Coker of Fort Worth???

[Canadave]

I won this hat and would like some info. Jamespowers had some interesting theories, but I'd be curious whether anyone else has any insight into the company, or the age of the hat.

Thanks a lot,

David

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Open Road?

Looks like that may even be a Stetson coat of arms above the name. Maybe a Stetson used as a signature brand.

 

[Uncle Vern]

That hat looks identical to my 50's Stetson 25, but in much nicer shape. Couldn't it just have been re-branded for a local store?

 

[DanielJones]

Could be an Open Road or a Stratoliner. Some major hat companies Like Stetson did OEM their wears and put someone elses logo in the liner for a fee. That's at least one possability.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Canadave]

"OEM"?

Were the 50's Open Roads a softer felt than the 80's+ versions?

David

 

[fedoralover]

very much so, the newer ones are stiff as a board. The older ones were very soft and pliable.

fedoralover

 

[DanielJones]

OEM is used mostly in engineering. It means Original Engineer Manufactured. Things like car parts or electronic parts for computers. It's basically a generic term for one company making it and another selling it with their name on it.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Uncle Vern]

James, I have an old 3x Open Road, stamped John B. Stetston Co., red, white and blue shield with 3 beavers around it, a 2 3/4-inch brim, and the liner is stitched in. Do you have any idea when this hat could have been made?

 

[Sefton]

I don't have any info on the hat...I just wanted to say congratulations on finding a 7 and 7/8! Are you going to re-block it or keep it as it is? Regards, Sefton (a fellow of the brotherhood of the big head: 7 7/8,long oval) :cheers1:

 

[Canadave]

very much so, the newer ones are stiff as a board. The older ones were very soft and pliable.

fedoralover

I hope that's what this one is, then. A OEM Stetson made in the 50s. I have an 80s Open Road that I sometimes use to crack walnuts!

...I just wanted to say congratulations on finding a 7 and 7/8! Are you going to re-block it or keep it as it is? Regards, Sefton (a fellow of the brotherhood of the big head: 7 7/8,long oval) :cheers1:

Thanks, Sefton. I'll probably keep it as is. Depends on the condition, whether I need to have it cleaned etc. I may just re-bash it a bit.

Man, I feel for you. How do your neck muscles hold up that melon?

David

 

[BellyTank]

OEM

Original Equipment Manufacturer-

B
T

 

[MattC]

Open Roads & Stratoliners--soft & Hard

The vintage Stratoliners and Open Roads have gorgeous, soft pliable felt. You can easliy reshape them by hand without steam. By the 70s, Open Roads still had pliable, soft felt, but was harder to shape; they tended to hold whatever shape they were blocked with. Now they are like corregated cardboard. I think Stratoliners didn't make it out of the 60s, but I'm not sure.

 

[ITG]

Is there an address in there? FW is next door to me.

 

[fedoralover]

MattC, you are correct about the Stratoliners. Stetson discontinued them in the early 60s. A few years ago I called Stetson and a guy who had worked for Stetson for 30 years, (can't remember his name) told me that. There was so much similarity between the Stratoliner and the Open Road they decided to stop its production, but the Open Road lives on in a stiff factory blocked shadow of it's former glory. I love the old ones but have no use for the new ones.

fedoralover

 

[MattC]

New Open Roads

I agree with you completely. I love the old Stratoliners and Open Roads, but the new ones are junk.

 

[Canadave]

OK, I received the hat

I thought I'd describe it in hand. The crown is fairly supple, but the brim is stiff as a board, like a cowboy hat. It doesn't quite fit and needs to be ovalized. I could either take it in to have that done, or maybe just steam it and put in a stretcher to get the right shape. It's also a funny colour. Almost flesh-tone. Anyone have experience with this colour?

There are no tags under the sweat that help I.D. the origin of the hat, so I guess it will remain a mystery.

I'm a bit disappointed, because I was thinking "fedora", not "cowboy hat", but I guess I should have known...Coker's of FORT WORTH, after all.

David

 

[fedoralover]

Dave, I think the color you have is a "Natural" color. Meaning it probably doesn't have any dye in it. I have a few of those. I would suggest popping the crown out and steaming it into an open crown shape again. Try to get all the old creases out of it and then reshape it with a modified C crown and a tight front pinch. I've done this on several "cowboy" looking hats I've gotten and it makes them look more like a fedora.

fedoralover

 

[jamespowers]

Flesh tone? You mean you got what they call a "pink" for the 50s? Geez, those are rare. For obvious reasons, there were not a lot of this color made. Is it really a flesh tone or a silver belly color? I would prefer the pink myself. I don't think they were dyed that color either. It just came out that way through the processing. The carroting phase turns the whole mass orange so pink or flesh tone would not be all that impossible at the end.
Don't be disappointed. You have a rare color that will just take some work to make it look right for you. The brim will relax a bit when you shape it and the crown is already easy enough to shape with some steam. Use the steam to shape the brim as well. It doesn't look like the hat was worn much so it will be sort of stiff. After you "wear it in" I bet it will be just fine. :cheers1:

Regards to all,

J

 

[Canadave]

Flesh tone? You mean you got what they call a "pink" for the 50s? Geez, those are rare. For obvious reasons, there were not a lot of this color made. Is it really a flesh tone or a silver belly color?...

Oh, it's pretty pink. I didn't want to say that in my original post, thus the term "flesh tone", but yeah, I got myself a pink hat. OK, a faded pink, and it's starting to grow on me, especially after your insights, JP.

Thanks for the feedback. fedoralover too!

David

 

[boheba]

hello mr david my name is william overstreet i worked for mr coker in ft worth tx in 1974 mr coker made hat for a long time he stared makeing hats in los angles ca in the 20s are 30rd when i worked for me coker we did not make that type of hat but he did make i hade one to reblock that he made in the 40s if that help