Dating Vintage Stetsons by size tag

[moontheloon]

I'm not sure if any of the dating touchstones have much meaning after the Philadelphia factory closed in the 1970s. But long oval size tags had a mind of their own earlier too...

^ this

 

[M Hatman]

Any info on when these Canadian tags date from? Looks very Biltmore (or Akubra even) but from a Stetson....70's (though it does have the nicer earlier liner)???
M

 

[M Hatman]

Here is a Stetson White tag that puzzles me....Perhaps Early 60's but with a White fractional tag????
Is it perhaps Canadian????

AND printed upside down as well...........

 

[Just Daniel]

I’ve never seen either to know. If they are Canadian, I’m not sure we have many folks that know about that line. Are their inventory/reorder tags to loom at?


QUOTE="M Hatman, post: 2635678, member: 38631"]Here is a Stetson White tag that puzzles me....Perhaps Late 50's Early 60's but with a White fractional tag????
Is it perhaps Canadian????
View attachment 207294
AND printed upside down as well...........[/QUOTE]

 

[M Hatman]

I’ve never seen either to know. If they are Canadian, I’m not sure we have many folks that know about that line. Are their inventory/reorder tags to loom at?

It is on it's way....so when I get it I will be looking.....I sure hope there are!!!!!
The one I posted above it (with the gold tag) IS Canadian but much later (late 70's to 80's?).....
Edit: My understanding is the Canadians and Australians started using metric/inch tag combinations before we did here (in the later 80's).

 

[Frunobulax]

I’ve never seen either to know. If they are Canadian, I’m not sure we have many folks that know about that line. Are their inventory/reorder tags to loom at?


QUOTE="M Hatman, post: 2635678, member: 38631"]Here is a Stetson White tag that puzzles me....Perhaps Late 50's Early 60's but with a White fractional tag????
Is it perhaps Canadian????
View attachment 207294
AND printed upside down as well...........

[/QUOTE]

One must calculate the odds of an Australian or Canadian Stetson being sold at a hat shop in Arkansas.

 

[Bamaboots]

One must calculate the odds of an Australian or Canadian Stetson being sold at a hat shop in Arkansas.

You have no shame.

 

[Frunobulax]

You have no shame.

LOL

 

[M Hatman]

One must calculate the odds of an Australian or Canadian Stetson being sold at a hat shop in Arkansas.[/QUOTE]

My Bad I guess. I do not have the hat in hand yet.....I could not read the script on the devise I was viewing the image and posting from. Even from this computer I can just make out the Arkansas....SO that does indeed rule out foreign manufacture......still puzzled by the tag though..... also I still cannot make out the store name.... I don't read script well sometimes.....
If you can let me know so I can look it up. Looks like the hat won't be here for a week.....

 

[Frunobulax]

Pfeifer's of Little Rock I looked them up yesterday. Pfeifer opened his first store in LR in 1865, and Dillard's bought them out in 1963.

It is an unusual size tag. we see the cream-colored ones for Long Ovals, etc., but this isn't that. It could still be Canadian, you never know. Weirder things have happened.

 

[moehawk]

Here is a Stetson White tag that puzzles me....Perhaps Early 60's but with a White fractional tag????
Is it perhaps Canadian????
View attachment 207294
AND printed upside down as well...........

If it's printed upside down, it must be Australian...

 

[M Hatman]

Pfeifer's of Little Rock I looked them up yesterday. Pfeifer opened his first store in LR in 1865, and Dillard's bought them out in 1963.

It is an unusual size tag. we see the cream-colored ones for Long Ovals, etc., but this isn't that. It could still be Canadian, you never know. Weirder things have happened.

WOW, Thanks....that gives me GREAT info to date the hat with ...So pre-1963.......cannot wait to get it....
Yes, that tag is quite a mystery.....

 

[J Williams]

It almost seems like this tag might be some type of aftermarket thing. Maybe it was cleaned and blocked and a replacement size tag was put in? Again as I mentioned before the sweat bow is also odd for the era. At any rate hopefully more will be revealed when you get it.

 

[Frunobulax]

If it's printed upside down, it must be Australian...

Well, that settles it. Can't argue with iron-clad logic like that.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Well, that settles it. Can't argue with iron-clad logic like that.

Yep. Science wins out again.


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[deadlyhandsome]

It almost seems like this tag might be some type of aftermarket thing. Maybe it was cleaned and blocked and a replacement size tag was put in? Again as I mentioned before the sweat bow is also odd for the era. At any rate hopefully more will be revealed when you get it.

I wondered about that too. For some reason it reminded me of the glued on tabs used to hold liners in place after re-blocking. I don’t know why the owner would need to have a size tag in his own hat; presumably he already knows the size, but it just has that look to me. Got to love a mystery.


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[M Hatman]

It almost seems like this tag might be some type of aftermarket thing. Maybe it was cleaned and blocked and a replacement size tag was put in? Again as I mentioned before the sweat bow is also odd for the era. At any rate hopefully more will be revealed when you get it.

I wondered about that too. For some reason it reminded me of the glued on tabs used to hold liners in place after re-blocking. I don’t know why the owner would need to have a size tag in his own hat; presumably he already knows the size, but it just has that look to me. Got to love a mystery. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yes, I was starting to think this too. A Jobbers tag. Explains the plain white and the fact it is upside down. While the owner knows his own size...the blocker does need to know the original size after cleaning...especially if the blocking tags and the size tag are missing........

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Again as I mentioned before the sweat bow is also odd for the era.

What's odd about it? The fact it doesn't have the little knots on the tails? Has the knots been pinned down to an era?

 

[J Williams]

What's odd about it? The fact it doesn't have the little knots on the tails? Has the knots been pinned down to an era?

I'm still new so correct me if I'm wrong but most of the hats I've seen that aren't really old or european have this style of bow. I don't think I've ever seen the ornate stringy style on a Stetson myself.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Yes, I was starting to think this too. A Jobbers tag. Explains the plain white and the fact it is upside down. While the owner knows his own size...the blocker does need to know the original size after cleaning...especially if the blocking tags and the size tag are missing........

Have you ever seen a jobbers tag with the cm designation? Not that it matters but I'm wondering if the tag is silver (maybe metalflake) instead of plain white.