Stetson Sovereign (WITH PICS)

[fedoralover]

I got the hat today and I have to say I am very impressed. I have bought many hats off ebay the last 10 years and this ranks with the top. I honestly believe it has never been worn. there is not one indication that the crown has ever been creased. I have a Dobbs 20 with a Cav edge and is very soft and I thought they would be equals, but the Stetson has a much denser felt. It's no wonder they charged double what a Whippet cost for it. I'm afraid I'll be hanging on to this one. It is flawless, not one moth nibble or stain anywhere.

fedoralover

 

[bolthead]

Holy Moly.....

That Sovereign is Pristine. Are you sure you didn't cop that from JohnnyPhi? :eusa_clap

 

[AlanC]

Another gorgeous hat this evening. Fantastic!

 

[thunderw21]

Dang, that's nice. In my size too.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Oooooothassniiiicce!

 

[fedoralover]

That Sovereign is Pristine. Are you sure you didn't cop that from JohnnyPhi? :eusa_clap

Johnnys hats have been fantastic. I thought they sold for very reasonable prices considering their excellent condition. If I hadn't already had fedora's that were similar in color and style I would have bid on some of them.

I have an Imperial quality Stetson Open Road but the felt on this Sovereign is miles ahead of it. My quandry now is, do I keep it as a museum piece in unworn condition or do I crease it and take the NOS condition away forever.
I'll have to give it some thought.

fedoralover

 

[BobC]

Very, very nice!

 

[carter]

She's a real beauty!

 

[handlebar bart]

Johnnys hats have been fantastic. I thought they sold for very reasonable prices considering their excellent condition. If I hadn't already had fedora's that were similar in color and style I would have bid on some of them.

I have an Imperial quality Stetson Open Road but the felt on this Sovereign is miles ahead of it. My quandry now is, do I keep it as a museum piece in unworn condition or do I crease it and take the NOS condition away forever.
I'll have to give it some thought.

fedoralover

Wear it[huh] Think about the hats feelings, cramped in a stuffy cardboard box or paraded around town getting eyed up by the ladies; I'm no hat but I would prefer the second choice

 

[feltfan]

Nice. Take a look at the reorder tag under the sweatband.
Is there a further model name? That's where the "Ambassador"
name appears on my Stetson Sovereign Ambassador 20s.
Mind you, I don't think this is an Ambassador- different liner.
Also it could be older than the Ambassador line.

 

[AlanC]

I understand your mixed feelings about creasing it. As I've thought about it in the past, I think it's the right thing to go ahead and use it. You are someone who knows and appreciates what it is. The counter-argument would be that you have enough hats to get you by now and would rather have it as an artifact some some future fedoralover will enjoy.

I think about how the johnnyphi hats have been kept tucked away until there was an Internet and a Fedora Lounge to distribute them and appreciate them. It has been the right thing for them to be sent to the four corners and donned upon heads at last.

 

[fedoralover]

Nice. Take a look at the reorder tag under the sweatband.
Is there a further model name? That's where the "Ambassador"
name appears on my Stetson Sovereign Ambassador 20s.
Mind you, I don't think this is an Ambassador- different liner.
Also it could be older than the Ambassador line.

Feltfan, it does have the "Ambassador" name on the tag. Do you have an idea of the year or years they were made? It must have been several years running if they came with different liners.

Also, good points made by all in wearing it. I won't make any hasty decisions, once it's creased it'll always show.

fedoralover

 

[BobC]

I understand your mixed feelings about creasing it. As I've thought about it in the past, I think it's the right thing to go ahead and use it. You are someone who knows and appreciates what it is. The counter-argument would be that you have enough hats to get you by now and would rather have it as an artifact some some future fedoralover will enjoy.

I think about how the johnnyphi hats have been kept tucked away until there was an Internet and a Fedora Lounge to distribute them and appreciate them. It has been the right thing for them to be sent to the four corners and donned upon heads at last.

If I may, I have a tendency to echo Alan's and Bart's sentiments. That hat as beautiful as it is in its pristine condition was made to be worn. If it's like the Stetson I have from Johnnyphi, it will take a dry bash and then return to its open crown with no ill effects. I don't wear mine often, and I don't wear it anywhere it might get damaged, but I do wear it and I love it when I do.

 

[metropd]

Masterpeice!

at least it's with some one who loves it. I will try not to get to emotional about this. Truly a STUNNING fedora !

If you ever decide you don't want it I will pay double.

 

[feltfan]

Feltfan, it does have the "Ambassador" name on the tag. Do you have an idea of the year or years they were made? It must have been several years running if they came with different liners.

Also, good points made by all in wearing it. I won't make any hasty decisions, once it's creased it'll always show.

fedoralover

Gee, I seem to recall there is a thread in which we found ads
dating from 1953-1957 for the Ambassador model. You can certainly
see one here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=7171

Maybe Tonyb remembers?

I question whether the hat has never been "bashed". As many of
us have been thrilled to see, it was not uncommon for people in the
old days to store fedoras by pushing out the dents. My Sovereign
Ambassador hats arrived that way. Once I pushed, the center dent
came naturally- it had been there before. I added front dents, although
that is not true to the Ambassador look you see in the ads. I suspect
that if I pushed out the dents, brushed the hats, and put them away,
in a few years they would look pretty smooth. That is some amazingly
dense felt.

What you have is an outstanding hat, but not terribly rare. I like
to think of them as one of the last truly great American factory hats.
Everything about the construction and materials is quality. I say
wear it and enjoy it.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I agree with the others...hats were made to be worn. Johnny's hats, and your "new" Sovereign, have waited a long time. Now they can be appreciated.

 

[tonyb]

I recall the speculation being that the Ambassador was something of a transitional style between the wide-brimmed, tall-crowned lids and the smaller styles that came along later. But beyond the date of jamespowers's advertisement (December 1957) and the DEC 23 1957 date stamped on the underside of the sweatband on my hat, I've seen little else by way of hard evidence.

Like fedoralover's, mine is a Sovereign, and a Stetson 20. But his sweatband and liner differ from the ones in my hat; his appear older, and nicer. And the brim looks just a whisker wider. (Got a ruler handy, fedoralover?) All in all, his is the better example.

 

[suitedcboy]

The third view that shows the liner, sweatband, and the size tag is interesting.
I had noticed an odd shaped on a couple of size tags before when I rolled down the sweatband. I took it as a wide base to give more area for attaching to back of sweat. I see on this hat that the price is printed there in a surround that could be torn off.
This seems to suggest maybe it was never worn nor even handled too much.
Great hat!

 

[Jfala]

I say wear it and enjoy! One beautiful hat.

 

[fedoralover]

Like fedoralover's, mine is a Sovereign, and a Stetson 20. But his sweatband and liner differ from the ones in my hat; his appear older, and nicer. And the brim looks just a whisker wider. (Got a ruler handy, fedoralover?) All in all, his is the better example.

The brim on mine measures 2 3/4ths from the edge of the sweatband out to the edge of the brim. On the tag the name "Ambassador" is spelled out completely and the color is printed on as well "Moonstone".

I have given what you guys have been saying about wearing it a lot of thought and I feel you all are correct. Just keeping it in a box would seem kinda pointless as the only people that would ever see it would probably be me and a few hat loving friends. Thanks for all the input and the links.

regards fedoralover