2 inch Depth, and also used for some hats having the Depths of 4 3/8 (your Round Up hat), 4 5/8, and 4 3/4 according to records on the Stetson Block Number thread.
 
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MikeinRome

One Too Many
Messages
1,016
I get so confused with all the edits and re-edits of some posts.
It really interrupts the context and continuity of one’s position in a conversation and diminishes validity of any contributions current or past.
Sorry to derail but had to say it.
B
If you're referring to my posts, but aren't Man enough to say it to my face, then I invite you to block me so your poor brain isn't overtaxed. Learning is a process. It's not always neat, sometimes it's messy.
 

AbbaDatDeHat

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,850
If you're referring to my posts, but aren't Man enough to say it to my face, then I invite you to block me so your poor brain isn't overtaxed. Learning is a process. It's not always neat, sometimes it's messy.
Hey Mike, i was respectful enough not to call anyone out. If you felt moved by my observations that’s on you and your learning curve.
But since you asked…yeah buddy, i was absolutely talking about you and if you were sitting across the table i would have told you to your face day 1.
Thank you for asking.
B
 

MikeinRome

One Too Many
Messages
1,016
I appreciate everyone’s input and info regarding my hat & any other for that matter! I’m really excited about it and I value your contributions. If anyone would like to help me date it that would be helpful.
With that brown inventory tag, from what I've read, that was used from about 1900 to the late 1920's. Don't know how early and late they made the Round Up model, if that's indeed what your hat seems to be. The Round Up is listed in the 1900 catalog, with a 3 1/4 brim, I think.
 
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TWKundrat

One of the Regulars
Messages
104
Just picked this guy up. These aren't my photos but the ones from the seller.

It has the Paris 1900 stamp on the sweatband. I feel like I've read somewhere that they used that up until around 1915 but if anyone has better info I'd be interested in hearing about it. Not sure if I've seen that 34 block number before either.
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Thundercolt

One of the Regulars
Messages
206
Location
MN
I've seen photos of that and the display of other early Stetsons at the museum. Is there any more info on it? Possible age maybe?
I wore a Boss of the Plains hat when I posed for this bronze statue of Wyatt Earp that I named "Law Dog".

Wyatt - Law Dog.JPG

Law Dog
In May of 1878, Wyatt Earp was appointed Dodge City assistant marshal for the second time by “Dog” Kelly who had been elected mayor on the “Saloon Ticket.” During his days as a “Law Dog,” Earp and several peace officers shot it out with a group of Texas cowboys who refused to check their guns as required by law. One of the cowboys was circling around behind the peace officers when Wyatt spun around and shot him in the leg, the other cowboys fled town in short order. The wounded man was patched up and released; no arrests were made, but the moment lives on in this image frozen in time.
 
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