The Open Road Guild

[Dallashat]

Thanks all I will try and get some other shots of a soon as the sun comes out around here.
I don't think the pics show it's true color.
Thanks for all the info !

 

[John Galt]

Rare black OR I'm selling. PM for more info if interested.

Actually fits like a 7 1/8.

"Faint hat never won fair lady"

 

[John Galt]

Price reduced to $250. Going to eBay Monday.

 

[alanfgag]

PLEASE!

Visit Byrnie's. He's still around.

 

[John Galt]

PLEASE!

Visit Byrnie's. He's still around.

Great photo - that shop is like a time capsule.

 

[rclark]

My new Open Road Panama from Meyer the Hatter:

 

[Joshbru3]

VERY nice, Rick! I have been wanting to order one for myself for quite a while. Is the sweatband "Real" leather or fake particle leather? Does the hat fit true to size, smaller, or larger?

The only change I would make when I purchase mine is to swap the brown ribbon for a silver/light peach colored one.

 

[rclark]

VERY nice, Rick! I have been wanting to order one for myself for quite a while. Is the sweatband "Real" leather or fake particle leather? Does the hat fit true to size, smaller, or larger?

The only change I would make when I purchase mine is to swap the brown ribbon for a silver/light peach colored one.

Josh,

Honestly I'm not sure about the sweatband being real leather or particle leather, but it feels nice. I have a Premier Strat on its way so I will compare the sweatbands in the two hats and let you know my thoughts when I receive it.

The hat fits dead on true to size, at least this one does. Mr. Meyer told me on the phone that he also wears size 7 1/4 and it fit him perfectly, and his advice was accurate. I am very impressed, but like you, I may swap out the color of the ribbon.

Rick

 

[hatophile]

VERY nice, Rick! I have been wanting to order one for myself for quite a while. Is the sweatband "Real" leather or fake particle leather? Does the hat fit true to size, smaller, or larger?

The only change I would make when I purchase mine is to swap the brown ribbon for a silver/light peach colored one.

Josh,

I bought one last year.
Sweatband is real leather. I wear 7 and mine fits perfectly. Well worth the money.

 

[Joshbru3]

Josh,

Honestly I'm not sure about the sweatband being real leather or particle leather, but it feels nice. I have a Premier Strat on its way so I will compare the sweatbands in the two hats and let you know my thoughts when I receive it.

The hat fits dead on true to size, at least this one does. Mr. Meyer told me on the phone that he also wears size 7 1/4 and it fit him perfectly, and his advice was accurate. I am very impressed, but like you, I may swap out the color of the ribbon.

Rick

Josh,

I bought one last year.
Sweatband is real leather. I wear 7 and mine fits perfectly. Well worth the money.

Thanks very much for the responses, Gentlemen!! I wear a 7 LO and almost every time I buy a vintage straw, a 7 is often a bit too small but a 7 1/8 always fits right. Not the case with felts. I have owned a couple modern hats and for the most part, a size 7 fits just fine. I'm glad these straws are true to size.

 

[rclark]

Thanks very much for the responses, Gentlemen!! I wear a 7 LO and almost every time I buy a vintage straw, a 7 is often a bit too small but a 7 1/8 always fits right. Not the case with felts. I have owned a couple modern hats and for the most part, a size 7 fits just fine. I'm glad these straws are true to size.

I think you will not regret purchasing this hat, except on a windy day like today! This hat is so light I think the wind would blow it to Canada if I tried to wear it in this weather.

 

[Landman]

Josh,

I bought one of these Panama Open Roads last year or maybe the year before from Mr. Meyer. My sweatband is real leather too but doesn't have Open Road stamped on the sweatband. I wish it did. Looks nice in the pictures.

I'm a long oval and in between sizes too. I bought the larger size and had to pad it for awhile. It has shrunk up nicely but is still a tad loose on a windy day. I probably would have been ok with the smaller size. I really like it though. It is a great hat.

Also, I bet you will find that you like the tan ribbon. It looks good with the brownish shade of the Panama straw. I get a lot of compliments on it from my friends who wear a Shantung Open Road because they immediately notice the tan ribbon. They may not know the difference between Panama and Shantung but can tell something is different by the ribbon. When they compare the straw to their Shantung they are always impressed.

 

[yttclothing]

I won this on ebay listed as a 6 7/8 I guessed it wasn't as the listing seemed generally pretty wrong, instinct paid of it is a 7 1/4 gave it a steam and a brush to minimise the staining still some moth bites but a great working hat, made in Canada anyone know what sort of age it is?

After the clean

 

[nightandthecity]

Sold by Harry the Hatter of Vancouver whose shop closed down circa 1974. I reckon from the ebay photos, and from when HtH seems to have been most active, it is 1940s/50s.

Her sizing guesses were all over the place. Originally listed as euro 56/57, in an email she suggested it was "M/L" and measured 58. I got her to measure front back/side to side which gave about 7 1/2. I guessed the truth probably lay somewhere in between!

Funnily enough I asked her to check for tags under the brim but she said she couldn't find anything...they always seem to say that don't they!

I'm after a cheapish 7 3/8 for a friend but balked at the clean up...the rebashing (he wants cattleman crease)...and (as I rightly suspected) the stretching job! I did bid enough to stop you getting it for just over a fiver though. Sorry!

 

[yttclothing]

Sold by Harry the Hatter of Vancouver whose shop closed down circa 1974. I reckon from the ebay photos, and from when HtH seems to have been most active, it is 1940s/50s.

Her sizing guesses were all over the place. Originally listed as euro 56/57, in an email she suggested it was "M/L" and measured 58. I got her to measure front back/side to side which gave about 7 1/2. I guessed the truth probably lay somewhere in between!

Funnily enough I asked her to check for tags under the brim but she said she couldn't find anything...they always seem to say that don't they!

I'm after a cheapish 7 3/8 for a friend but balked at the clean up...the rebashing (he wants cattleman crease)...and (as I rightly suspected) the stretching job! I did bid enough to stop you getting it for just over a fiver though. Sorry!

I'm surprised it went for so little I think the size put most people off there is a pin prick through and through that wasn't mentioned but I expected, I was hoping 7 3/8 for myself I might relist and see what it gets with acurate measurements and better photos !

 

[Cool1]

Absolutely. I wear mine with the brim down. It's got a real "rancher goes to watch Seabiscuit run" look . Stylin'!

 

[nightandthecity]

I'm surprised it went for so little I think the size put most people off there is a pin prick through and through that wasn't mentioned but I expected, I was hoping 7 3/8 for myself I might relist and see what it gets with acurate measurements and better photos !

I suppose you have to view the price not against ORs in the US, but against fedoras/trilbys generally in the UK. Hats don’t as a rule fetch anywhere near as much here as in the US. For ex, I bought a British made OR-style silverbelly (ish) thin ribbon a few days ago for £20 from a vintage dealer not known for her low prices.

So add on the prospect of cleaning it up, and the uncertainty about the size, I think a low sale price on yours was probably inevitable.

I did think of bidding more - I mean, you’d be paying around $60 minimum for postage and GPP on one from the states - but it was the thought of cleaning, stretching and rebashing that put me off! But now that you’ve done the cleaning I might be interested if you do shove it on eBay!

BTW, in retrospect, and looking again at the pix, I’d say 1950s/60s rather than 1940s/50s.

 

[yttclothing]

Very true, well I put it up last night on ebay and it sold straight away! It is going off to France, I didn't really clean it i just steamed and brushed it and this caused some of the marks to fade somewhat, I don't have the skills to do these"gas baths" that i read about. Anyway it sold for £50 which I think was quite good, Im going over to the states in the summer and hope to bring back some nice hats, some that actually might fit my head!

 

[rclark]

Does anyone have an idea as to the dating of this OR Sovereign that I acquired a couple of weeks ago? I really like the felt on this one.

 

[fedoracentric]

I have seen the Aquanized stamp on Canadian Stetsons. But has anyone ever seen one on an American-made Stetson?