My vintage Stetson - help needed in dating

[Jerekson]

As promised, here are some pictures of my vintage Stetson.

I love this hat beyond belief. I picked it up on eBay a while back for a more than satisfactory price. The seller claims it is from the late 40's to early 50's.

I can't even begin to tell you how "mint" this hat is. Not only does it look like it's never been worn, it looks like it's never been taken out of the box! (it came with a cool box btw)

It was a bit small when I got it - 6 3/4 - so I took it to a hat shop and they (very professionally) stretched it. It fits fine now. Unfortunetly the stretcher left some bumps on the inner sides of the sweat (see pics) but I find it to be less than a problem.

Specs are pretty standard; 2 1/2 in. brim, 4 1/2 - 5 in. non-tapered crown, 1 1/2 in. ribbon. I gave it a diamond bash which I think suits the hat very well.

But enough of that; I need your guys' help dating this fine lid. Do your worst!

Pics!

 

[Rick Blaine]

Nothing wrong with that, brother

As to date, I haven't a clue, but absolutely smashing, whenever it is from, very whippet-esque and the color is fantastic! Nice acquisition, indeed.

 

[DOUGLAS]

WOW!! That is a nice hat!!

 

[tonyb]

It's a beauty. Do the photos give an accurate sense of its color? Gotta like that wide edge binding in a color different than the ribbon band's.
I take it that you are among the fortunate few with a hat size smaller than 7. Is that right? Just know that for the rest of us, it can be torture to see a fine looking vintage hat in a shop or online -- one to get your heart pumping, you know, like the one you just acquired -- and then discover it's three or four or more sizes too small. Seems to happen all the time.
Oh, how old is it? Beats me, but I'll guess that the seller has it about right.

 

[feltfan]

From what people say here, as soon as you see that
clear plastic liner, you're in the later 50s to 60s.
That narrower, textured sweatband would point that
way, too. With that reversed out size tag, my guess
would be 50s. But that's just as good as the next guy's
guess.

Nice hat.

 

[Jerekson]

It's a beauty. Do the photos give an accurate sense of its color? Gotta like that wide edge binding in a color different than the ribbon band's.
I take it that you are among the fortunate few with a hat size smaller than 7. Is that right? Just know that for the rest of us, it can be torture to see a fine looking vintage hat in a shop or online -- one to get your heart pumping, you know, like the one you just acquired -- and then discover it's three or four or more sizes too small. Seems to happen all the time.
Oh, how old is it? Beats me, but I'll guess that the seller has it about right.

Thanks for all the compliments, guys.

My head size is actually 7 1/8; 57 cm.; 22 1/2 in. A bit on the smaller scale, I suppose, but not small small. I got lucky with this hat; I took a gamble on the fit and it worked out perfectly after a good stretching.

 

[tonyb]

Well, I guess 7 1/8 is on the small side of average for a modern man, who tends to be larger in general than fellows of a couple of generations back. Successfully stretching up to that size from a 6 3/4 is indeed a feat. Congratulations to you and your hat man, or woman, as the case may be. Do you mind disclosing just who that person is, and what he or she charged for that service? Did it involve "ripping" out the sweatband and liner and ribbon and reassembling after the upsizing, or did it work without going to such lengths?
It's been said at least a thousand times before, but it bears repeating: hat sizes are quite unreliable. I've come across size 7 1/8 hats that fit more like a 7 1/2, and others that were as small as most 6 7/8s. Trying to determine just how big or small it will turn out to be in actuality is among the more "interesting" aspects of online shopping.

 

[Jerekson]

Tonyb,

Small side of average, that's the phrase I was looking for. Indeed I (man) became lucky with this one. Although, in another point, luck may have had nothing to do with it. I think my choice of hatter may have played a big part in the sucess of the whole operation

I went to the Village Hat Shop to have the hat stretched. I had called the previous night and inquired as to what they could do with the situation - and a fella told me to come on down and give it a go.

Upon arriving, I went to back and there was a man waiting for me with a heated explanding block on the desk beside him. this guy is fantastic; put it on, fully assembled, and not the slightest damage to the hat. And up two sizes, no doubt!

Perhaps small vintage hats will not prove to be as much of a problem as we make them out to be. Just make sure to find a good hatter

 

[jimmy the lid]

Jerekson, that is an absolutely beautiful hat. What is the color? It appears to be a rich blue, but it is hard to judge from the photos.

As far as dating goes, I think the two biggest clues are the liner logo and the sweatband. In the forties, a Royal Stetson liner logo would have looked something like this (but without the plastic):

At some point, as the photo demonstrates, plastic was used in conjunction with the Royal Stetson logo. A Stratoliner that recently sold on eBay had this combination, with a sales receipt dating to 1954. So, my guess is that the plastic liner came into play sometime in the early fifties. That being said, I believe that the Stetson logo in a circle, like the one in your hat, came onto the scene in the late fifties, and was used into the sixties. In addition, the narrower, dark brown sweat would tend to put this hat into the late fifties, I believe. Judging from the photos, it does not seem to be as narrow as some of the sixties sweats I have seen. So, my best approximate guess would be late fifties -- but perhaps other Loungers have some different ideas about this.

One way or the other, it's a great hat -- enjoy!!!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Jerekson]

Thanks for the help!

The color is a bit misrepresented. It is a nice rich grey IRL, with a touch of blue, but not the purple-esque that the pictures lead to.