Dating 30s/40s Stetsons by manufacturing label

[Baron Kurtz]

Thanks for that. Yes, the lot number is very difficult to make out. There are no other markings, and no size label or sticker, or signs of a previous size sticker on the sweatband. The centre rear join seam of the sweatband was the unstitched type.

I was going to ask about the orientation of the Number 1 imprint, horizontal vs vertical, but didn't know if that was too dumb a question.:eusa_doh:

Not out of place, Baron... expanding this thread to look at a wider timeline of manufacturing tags is a good idea. Assuming you do not have a size label to work with on this hat? Any other marks on the sweatband? The lot number is very hard to make out, even with some Photoshop forensic work. The vertical No.1 quality imprint predates the horizontal one but dating would still be a guess. I would agree with pre 1930s and perhaps c. 1920.

 

[Dinerman]

Here's one you don't see often.

 

[alanfgag]

Eur right about that!

Show us more.

 

[Dinerman]

 

[besdor]

Interesting hat Dinerman. Which country was the hat from?

 

[Dinerman]

Sold in Mexico. Looks like it was made in the Philly plant, though.

 

[fedoracentric]

I just bought a Stetson made in Canada in the 50s (or 40s, won't know til it gets in). I can't wait to see the labels inside. It's the first foreign made Stetson I've got lately.

 

[TheDane]

:bump: As far as I can see, there are at least three different two-panel label types. The text in the right panel differs as follows:

1) All text is written in "Normal" font weight

2) First line in "Bold" - the rest in "Normal"

3) All text in "Bold"

To me it seems as if "all in normal" was the earliest - and "all in bold" the latest. Do anybody have info or observations, that could verify or elaborate on this, please?

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks for your observations, Ole. I had originally explored the transition from 3 panel tags with block/depth/finish fields to the single field tag in an attempt to better date hats from the mid 1930s to early 1940s. I didn't look much into the post-war labels, but there is certainly room to do this here. Many collect Stetsons from this period and have interest in narrowing down when they were manufactured.

 

[Joshbru3]

I have still yet to ever see another one of these labels.......



Its from a Stetson Select Quality Bowler. I believe it to be from the late teens-20's. Its hard to pinpoint though because Stetson used the Select Quality designation into the late 20's/early 30's

 

[RBH]

Now that Mr Deckard is at Hatco...maybe he can find some of the old info that is thought to be lost.
There are worse ways to spend a lunch hour!

 

[buler]

Now that Mr Deckard is at Hatco...maybe he can find some of the old info that is thought to be lost.
There are worse ways to spend a lunch hour!

One of the Hatco guys I talked to at FedoraFest said there was a coffee can "somewhere" that contained a bunch of the sweatband imprint stamps....

B

 

[splintercellsz]

Wouldn't that be a dream to stumble across that!?