The Open Road Guild

[gtdean48]

Here's how it works:

Royal ($10)
Royal DeLuxe ($12.50)
3X ($15)
Sovereign/Stetson Twenty ($20)
Stetson 25 ($25)
7X CB/Stetson 50 ($50)
Stetson 100 ($100)

[Prices reflect pricing from late 40's to late 50's]

Cheers,
JtL

Okay here's one that has probably been covered but...
Why is there sometimes a Royal Stetson Deluxe & a Royal Deluxe?
Was this a timing thing or just general Stetson SNAFU?
[huh]

 

[gtdean48]

Right you are sir!

Making up for previous erroneous postings...

 

[ScottF]

I thought Mink was a dark brown color. This looks Silver Belly-ish to me...

This one is sandy-brown - definitely not silver-belly or any shade of grey.

Having said that, I just looked at the same pics on my p.c. (I'm normally on a Mac), and the colors are different....strange.

 

[carouselvic]

They made a "Sand" color.

 

[ScottF]

Okay here's one that has probably been covered but...
Why is there sometimes a Royal Stetson Deluxe & a Royal Deluxe?
Was this a timing thing or just general Stetson SNAFU?
[huh]

My Canadian one is the oddball 'Royal Stetson' with Deluxe beneath that - is it a Canadian thing?

 

[gtdean48]

My Canadian one is the oddball 'Royal Stetson' with Deluxe beneath that - is it a Canadian thing?

Don't know. [huh]
My Canadian Royal Stetson was clearly marked as Made in Canada but I have seen Royal Stetson Deluxe that were not marked as such. Does yours have Made in Canada under the Stetson Crest on the sweatband?

 

[ScottF]

Don't know. [huh]
My Canadian Royal Stetson was clearly marked as Made in Canada but I have seen Royal Stetson Deluxe that were not marked as such. Does yours have Made in Canada under the Stetson Crest on the sweatband?

No, it didn't mention 'Canada' anywhere, but it was sold to me by a Canadian who had inherited it from a Canadian uncle who was an artist in Canada. Also, another lounger posted a link to it and said it was a 'Canadian Stetson' - maybe he just meant the seller was Canadian?

The sweatband was rotten, but I saved the embossed label which I thought perhaps had clued him in that it was Canadian: logo to left, then to the right 'Royal De Luxe' in script, above 'STETSON'.

 

[Lefty]

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to post all of that. Very interesting that you could get the 100's either hard-blocked (yours) are pliable like silly putty (Lefty's). I wouldn't have expected that. Velly interesting. Thanks!

Justdog's 7xCB seems to be the exception. I believe that the general consensus is that 100s are thin, dense, and stiff, while the CBs are a bit thicker and very pliable.

 

[Lefty]

My Canadian one is the oddball 'Royal Stetson' with Deluxe beneath that - is it a Canadian thing?

Nope.

 

[rlk]

Nope.

 

[Justdog]

RDOR

I went back to edit the location of my 'Royal Deluxe' hat pics, and found the post is no longer editable. So, here's one with accurate color:

Real classic OR hard to beat:eusa_clap

 

[ScottF]

Real classic OR hard to beat:eusa_clap

The 3X Beaver just arrived, and it is almost the EXACT color as this one - maybe just a touch more sandy, but just a touch. The felt is almost the same softness as the Royal Deluxe, but just a touch thicker. There isn't really anything about it that's new compared to others posted here. It has the stars in the logo, which fits with the seller's 1949 or 1950 date. It has the really nice 'Open Road' embossing at the front of the sweatband, with 'The' on the top line and 'Open Road' on the next line.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Okay here's one that has probably been covered but...
Why is there sometimes a Royal Stetson Deluxe & a Royal Deluxe?
Was this a timing thing or just general Stetson SNAFU?
[huh]

My sense is that the "Royal Stetson DeLuxe" designation was in use during the early to mid-40's. By the late 40's, the designation had switched over to "Stetson Royal DeLuxe."


Cheers,
JtL

 

[jimmy the lid]

So, as far as OR's go, here's my take on quality differences for the various marketing designations...

I have found that, as a general matter, the Royal DeLuxe ORs have a tad softer, smoother feel and finish than the standard Royal Stetson. I have seen some conjecture here on the Lounge over time that the differences in quality as you go up the ladder have to do with the quality of various components -- ribbon, sweat, liner, etc. I have to say that, in my experience, if there is actually a difference in these components, it eludes me for the most part. At least in the lower tiers, I find the quality of the components to be fairly consistent. I will say, however, that the sweats on the 7X CB and the Stetson 100 do seem to be higher quality -- a bit thicker, and with a nicer finish.

In the OR line, I believe that the 3X begins to offer a denser felt, and one that also combines a certain softness to the touch. Certainly, in the dress line, the 3X is a thicker felt and takes on a kind of floppy softness -- really, really nice, and certainly distinct from the Royal and Royal DeLuxe in this regard. As far as 3X ORs go, however, I'd stick with describing it as more dense, and with a slightly softer feel. The increased density allows it to be malleable in terms of shaping, and it will take all kinds of creasing by hand.

As previously advertised, I do not have a Stetson 20 or 25 in the OR line. My suspicion is, however, that, as you move up the line, the felt becomes a bit more dense. I would also think that the actual felt blend is different, but this is purely conjecture on my part. Having had a chance to check out one of gtdean's Stetson 25's, I was very impressed with the felt -- dense, smooth, malleable.

The upper two tiers on the quality scale represent a quantum leap, since these are lids that are pure beaver. The 7X Clear Beaver is dense beaver felt that has a super smooth finish. It is just beautiful. The felt is malleable and can be shaped easily by hand. The Stetson 100, in my view, is an even denser felt, and the finish really is so smooth that it feels like glass. It is extraordinary. The felt is certainly stiffer than on the 7X Clear Beaver. In that sense, it feels more "western" to me, whereas the 7X Clear Beaver can function in a western setting, but also adapts to a more "Borso" look (if that makes sense...).

Now, all of that being said, I have an OR and a Strat that probably date to the 1948-1952 time frame. They are Royal Stetsons, and the felt is wonderfully soft and Borso-like (though not as thin). It makes me wonder whether, just post-war, Stetson was focused on producing hats that, quality-wise, were intended to capitalize on the war-time disappearance of imports like Borsalino. Moving on into the 50's, however, the feel of the Royal Stetson ORs changes -- it is noticeably less soft. Instead, the softer, smoother felt first becomes available on the Royal DeLuxe ORs, which, in my experience, maintain this feel at least into the mid/late 50's.

So -- of course, all of this has a subjective element and is a function of individual experience of particular lids. That being said, I hope this provides some useful information.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[gtdean48]

Excellent

Good stuff, Chief!! MANY thanks.... :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[ScottF]

In the OR line, I believe that the 3X begins to offer a denser felt, and one that also combines a certain softness to the touch. Certainly, in the dress line, the 3X is a thicker felt and takes on a kind of floppy softness -- really, really nice, and certainly distinct from the Royal and Royal DeLuxe in this regard. As far as 3X ORs go, however, I'd stick with describing it as more dense, and with a slightly softer feel. The increased density allows it to be malleable in terms of shaping, and it will take all kinds of creasing by hand.

Interesting. I had a '40s 3X (dress) and just received another, yes - very thick and 'floppy softness' for both of them. The OR 3X was definitely not as soft as the dress 3X.

So -- of course, all of this has a subjective element and is a function of individual experience of particular lids. That being said, I hope this provides some useful information.

Cheers,
JtL

Most definitely useful, hopefully I get a chance to use it in the future for making decisions about the 7x vs 100 - thanks!

 

[jimmy the lid]

Most definitely useful, hopefully I get a chance to use it in the future for making decisions about the 7x vs 100 - thanks!

Let me help you with the decision-tree there:

7X Clear Beaver: YES

Stetson 100: YES





Cheers,
JtL

 

[Justdog]

The 3X Beaver just arrived, and it is almost the EXACT color as this one - maybe just a touch more sandy, but just a touch. The felt is almost the same softness as the Royal Deluxe, but just a touch thicker. There isn't really anything about it that's new compared to others posted here. It has the stars in the logo, which fits with the seller's 1949 or 1950 date. It has the really nice 'Open Road' embossing at the front of the sweatband, with 'The' on the top line and 'Open Road' on the next line.

Waiting for pics My 25 has that "The" as well as my Sovereign. Did not think of it until you mentioned it. Also the 25 is actually a bit putty like.

 

[ScottF]

Waiting for pics My 25 has that "The" as well as my Sovereign. Did not think of it until you mentioned it. Also the 25 is actually a bit putty like.

Well, I now have pictures (in Dr. Evil voice) "This is what I like to call a DI-SAS-TER"

Bwahaha...Bwahahaha!!! (Scott isn't laughing)

I tried to put on the hat, and it felt like a size 7 (it's tagged 7 1/4 long oval). Given that this and the other hat I bought along with it were both tagged 7 1/4 long oval, both were owned by the same person, and both had the same pre-1952 Stetson logos, I was mystified. So...I tried harder to put it on...SNAP!!! The sweat busted loose from the hat. So I removed it and it looks like the leather itself IS 7 1/4, but the plastic that it's sewn to is smaller. Also, the sew job to the hat itself was horrid. The sweatband had obviously been re-sewn back to the hat, and the ribbon and wind cord weren't attached correctly either.

As if the above wasn't enough, the reeding had corroded horribly where the sweat was sewn together, and bled through to the top of the hat.

I removed the sweatband altogether, so here's what I now have:

The hat body actually looks pretty good.

 

[BTJepson]

Here's a shot of me and my modern Open Road in front of of one of LBJ's Lincolns out at his ranch in June. I'm a proud owner of my OR, but I really want to get my hands on a vintage one. This modern one is stiff as a board, but I love it. I can only imagine how nice a vintage, buttery soft one would feel. I always get asked about the hat when I wear it and it does get noticed!