How old is good?

[Biltmore Bob]

I haven't gotten into vintage felt. I really don't need to get interested in anything else. But for the sake of argument...How far must one go back in time to get the kind of excellent vintage felt that one hears of on the Lounge? But...I got my eye on a little gem in my size on the Bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stetson-Hat-w-B...ryZ52370QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The item description does not mention the age. It has what appears to be a modern liner though. At least it's the same style liner my modern Cowboy Hats have. What gives?

 

[fedoralover]

I can't tell what color the sweatband is. As a general rule I stay away from the one's that have a black sweatband and the cowboy pic on the liner as they tend to be newer. The early 60s is the cutoff I go for, as they still made decent hats then, but after that they are are real gamble. There are alot of Open Roads that come up on ebay Bob, they made millions of them. You would probably be safer to wait and not go for this one. Although the hat box is pretty nice.

fedoralover

 

[Victor]

I have an Open road with the same liner and it is of the older softer felt. It is one of my top favorite hats! The hatband displayed appears to be aftermarket added on later and not to my taste.

 

[Uncle Vern]

I don't know--I think Bob oughta buy it. Think of all the fun he'll have looking for a belt to match that hatband!

 

[PutALidOnIt]

Aaahh, Bob can do the ol' mix'n'match since you can see the original ribbon under that Texas punk belt... Next thing you know, he'll be going to Old 97's and Fastball gigs!

 

[MattC]

This one looks good to me

This is the older version of the cowboy picture they used in the western versions of the open road, which suggests to me that the hat is older. And the way the Stetson name is embossed on the sweatband--at right angles to the brim--also suggests older. I have a late 60s early 70s open road with a similar sweatband. It is a nice soft hat, but spongey. After the 50s, when the hats were really soft and pliable, Stetsons got soft and spongey. Then they got stiff. The stiff ones are worthless, but the spongey ones are ok. And my guess is that this is older.

 

[tonyb]

At a local junktique shop there's a light-gray Open Road with a similar-looking liner. It's in very, very nice shape--no stains, etc.--and it has a wind string, which I take as some indication that it's kinda old. Anyone out there know when they stopped putting wind strings on ORs? And the crown is soft but the brim is quite stiff. Did it come that way from the factory, or did that likelier happen at some later point?

 

[budward]

I agree with Fedoralover. These Open Roads come up all the time. Wait to get one where the consensus is that it's one of the older, softer ones. This one may be, may not be, but why gamble given the frequency that they're available. My $ .02.

Bud

 

[fedoralover]

Dump the hat band???? Thats why Bob wants it in the first place. ha!

fedoralover

 

[Andykev]

Go for it Bob

Bob, for one, the size is a 7 1/8. From how you sound on the Lounge most of the time, I thought you were at leat a 7 1/2 or such

Just kidding, you know that!

The Open Road you have posted a picture of in the Ebay listing is quite common. It lookd from the pictures to be an early 1960's hat. If you know about the changing styles of Stetson, a hat from the , say 1940's will have a taller crown than the same Open Road from the 1960's.

The price, as listed (no bids yet) is acceptable. Double, and that would be my high end if I really wanted it. The box has some nostalgic value, but come over to my house and up in the garage I have about 10 or 12 vintage hat boxes.

Be certain to ask the seller if there is ANY mothing. ""Looks unworn" is a joke. No hat was unworn unless guranteed "NOS" (new old stock), or the hat that some guy opened on Christmas and hated it.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Well the price does seem right to me...

...I'm really just getting it for the band. Like Fedoralover said. That alone is worth what they're asking...

I think I'll give it some more thought, and thanks guys...much obliged for the feed back.

 

[tonyb]

If not that one, Bob, find another. As Fedoralover said, they made millions of 'em (that may be literally true), so there's one or more out there with BB written all over it. I dropped $50.50 (well, my wife did) on yet another vintage light-gray OR (common as dirt) a few weeks back and I've grown to love it. I've worn it every day since it arrived. ORs sold so well because they're nice-looking, versatile hats. The proportions are such that they take a variety of bash styles quite well.

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

Andy, I realize this is off topic, I used to visit the bay area during the 90's quite a bit and the trip would always include a visit to Calzones on Market Street. Is it still there and have you ever been?

 

[Uncle Vern]

Andy, is that remark you made about the older Open Roads having taller crowns pretty accurate? I have one with a 5-inch crown, 2 3/4-inch brim, stitched-in headliner and the beavers-and-shield logo under plastic, dark brown sweatband. I haven't seen another quite like it. Is this the style of Open Road you say might be from the 40's?

 

[MattC]

I want to second

AndyKev's point about "never worn" or "almost never worn." People who don't know hats say that about just about any hat that hasn't been abused. We ought to start a campaign to tell e-bay sellers that a lack of fraying or stains does not mean that, and that if the hat does not still have a price tag in it, they should not say it.

 

[John in Covina]

Truth in descriptions and E-Bay

This is a really good group to look into the type of thing where you can try to establish what constitutes an accurate description, how to rate specific elements of the quality and condition of a hat. If you guys want to argue about something just try to set up a scale of condition and get half of the players here to agree on it.

What constitutes New Old Stock?
If it is NOS what type of time /aging characteristics are acceptable as NOS? How much shop or shelf worn can be allowed with a NOS rating?

Dust,
Dirt,
Staining,
Condition of the sweat band
condition of the ribbon,
the brim
the crown
the pinch
Creasing
holes
bug damage

If an agreement of the condition rating can't be agreed on perhaps a simple check list of what to look at and what to look for in a fedora might be nice.

Fedoras 101!

 

[Pilgrim]

Hey TonyB, what size is that grey Open Road at the "junktique" you mentioned? I'm looking hard for a decent older grey Open Road in 7 1/4. If it's that size, I'd SURE like to get in touch with you!

 

[tonyb]

It's a 7 1/8, as I recall, Pilgrim. When I dropped it on my somewhere between 7 1/4 and 7 3/8 (7 5/16, maybe?) head, it was decidedly snug, but I've successfully stretched hats every bit as tight before, so that wouldn't scare me off. But the last thing I need right now is another gray Open Road. I'd be happy to swing by the shop on my rounds to see if it's still there. Oh, and it has a fedora pinch. Still interested? Lemme know.