Dating Vintage Stetsons by Liner: A Field Guide

[Landman]

It looks 70's to 80's to me. Especially if that is the original hat box.

 

[barrowjh]

sweatband on that one looks more recent than the 60s, a far cry from the quality of the 50s. I agree with Landman's estimates.

 

[gtdean48]

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View attachment 9777
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Square size tags like that did start showing up in the mid 1960's but that box, sweat & liner are more recent than that....

 

[nightandthecity]

thanks for the input everyone.

yes, the box is (AFAIK) the original.

It seems there's a growing consensus around 1970s/80s - which was my original guesstimate. But is anyone willing to be more precise?

Re the metric size tag issue: I've perused a few threads and found contradictory ideas. On this thread or the vintage tag one it's stated that joint US/metric tags started in the 90s, but I did read somewhere else the suggestion that these were introduced in the 1970s, which could have been where fedoracentric got the idea. Of course, it's all apparently guesswork with not much evidence evidence either way, but if we take hats like mine to be 70s/80s from other evidence, then 90s does seem more likely (here in the Uk joint GB/Metric tags are common on clothing from the 70s onwards, but then we joined the EEC in 1973)

 

[gtdean48]

...
It seems there's a growing consensus around 1970s/80s - which was my original guesstimate. But is anyone willing to be more precise?
...

Unless you have receipts for added provenience, precision is limited to decades...

 

[nightandthecity]

c'mon, if a mere tyro like me can guess 70s/80s then one of you guys can surely narrow it down to a single decade......

My money's on 1975-85, not sure I could say why though....

 

[gtdean48]

That liner, I'd not say anything in the 70's. 80's would be oldest I would go....late 80's at that. I bought an Open Road new in the mid-80's came in that style box...different liner tho...

 

[nightandthecity]

yes, the liner seems very distinctive, and if we could only find a few others with the same liner to add context, probably the key. But I couldn't find another example in any of the threads I've looked at.

I bought the hat off the bass player in our '50s Hillbilly/WS band - he had two. It looks the part, does the job, and didn't cost either of us very much. But I generally only wear mid-century clothes, and I've got to admit it's got me lusting after an older example......

 

[carouselvic]

You can find someone to agree with a date you may wish for. There are all kinds of hat daters here, I always consider the source. TLH

 

[fedoracentric]

Man I could have sworn I read on this very site that the metric stuff started after Stetson sold out its name in 1974. I am glad to be disabused of the notion if that is wrong. So, when DID they start putting the metric size on the tags?

 

[carouselvic]

Stetson stopped making hats in 1970.

 

[fedoracentric]

I just wish we could get this nailed down. You say 1970, this other site says 1971. Others say Stetson sold the naming rights in 1974.

http://www.philaplace.org/story/326/

"The Stetson plant in Philadelphia closed in 1971 following decades of changing fashions and economics."

 

[carouselvic]

By August 1970, much of Stetson's property had been sold or leased. In October of 1970 they announced they would close the plant forever. They kept a small crew around to ship out machines and such. They locked the doors in January of 1971.

The Stevens Hat Company bought the license for the Stetson name. (AKA The Stetson Hat Group)

 

[gtdean48]

I just wish we could get this nailed down. You say 1970, this other site says 1971. Others say Stetson sold the naming rights in 1974.

http://www.philaplace.org/story/326/

"The Stetson plant in Philadelphia closed in 1971 following decades of changing fashions and economics."

They were made in St Joe, MO in 1972

 

[fedoracentric]

Were the ones being made in 1972 still under the Stetson company proper (before full shut down and selling off the naming rights)?

 

[Brad Bowers]

This evening I'll check my Stetson that I bought in 1984 to see if it has the metric size on it. I can't remember, it's been a long, long time since I last wore it, and I can't even remember if it still has the tag. I think it does, though.

Brad

 

[Dallashat]

During the summer of 78 I was in a western store looking at hats with friend of mine, a customer in the store has just bought a hat with this same liner. I watched the store owner wrap the hat in the plastic bag that matched the liner.
I also tried on the open road hat, but found it not to my liking. Always thought that was an odd color for a liner.

 

[nightandthecity]

thanks Dallashat - that's good solid information! It is indeed an odd (and rather unattractive) design liner and I suspect wasn't around for long. So for the moment I'll take my hat as "probably" late 70s.

We still need to pin down this metric tag thing. My guess would be they were introduced around the mid-80s as there was a big expansion of interest in westernwear in the UK and Europe around then.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Here's a shot of the new Stetson-branded hat I purchased from Cottrell's in Denver in early 1984, for reference, so metric sizes were in use by that point.



Brad

 

[fedoracentric]

Here's a shot of the new Stetson-branded hat I purchased from Cottrell's in Denver in early 1984, for reference, so metric sizes were in use by that point.

Brad

1984 is quite a lot earlier than "the 1990s" as stated above. So, we are starting to edge closer to my thought that Stetson hats started using the metric size tag after the original company had shut down in the 70s and sold the naming rights.

I still seem to recall a thread here that said that the name was sold officially in 1974 and if the company stopped being owned and operated by the Stetson family by 1972 (at least) then my 1974 date is very possible.

The digging for info continues...