Pre- 1940s Stetson dress hats.

[Joshbru3]

Josh, This is truely a rare find no matter if most on here don't appreciate the style (they were popular sporting hats at different time periods). I have never seen a US made Alpine (now Robert will post one ) from this time period and the German, Austrian, French and Italian ones are also rare.

Thanks, Steve!! That's really exciting. If you've never seen a US made Alpine from the 30's, they must be rare. It was on etsy for the longest time and I asked the seller months ago about the circumference. She told me it was a childs hat and that the sweatband measured 20 inches, so I ignored the hat. As time went on, I kept looking at it and thought I would buy it because I knew it was a 1930's Stetson of some type. When I lifted to sweatband, I not only discovered that the sweatband didnt measure 20 inches, but it was a 6 7/8 (but fits like a 7). The sweatband is almost 22 inches around. The felt is almost like a suede finish. Its very soft and very pliable. I actually had to go through the German/Austrian Hutmakers thread just to see how to crease one of these hats. I had no idea. I am leaving the crown open, but dry bashing is very easy. Thanks again!!

 

[Joshbru3]

I am shocked Josh, absolutely shocked, to see you with such a tapered crown.

(A very unique find! :eusa_clap)

lollollol
Thanks, Alan!

Ive always been told to go big or go home. So the only hat in my collection with really any taper is this one.....and it has the most taper Ive ever seen.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Doesn't the stitched sweatband seam make it a '40s hat? Or did Stetson switch earlier than other manufacturers?

Brad

 

[Joshbru3]

Doesn't the stitched sweatband seam make it a '40s hat? Or did Stetson switch earlier than other manufacturers?

Brad

Well, I know that Stetson was using reeds in the 30's (Before the 30's as well. My 1916 Stetson pacemaker has a reed, but with the "V" stitching), but from the Stetsons that I have handled that really close "I" stitching is from the 30's, possibly early 40's as well. I dated it as 30's just because of the Sweatband stamp. Its a Standard Quality with the slant "O" and weird looking "H" in "John B. Stetson." I could most definitely be wrong though.

 

[rlk]

Hat Life 3/38

see this link: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?48516-The-Hat-Style-Sensation-of-1938&highlight=1938

WWII lessened the popularity of this style rather quickly...

 

[carouselvic]

Doesn't the stitched sweatband seam make it a '40s hat? Or did Stetson switch earlier than other manufacturers?

Brad

Stetson was using sewn sweatbands in the 30's.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I know reeds can be found much earlier, I was just wondering about the sweatband seam:

Hat Corporation of America switched from a taped seam to a stitched seam about 1941, and I figured the major manufacturers kept pace with one another. I don't really know when Stetson switched, though.

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

Stetson was using sewn sweatbands in the 30's.

Thank you, sir, I didn't know that. Hat Corp. was slow to switch, then.lol

Brad

 

[Joshbru3]

WWII lessened the popularity of this style rather quickly...

Thanks for posting that, Robert!! That really answers a lot of the questions I had. It seems that not all Tyrolean hats had that really peaked crown, but there were a few. I wonder if that peaked crown was the less popular type of Tyrolean. I see one example on that advertisement. The second hat on the A. Harris & Co advertisement seems to show that "Alps" crown. I would imagine that VERY quickly into WW2, this type of style was tossed to the curb due to a very large anti-german attitude.

 

[Joshbru3]

I know reeds can be found much earlier, I was just wondering about the sweatband seam:

Ah. Sorry, Brad. I misunderstood what you had wrote. Carouselvic is right, Ive seen numerous Stetsons with sewn sweatband seams from the 30's.

 

[mayserwegener]

This is a typical Bavarian Alpine style (you see it at Oktoberfest) that have differing crown heights (there are ones with super high tapered crowns). You can wear it with or with crease / dents. I am sure WWII had some impact on sales of Alpine style hats but they were definitely popular in the USA in the 1950s and onward.

 

[Joshbru3]

Early 1900s Stetson Select Quality Derby

I just received this derby last week. I didn’t have a fully lined Select Quality Stetson Derby, so this one filled a spot in my collection. It has the original price tag from the COX - WEISE Clothing Company. I can’t see if the price says $4.50 or $7.50, but reguardless, it was still a pretty nice derby in its day.

 

[Joshbru3]

Early 1900s Stetson Select Quality Derby (cont...)

 

[gtdean48]

Nice one Josh. Having looked at scribblings a good bit on ancestry.com, I'm going with $7.50 on that price tag....

 

[Alex]

Josh looks like you got TWO really great derbies you lucky duck!

 

[Joshbru3]

Nice one Josh. Having looked at scribblings a good bit on ancestry.com, I'm going with $7.50 on that price tag....

Thanks very much, Deputy! I thought it might have said $7.50, but I needed another pair of eyes on it. Thats exciting. A $7.50 Derby in the early 1900's would have been a fairly higher end "off the shelf" hat.

 

[Joshbru3]

Josh looks like you got TWO really great derbies you lucky duck!

Thanks, Alex! I needed another two derbies like I needed a hole in my head. LOL. I just couldn't pass these two up though.

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks, Alex! I needed another two derbies like I needed a hole in my head. LOL. I just couldn't pass these two up though.

I think many of us can relate to that feeling... 8^)

great catch!

 

[buler]

Stetsonian Excellent Quality Derby

A Stetson Stetsonian Excellent Quality derby I picked up. Great deep burgundy liner color.

History of Henry Lytton - The Hub -> http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/dss/the_hub.shtml

B

 

[danofarlington]

I wonder who was the man who bought the hat originally, and what thoughts was he thinking in 1900 under that hat?