The Open Road Guild

[AbbaDatDeHat]

I never get tired of seeing these.
They are so pretty.
B

 

[M Hatman]

Thanks, Mark. I flipped the sweatband down and poked around under the sewed in liner...no tags or labels. Strange. I don’t see any indicators of a wind cord. I don’t like wind cords, and order my custom hats without them, but I don’t remove them from vintage hats. By the way, the felt is wonderful...better than my higher price point 3X of the same vintage, which is odd. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Not too odd.....at this time the 3X were offered as the "western" version of the OR, and consequently were stiffer (giving a completely differant hand to the felt) than the Royal Deluxe which was the softer "fedora" version. You will notice, that while stiffer the 3X were thinner finer felt. These really shine when worn a while and the shelack softens up.....Now they did offer a "soft" version of their 3X for their $15 fedora line.....often with the "mode edge" treatment.
PS: I did not think you removed the wind cord, but it would have been sold with one. Then as now people removed them, and the hat shop could have even done so on request when sold. It is a nice hat and I especially like the Royal Deluxe of this period. Now if you ever find it "too tight".....you know who to call...

 

[Frunobulax]

Oh, so new stuff......we have been discussing vintage.....at least I was.
With your altered reply above and this new one, you are on both sides...
On the new ones I would take his word...heck HE probably made them...or directly oversaw the production.
I will say for vintage, unless he himself found them in the Stetson attic he has no better way to tell than we do after 70 years..... Even the Stetson Attic has changed over the years.....from Philadelphia to St Louis and on to Texas...
M

Never said anything about vintage, and I have no idea what you mean by both sides. Deckard's been selling off and posting photos from his time there prototypes for a couple years. I thought it was common knowledge around here.

 

[M Hatman]

Never said anything about vintage, and I have no idea what you mean by both sides. Deckard's been selling off and posting photos from his time there prototypes for a couple years. I thought it was common knowledge around here.

One more time......I (and others) were talking about VINTAGE!!!! The discussion was about VINTAGE OR's..........and the fact that many have been altered and did not come from the factory with wide ribbons and short brims.......to which you agreed. NO MODERN hats were being discussed (or hurt) in the postings.

So....NOT sure why you even brought up Deckard and the selling of MODERN prototypes of which MANY of us here are aware (including me). These Modern hats were not even a part of the discussion.....

You made a comment about the vintage hats (that a 60's short brim would have been altered) then went on to introduce modern hats that were not even being discussed.......so...... not sure where that misunderstanding came from.

Anyway, have a good day!!!!

 

[Frunobulax]

One more time......I (and others) were talking about VINTAGE!!!! The discussion was about VINTAGE OR's..........and the fact that many have been altered and did not come from the factory with wide ribbons and short brims.......to which you agreed. NO MODERN hats were being discussed (or hurt) in the postings.

So....NOT sure why you even brought up Deckard and the selling of MODERN prototypes of which MANY of us here are aware (including me). These Modern hats were not even a part of the discussion.....

You made a comment about the vintage hats (that a 60's short brim would have been altered) then went on to introduce modern hats that were not even being discussed.......so...... not sure where that misunderstanding came from.

Anyway, have a good day!!!!

Rmmcamey brought up the Deckard hats, not me.

Given that I'm able to handle two concepts (and more) simultaneously, I made a comment on that, irrespective of the other discussion. So really, I don't know what the hell you're talking about.

 

[Frunobulax]

View attachment 196335

LOL

 

[Rmccamey]

The intent of my statement about Deckard is not about modern or vintage, it is about the fact that the company did and does make one-off, short run, or other specialty hats from time to time. If Deckard did it, seems reasonable to think that the many other executives, marketing people, R&D...also made such hats over the century-plus existence of the company. That being the case, if someone finds a vintage hat that doesn't "fit" the exact specifications of the traditional OR, we can't immediately assume that it didn't come from the factory in that condition. In many cases it would take a close inspection by a professional (whoever that might be) to determine whether or not a hat had been altered since it was first manufactured. I doubt that a short description and a few pictures here on the Lounge would be sufficient to make such a determination.

 

[carouselvic]

this is why no one can find anything that they are looking for on the lounge....all of this BS needs to go away

 

[Bamaboots]

 

[dh66]

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That thing is nice!!

Sent from my P008 using Tapatalk

 

[Frunobulax]

Jaw

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Jaw-dropper, Greg. And from just down the road.

 

[Bamaboots]

That thing is nice!!
Sent from my P008 using Tapatalk

Thank you kindly, sir.

Jaw
Jaw-dropper, Greg. And from just down the road.

Thanks, Jim. I've wondered if the store might have been close to you at one time.

 

[Frunobulax]

Thank you kindly, sir.



Thanks, Jim. I've wondered if the store might have been close to you at one time.

Washington Court House is about 35 minutes east of me via US 35. I found references to the Craig Brothers Department store from at least 1915 and it appears they may have been in business in the 1970s.

 

[DaveProc]

Newly acquired, well-used/loved Eddie Bauer Open Road. Remnants of the wind trolley were stuffed behind the sweatband

 

[DaveProc]

1970s 4X Open Road

 

[Tukwila]

View attachment 217003 View attachment 217004 View attachment 217005 View attachment 217006 View attachment 217007 View attachment 217008 View attachment 217009 1970s 4X Open Road

A nice one, Dave!

 

[MtnBob]

Is it still an Open Road if it’s a Western Royal?

 

[M Hatman]

View attachment 217003 View attachment 217004 View attachment 217005 View attachment 217006 View attachment 217007 View attachment 217008 View attachment 217009 1970s 4X Open Road

Metric sizing would place it a little later...
Nice find!!!!

 

[DaveProc]

Metric sizing would place it a little later...
Everything I have found shows that when Stevens acquired Stetson in the 1970s they added metric sizing and the crest on the tip also appeared to be1970s.

 

[M Hatman]

Check out this thread..........https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/dating-vintage-stetsons-by-size-tag.46483/
That liner was used clear into the 90's as well......\
I have at least two Stetsons I bought new before and around 1980 that did not have metric tags.....
Still, even a OR Stetson from after 1980 is still a nice find....