Join "The Fray"

[MikeinRome]

Stetson Number 1 Quality, The Fray sweatband. Brim is 2 1/2 inches with curl, 3 inches before. Open crown looks like 6 inches. This hat dates sometime in the 1910's.

 

[MikeinRome]

An 1895 H J Harding catalog listing Boss Raw Edge hats. M Hatman had this in a thread on pre 1920 ephemera, The Old Way....

 

[MikeinRome]

Stetson Boss Raw Edge The Fray, which arrived today. Open crown is 5 1/2 inches, brim is 2 1/2, would be 3 or so before curl was done. Store emblem done in silver foil. I'm guessing this hat dates about 1907 because a Boss of the Plains that's 3 Lot numbers before my hat has a 1907 inscription. The eBay seller, who's in or near Springfield, Ohio, said they'd bought this hat from a local history museum. The back of sweatband says "Kettle" as in Kettle Finish, but the Boss Raw Edge logo doesn't include the words Kettle Finish like some sweatband logos have on other hats.

A couple of pages from the 1901 Stetson catalog. The first pic is the Boss Raw Edge logo that my hat has. It was only used on hats of Nutria Grade, as opposed to the more expensive Real Nutria grade. This proves my hat is Nutria. Boss Raw Edge Kettle Finish hats were only offered in grades of Nutria and Beaver. The other two pics list similar hats of Nutria and Beaver and show a photo of them. There are other pages of Boss Raw Edge Kettle Finish hats of other styles in the catalog. By the way, I'd said my brim was 2 1/2 inches with the curl, and 3 inches or so before curling. In fact, it's only 2 3/4 inches with the brim laid flat. Also note that the catalog states that Stetson makes imitations of the Boss Raw Edge Kettle Finish in grades of 1X and No. 1 quality felts.

 

[carouselvic]

Not sure if I can believe all that you are claiming. Where can these scans be seen in other threads?

 

[MikeinRome]

Not sure if I can believe all that you are claiming. Where can these scans be seen in other threads?

See 1900s Stetson Catalog reprint thread. So what exactly don't you believe or take issue with?

 

[MikeinRome]

Stetson Number 1 Quality "The Fray" that's on eBay now. It's being claimed to be a military hat from about the 1880's. I have no idea if true, but the sweatband and Stetson logos look just like Stetsons from the early 20th Century.

 

[MikeinRome]

Stetson Number 1 Quality "The Fray" that's on eBay now. It's being claimed to be a military hat from about the 1880's. I have no idea if true, but the sweatband and Stetson logos look just like Stetsons from the early 20th Century.

I texted the seller to see if the hat has Stetson tags or a Lot Number. I'll let you know if he responds.

 

[MikeinRome]

I texted the seller to see if the hat has Stetson tags or a Lot Number. I'll let you know if he responds.

I haven't heard back from the seller, increasing my suspicion that he may be trying to pass a later hat off as an 1880's hat.

 

[MikeinRome]

Stetson Boss Raw Edge, The Fray, listed on eBay now.