Looking for hat information?

[Gazman G.]

Thank you for your wisdom once again.
When it comes to finding these gems there seems to be to many hay stacks and not enough needles.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thank you for your wisdom once again.
When it comes to finding these gems there seems to be to many hay stacks and not enough needles.

No truer words.

You can either spend a lot of time, spend a lot of money, or use a lot of patience.


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[Gazman G.]

Hi everyone, just a quick question about Stetson hat buckles in particular gold ones. Are they stamped?
If it's vintage(not bought new) with
no info or limited info on it how do we tell?
Would like to see yours please share...G.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hi everyone, just a quick question about Stetson hat buckles in particular gold ones. Are they stamped?
If it's vintage(not bought new) with
no info or limited info on it how do we tell?
Would like to see yours please share...G.

First, please notice how some of your new threads have been moved to the appropriate existing threads by the site’s moderators. Try to use existing threads rather than starting new threads when practical.

As for the “buckles,” these are not things found on most of the hats popular here. Most prefer the Golden Era hats that are found without any bling. Buckles, feather bands, and similar treatments are indicative of an age of hats that I don’t know much about. The samples I’ve seen have been lower quality fashion pieces. I have no idea how you can tell how they were made. I’ve owned a couple similar hats in the past but they’ve moved on as my preferences have developed.


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[keith1940]

This is my 3rd Stetson Western style hat. The first two were recent finds but this one I have had for 20-25 years and forgot that it too is a Stetson. I bought it back then because it fit me and I thought I wanted to wear it.... It was sold at the theme park "Silver Dollar City" in southern Missouri. I did not buy it there and it was well used, like it is now, when I bought it. I can see it is a XXX Beaver but other than that I am a novice with these hats and would like to know more. Any feedback is welcome. Thanks.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I have a few similar 3X and 4X Beaver hats. It looks to be made after Stetson stopped making hats and sold the right to the Stetson name to Hat-Co. Despite the “Beaver” in the name they are almost totally made from less expensive rabbit and/or hare fur felt. This is not to be confused with the older us of “3X Beaver” which are leaps and bounds better.

Your hat, like mine, is normally firm with lots of stiffeners added. They make very serviceable hats and they can take lots of hard use. My biggest complaint is the poor quality leather used in the sweatbands. They don’t make any pretenses at being fine felt so I don’t mind that the felt is thick and stiff, nor do I mind their other shortcomings. I think most people have a place in their rotation for a rugged work or woods hat.

Since these hats are plentiful, they are also good fodder for a conversion if you prefer another style. They are also great to learn about shaping and modifying hats without putting a nice vintage hat at risk.


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[Gazman G.]

So I received this little number today. Not to sure about era though. 40s?? Great addition to the collection.

 

[Gazman G.]

Have Stetson ever made a cowboy hat with a faux alligator skin liner? Would like to see them if you have any. Thanks.G.

 

[M Hatman]

So I received this little number today. Not to sure about era though. 40s?? Great addition to the collection.

50's............

 

[Thumper15]

So I bought this Stetson off Facebook marketplace today. I can’t seem to find much info in my google-foo today, probably due to a high dose of pain killers from having knee Surgery at 2:00 pm today. Anyway, the hat is labeled as “The Safari” and says 3x beaver. It’s my new dress/church hat since my Bonar-Phelps fedora is starting to show some dirt and getting pretty rough looking from two years of almost daily wear including lots of hours gardening, bailing and throwing hay and rabbit hunting. Anyway, any help on the vintage (1970’s maybe?), how much beaver is in it, if any, and what exactly the Safari collection entailed? Right now the only thing I really wanna do is get the brim reshaped and add some type of padding to help tight it up just a little. Also did I overpay at $40? I don’t care if I did as I really like the hat, just wondering where market value falls. Thank you for your time and input and have a wonderful day!

 

[Thumper15]

 

[Thumper15]

And the Bonar-Phelps it replaces. The day I bought it and then a pic from last week. This one will still see almost daily wear in the garden and rabbit hunting fall

 

[deadlyhandsome]

It looks to be worth what you paid for it; all that matters is that you like it and they you think it’s worth what you paid.

No one know the beaver content, but it’s a safe bet that it’s minimal in a 3X of this vintage. Stetson, and the other makers, don’t share the fur types or percentages except occasionally when they make a 100% beaver hat.

Maybe someone else can narrow it down, but I’d say your hat was made sometime between the mid 1960s and the 1970s.

 

[Gazman G.]

Have Stetson ever made a cowboy hat with a faux alligator skin liner? Would like to see them if you have any. Thanks.G.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

The hat looks a lot like a Stetson Dune, but the liner is a mystery. The embossing on the liner is too light for me to make out. I’ve never seen anything like it. I wonder if it is an aftermarket liner?


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[Gazman G.]

Thanks for the information, I will try and do some research on it. The seller is asking $160.

 

[Gazman G.]

Here are some more photos.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thanks for the information, I will try and do some research on it. The seller is asking $160.

$160! Are you serious? I’d keep looking. I’ve had a Stetson with the sweatband shown in the photos and it left bits of the surface on my forehead and in my hair every time I wore it. They had a bad run of sweats.

A new Stetson Dune is $164!

http://www.one2miniranch.com/search.php?search_query=Dune


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[Gazman G.]

Ok. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[milandro]

Actually you do have shops which sell Akubra, in Utrecht Jos van Dijk