STETSON 7x CLEAR BEAVER QUALITY

[Hurricane Jack]

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Wow BB, looks like a Family Tradition! Enjoyed the group pic very much!

 

[Bamaboots]

Wow BB, looks like a Family Tradition! Enjoyed the group pic very much!

Thank you, HJ and like family, they all have their differences and intricacies. I do enjoy that their brim width starts at 2 1/2” and ends with 3” with a 5/8 and a 3/4 in between.

 

[Bamaboots]

Awesome.

Thank you, Daniel.

 

[gtdean48]

Looking for western 7x CB, large size, 7 1/2 LO to 7 5/8, 3+ inch brim. Have nice 7x CB OR Shudde Bros refurbished for trade.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

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Thinking of 7X CB LD OR's this afternoon. I am revisiting this thread to garner additional info to continue my quest to find one to hang on my hat rack.

What glorious hats in the above post and in the pics on this 23 page post.

Cheer,s Eric -

 

[Bamaboots]

Thinking of 7X CB LD OR's this afternoon. I am revisiting this thread to garner additional info to continue my quest to find one to hang on my hat rack.

What glorious hats in the above post and in the pics on this 23 page post.

Cheer,s Eric -

Thank you, sir. Good luck in your quest, Eric. It would make a worthy addition to your fine collection.

 

[TheGuitarFairy]

This guy arrived today looking no-thing like pictures I've enclosed, having more of an extremely smooshed cattleman's crease . A little steam and felt was soon moldable like clay. Weight of felt reminds me of my 50s No1 .. a more stiff western weight but with a much more luxurious hand.
I'm not sure where to put date of this hat .. 60s? No bow or size tag and only glue residue where one manufacturers label would have been. There is a number in green ink on inside of sweat. Liner is held in with squares of some kind of heavy tape all around underneath sweat and liner-tip is a stiffer, crunchier clear plastic than that of a 50s liner-tip. 7X embossment on band is very deep.
Sunlight was waning fast hence pictures with hat still wet!

 

[Rmccamey]

Recently acquired 7XCB thin ribbon. 50's model, I believe. I picked this one up from a seller in the Texas panhandle town of Levelland, TX (and, as the name suggests, it is very "Level" in Levelland). Originally sold in Waco, I'm proud to keep this one in Texas. It came with a cattleman's crease. I could not get it to suit me so I converted it into more of a fedora teardrop crease. Overall, the felt, liner, and sweatband are in excellent condition. Is this reorder tag common? I have not seem a similar handwritten tag.

 

[RossRYoung]

Recently acquired 7XCB thin ribbon. 50's model, I believe.

Glad to see you check this one off the list, RM. It’s a beauty too! Felt looks great with the shirt, I can’t help on age but I’d say 50’s is a pretty solid bet.

 

[TheGuitarFairy]

Beautiful hat and you two look great together!

Right above your post is one of mine regarding my only 7X .. I gotta say when mine arrived I didn't know what to think. From reading about 7Xs on the Lounge I expected an <especially> luscious kind of felt. My 7X, while it's finish-hand (is that a term?) feels fine and dense, probably because it's a hardcore Western hat, it feels exactly like Dinerman's #4 description below (from an '09 post, earlier in this thread). The felt on my 7X is very thin and while warm from steam, <any> crease you give it, no matter how tight, is locked into shape! Hat is as stiff as cardboard when dry. And if you try to open a crease? Felt will POP. I love how hat fits though and because of it's ruggedness I don't feel like I have to baby this one one bit.
I guess my point is that I suspect there's a few different feels to 7Xs.

"I love 7x felt, and I've owned more than I probably should, but when I see one at a reasonable price, I try to snag it.

I've found a huge variety in the quality and properties of the felt.

-early '40s mode edge fedora
thin dress felt with a very fine mode edge. Not particularly stiff, but super dense.

-50's mode edge fedora
thick felt, remarkably malleable, will hold go to any crease without steam and go back without leaving any marks.

-1956 retirement mode edge fedora
heavy dress felt, wide, thick mode edge. Not floppy, not particularly stiff.

-'50s wide brim cowboy hat
paper thin felt, but very stiff. Creases *POP* in and out, but you need steam to change or set anything regarding the crease or brim shape.

-'late '50s /'60s wide brim cowboy hat
Nearly identical in dimensions to the previous one, but it has Heavyweight, relatively stiff western felt, but the softest (to the touch) and finest of the bunch.

- '60s Open Road
Thin, stiff, and with an almost almost flat brim. This same kind of flat brim was also on my Stetson 100 OR. Interesting, because it seems later '60s-'90s Open Roads (the regular kind) have such highly curled brims

- '60s open road-esque (not marked as an open road, but identical otherwise)

Stiff felt, obviously beaver, but poorly finished and relatively coarse, even for a regular hat. The finishing of the inside and ribbon is very nice, however.

And I'll add this as well, though not quite-
- '70s 7X open road (not clear beaver, but a lot of markings were the same).
Complete piece of junk for the x rating- much worse than say, a '60s royal stetson.

So it's really a crapshoot. Of the ones I have/ have had, there haven't been two with the same felt."

 

[Rmccamey]

Thank you, sir, for the complement. Sometimes I can dress up but mostly these days it's tee shirts and shorts

Glad to see you check this one off the list, RM. It’s a beauty too! Felt looks great with the shirt, I can’t help on age but I’d say 50’s is a pretty solid bet.

 

[alanfgag]

I guess my point is that I suspect there's a few different feels to 7Xs!

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This is true for the 7XCB but also true for any grade of Stetson when viewed over a period of years. The 7XCB represents a grade and price point within the line. Everything else is open to interpretation and speculation. I've found a similar difference of hand between Open Road style 7XCB hats and wider brimmed western hats with the latter being heavier and less supple overall. This seems to make sense in what might appeal to wearers of the different styles. One thing to keep in mind... virtually all of the 7XCB hats that appear on the vintage market were made during the last two decades of Stetson's life as a manufacturing company (1950s - 1970s). These were tumultuous times in the historic U.S. hat industry and all U.S. makers were battling sharply declining sales and the resulting pressure to adjust to changing times. We should expect a higher degree of volatility in the consistency of quality at this point than we would in hats from 1920 to 1940. That said, a 7XCB was a top of the line hat throughout its production run and definitely one to have in the collection. Maybe more than one. ;^)

 

[Rmccamey]

Not sure I'm all that good at describing felts but this one is firm and probably slightly thinner and lighter than my 3X and 100. The hand is silky smooth, clay-like. The felt does have that "pop" as you say, and stays in position but changes easily with a little steam. The felt is firm but not stiff as it gives to my fingers any time I put it on or take it off. I'm sure it would take a dry crease without too much of a problem. I changed the crease (with steam) on this one and there is no discernable felt "memory" of the old crease. I don't think it has been out of the box most of its life and so that may be part of the equation as well - not enough head time or enough dirt and grim to "set" the crease. I'm no expert but I would have to say this 7XCB is a step above my 100's in it's feel/texture/hand.

Beautiful hat and you two look great together!

Right above your post is one of mine regarding my only 7X .. I gotta say when mine arrived I didn't know what to think. From reading about 7Xs on the Lounge I expected an <especially> luscious kind of felt. My 7X, while it's finish-hand (is that a term?) feels fine and dense, probably because it's a hardcore Western hat, it feels exactly like Dinerman's #4 description below (from an '09 post, earlier in this thread). The felt on my 7X is very thin and while warm from steam, <any> crease you give it, no matter how tight, is locked into shape! Hat is as stiff as cardboard when dry. And if you try to open a crease? Felt will POP. I love how hat fits though and because of it's ruggedness I don't feel like I have to baby this one one bit.
I guess my point is that I suspect there's a few different feels to 7Xs.

"I love 7x felt, and I've owned more than I probably should, but when I see one at a reasonable price, I try to snag it.

I've found a huge variety in the quality and properties of the felt.

-early '40s mode edge fedora
thin dress felt with a very fine mode edge. Not particularly stiff, but super dense.

-50's mode edge fedora
thick felt, remarkably malleable, will hold go to any crease without steam and go back without leaving any marks.

-1956 retirement mode edge fedora
heavy dress felt, wide, thick mode edge. Not floppy, not particularly stiff.

-'50s wide brim cowboy hat
paper thin felt, but very stiff. Creases *POP* in and out, but you need steam to change or set anything regarding the crease or brim shape.

-'late '50s /'60s wide brim cowboy hat
Nearly identical in dimensions to the previous one, but it has Heavyweight, relatively stiff western felt, but the softest (to the touch) and finest of the bunch.

- '60s Open Road
Thin, stiff, and with an almost almost flat brim. This same kind of flat brim was also on my Stetson 100 OR. Interesting, because it seems later '60s-'90s Open Roads (the regular kind) have such highly curled brims

- '60s open road-esque (not marked as an open road, but identical otherwise)

Stiff felt, obviously beaver, but poorly finished and relatively coarse, even for a regular hat. The finishing of the inside and ribbon is very nice, however.

And I'll add this as well, though not quite-
- '70s 7X open road (not clear beaver, but a lot of markings were the same).
Complete piece of junk for the x rating- much worse than say, a '60s royal stetson.

So it's really a crapshoot. Of the ones I have/ have had, there haven't been two with the same felt."

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[carouselvic]

It is late 50’s or early 60’s just as easily. I have dress hat in 7X CB that is thick felt and western 7X CB which is very thin.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Recently acquired 7XCB thin ribbon. 50's model, I believe. I picked this one up from a seller in the Texas panhandle town of Levelland, TX (and, as the name suggests, it is very "Level" in Levelland). Originally sold in Waco, I'm proud to keep this one in Texas. It came with a cattleman's crease. I could not get it to suit me so I converted it into more of a fedora teardrop crease. Overall, the felt, liner, and sweatband are in excellent condition. Is this reorder tag common? I have not seem a similar handwritten tag.

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Don’t you wish you had a large enough sampling that you could compare the 1930s hats to the later decades?

I think it looks more “you” the way it’s now creased. Nice to be able to make them your own: looks great!

 

[Rmccamey]

Thanks for the complement, Brent, I appreciate it.

Yes, would it be nice to have a 7XCB from each decade! Oh, yes!

Don’t you wish you had a large enough sampling that you could compare the 1930s hats to the later decades?

I think it looks more “you” the way it’s now creased. Nice to be able to make them your own: looks great!

 

[Jesse John]

Just got this 7xCB in the mail today. Open crown, Open Road size 7 1/4 L.O! I am super impressed with the quality of this hat. It is definitely comparable, if not better, than my S100. It's soft and malleable as expected. I'm very excited to wear it. It definitely needs a white gas bath once it's warmer out, there are some light, tiny yellow spots here and there but not many. Just not sure what shape I should go for?

 

[RossRYoung]

Congrats Jesse, I’d say it’d look right with cattleman or teardrop. Personal preference really.
But, can we get a bump in the BRE or pre 1940s western thread?? Hint hint

 

[Jesse John]

Congrats Jesse, I’d say it’d look right with cattleman or teardrop. Personal preference really.
But, can we get a bump in the BRE or pre 1940s western thread?? Hint hint

Oh, it's coming. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[TheGuitarFairy]

Just got this 7xCB in the mail today. Open crown, Open Road size 7 1/4 L.O!

Jackpot! Nice work.
Open crown / Flat brim or Telescope ; )