Ebay Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

[ScottF]

Disappearing ebay hats?

I had a hat on my watch-list which 'disappeared'. I thought normally when an auction was ended early (which I had a very strong suspicion would happen with this one), that the listing was still viewable. But this one literally left my watch list and is nowhere to be found in searches.

In case there is a miniscule chance that I made some weird mistake in my watch list and searches (I've been ebaying for 9-10 years), I won't give too much detail, but haven't seen too many hat auctions ended early, so I'm guessing someone can fill me in with the details on this one via PM - it was an old Stetson. Thanks.

edited to add: I had no expectation of bidding high enough to win it, just wanted to see what its market value was, and also to save some images.

 

[feltfan]

lounger sold 7XCB OR, size 7

"The 7X, along with the Stetson 100, were Stetson's two pure beaver offerings."

I'm gonna throw out my 5X Clear Beaver.

Interesting to see the date 1965 stamped so prominently
on the sweatband. I might have dated it earlier.

 

[Dinerman]

Meant "at the time". The 5x was only offered in the '30s, from what I've seen.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Interesting to see the date 1965 stamped so prominently
on the sweatband. I might have dated it earlier.

The use of color in the shield of the gold circular medallion logo is consistent with the mid-60's. What's missing, however, is the "Clear Beaver" designation as part of that logo -- a detail that was also present in "3X Beaver" lids, at least up until the mid-60's. I wonder if that particular designation got dropped mid to late 60's. [huh]

While I'm at it feltfan, a couple of days ago I believe you opined that this particular logo (associated with a Stetson No. 1 Quality lid) reflected late 40's or early 50's. I would have put it at late 50's/early 60's, which I think is also consistent with the way that the No. 1 Quality logo is printed (not embossed) on the sweat. But, I'm curious to learn what might have led you to that conclusion. Thanks!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[buler]

Portis porkpie

I missed out on this one. Looked like a very nice hat. If anyone here got it and decides they don't like it, let me know.

PortisPorkPie

 

[feltfan]

Meant "at the time". The 5x was only offered in the '30s, from what I've seen.

I was just teasing, really. But do remember that my 5X
hat is stamped 1942. Okay, okay, I'll post pix soon.

JtL, I didn't mention the logo in particular, but the liner
in general. I'm glad to defer to you, since you've made
more of a study of Stetson logos than I ever have. I certainly
agree with your observation of the sweatband logo printing,
which I shoulda looked at in the first place.

 

[Lefty]

huge Borso - didn't meet its reserve, but was relisted with a low BIN and sold immediately

 

[Mario]

Size 8? This IS huge. I could easily share it with a friend without getting a headache! Nice hat, though!

 

[feltfan]

Size 8? This IS huge. I could easily share it with a friend without getting a headache! Nice hat, though!

Man, I hope that's not Punti...

 

[Mario]

Man, I hope that's not Punti...

Er...if that was Punti, my tiny melon would fit in there almost twice...

 

[Dinerman]

Size 8 punti would be 7-7/8 US, correct?

 

[Mario]

Size 8 punti would be 7-7/8 US, correct?

Yep. That's right, sir.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Nowhere near my size, and perhaps a bit newer than I prefer, but this Dobbs 25 with Guild Edge was too interesting to pass up for the price. It may date to the mid- to late-'40s, but it also may be a decade or two newer. I'll know more once I receive it.

This is one of those hats I'll probably document for my research, and sell off at a later date.

Brad

 

[feltfan]

Size 8 punti would be 7-7/8 US, correct?

That was off the top of my head, as it were. Forgot it goes the other way!

 

[colinlyne]

That looks good. I have the more usual hat jack. Yours has much deeper wooden pieces so it will fill into the crown better. In principal that should make for a good tool for the job.

I too have the Hat Jack and have found it very useful for stretching a hat I have. I used a shoe stretcher liquid on the leather band first, and then steamed before putting the Jack inside. It worked very well

 

[Inusuit]

Stetson #1 Quality

The use of color in the shield of the gold circular medallion logo is consistent with the mid-60's. What's missing, however, is the "Clear Beaver" designation as part of that logo -- a detail that was also present in "3X Beaver" lids, at least up until the mid-60's. I wonder if that particular designation got dropped mid to late 60's. [huh]

While I'm at it feltfan, a couple of days ago I believe you opined that this particular logo (associated with a Stetson No. 1 Quality lid) reflected late 40's or early 50's. I would have put it at late 50's/early 60's, which I think is also consistent with the way that the No. 1 Quality logo is printed (not embossed) on the sweat. But, I'm curious to learn what might have led you to that conclusion. Thanks!

Cheers,
JtL

JtL,

So what's your judgement on the quality of this hat? jtd believed it was of lesser quality than a Royal Stetson or a 3XXX. From the foregoing discussion, I assume this is not a clear beaver and your comment refers only to dating the hat through the liner and sweatband? Any thoughts you might have on this hat or Number 1 quality hats in general would be gratefully received as part of my ongoing education in the esoterica of Stetson hats.

I won this hat but haven't received it yet.

 

[Dreispitz]

Nowhere near my size, and perhaps a bit newer than I prefer, but this Dobbs 25 with Guild Edge was too interesting to pass up for the price. It may date to the mid- to late-'40s, but it also may be a decade or two newer. I'll know more once I receive it.

This is one of those hats I'll probably document for my research, and sell off at a later date.

Brad

Hi Brad,

very nice specimen of a long fibre fur hat. The base material for the felt could be coming from this source

 

[jimmy the lid]

JtL,

So what's your judgement on the quality of this hat? jtd believed it was of lesser quality than a Royal Stetson or a 3XXX. From the foregoing discussion, I assume this is not a clear beaver and your comment refers only to dating the hat through the liner and sweatband? Any thoughts you might have on this hat or Number 1 quality hats in general would be gratefully received as part of my ongoing education in the esoterica of Stetson hats.

I won this hat but haven't received it yet.

Hi, Inusuit --

Well, I don't have a lot of experience with Stetson western lids, but I do have a few observations...

First, I do own a Stetson No. 1 Quality that dates from roughly the same time period as yours, and it is a fantastic lid. The felt is substantial and sturdy, and also has a very nice feel to it. I predict that you will really like yours.

I agree with feltfan that comparing "Royal Stetson" quality to "No. 1 Quality" is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. "Royal Stetson" was the entry-level designation for Stetson dress hats from around the early 40's on. "No. 1 Quality" has been around for a long, long time -- back to John B. Stetson's day, in fact. More recently, I have an ad illustrating that, in 1955, "No. 1 Quality" was the entry-level designation for Stetson's western line. But don't let "entry-level" fool you -- I just acquired a Royal Stetson Open Road from the late 40's that has some of the nicest felt of any of my lids, bar none.

The felt on my No. 1 Quality feels like it can stand up to a whole lot of abuse, and it still has a great look and feel. I don't hesitate to wear mine as a go-to outdoors lid -- even in the elements. In terms of a comparison to a Stetson 3X, I have two 3X westerns. My take is that the 3X felt is softer and dressier than the No. 1 Quality. Is it better? Depends on what you plan to use it for, and what you're looking to get out of the hat. In my mind, the 3X isn't "better" -- it's "different."

Incidentally, based on your liner and sweat, I would guess that your lid dates to sometime around the early 60's. Let us know how you like it when it arrives!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Mario]

Hi Brad,

very nice speciman of a long fibre fur hat. The base material for the felt could be coming from this source

Do you mean to imply that this lid was actually produced by a Klingonian hattery for the 'overseas' (read: interstellar) market? I'm just wondering how much the VAT was on this item, let alone shipping & handling...

 

[ScottF]

Stetson Fifteen mode edge

Retrieved from the bay. Very similar label and soft, thick felt, to a 1940's 3x Stetson I have. The color is exactly what I wanted, but it is so tall that it looks weird on me. It has plastic over the liner logo, so does that make it closer to 1950s? JtL had some insights on the other similar one I posted.