The Open Road Guild

[J Williams]

Canadian keyhole tag very late 50’s early 60’s from what I’ve been told.

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[Bamaboots]

Canadian keyhole tag very late 50’s early 60’s from what I’ve been told.

Be interesting to have that info on dating a Canadian Stetson, J as I have had little luck dating them.

 

[J Williams]

Be interesting to have that info on dating a Canadian Stetson, J as I have had little luck dating them.

I’ll see what I can dig up. It’s actually what Terry said in the Western thread and it corresponds with what the seller said about it. I don’t think I’ve actually flipped the sweat on this one.


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[Rmccamey]

Thanks. Raw vs. Bound and maybe wrong box is the best I could come up with as well and it could be a Canadian mfg.

I’m sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in, but If the tag says OR, I’d also assume it’s a proper OR. Raw edge though... don’t know if I’ve ever seen one with OR designation.

Weren’t OR’s always bound edge? Maybe it’s just in the wrong box or was mislabelled from the get go. I have a 50’s OR that came in the ‘original’ Knox box.

I think the gold and black keyhole tags where mostly in Canadian hats. But in the Canadian Stetson I have the outside of the tag is gold the numbers are gold and the infill colour is black.

Regardless it looks to be in nice shape from what I can see.


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No.....label is on the box. Hats are often stored (and sold) in the wrong box. Based on the description of the raw edge, it is not an OR.
Would like to see more pictures of the hat and box to see if they are even from the same era as each other.......
M

 

[hatsRme]

Not sure if this thread is the right one, but I ran across this today on OFAS...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ro...noa=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1
Did I miss something earlier in this thread?!

 

[J Williams]

Not sure if this thread is the right one, but I ran across this today on OFAS...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ro...noa=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1
Did I miss something earlier in this thread?!

What on earth is that! Did they just grab the wrong sweatband?


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[Frunobulax]

Not sure if this thread is the right one, but I ran across this today on OFAS...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ro...noa=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1
Did I miss something earlier in this thread?!

Charlie, that's the Open Road not taken.

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[hatsRme]

What on earth is that! Did they just grab the wrong sweatband?


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Charlie, that's the Open Road not taken.

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It’s an Open Long and Winding Road, if you ask me...

 

[J Williams]

It’s an Open Long and Winding Road, if you ask me...

I’m going with the ‘Stetson - Narrow Alley’


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[Frunobulax]

It’s an Open Long and Winding Road, if you ask me...

Looks like Open Roadkill to me

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

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[BobHufford]

 

[Tukwila]

Open to Interpretation, perhaps...

 

[jlee562]

Speaking of 'different' Open Roads, I also posted this ad from Visalia Stock Saddle co. in the Western thread, but I didn't look very carefully at the OR listing until just now.


Open Road with 3-cord band? News to me.

 

[M Hatman]

Speaking of 'different' Open Roads, I also posted this ad from Visalia Stock Saddle co. in the Western thread, but I didn't look very carefully at the OR listing until just now.


Open Road with 3-cord band? News to me.

That would have been a miss print of the catalog, several on the page are listed as having three cords, undoubtedly a copy error.. The hat they picture is indeed a "usual" Open Road. No 3 cord on that one.........remember the listing was not printed by Stetson....
Errors like that are often in catalog listings....
I like the crease on that OR, one of my OR's I have just a deep center crease like that....looks awesome in person!

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Speaking of 'different' Open Roads, I also posted this ad from Visalia Stock Saddle co. in the Western thread, but I didn't look very carefully at the OR listing until just now.


Open Road with 3-cord band? News to me.

Everyone seems to forget about the 2 "Homburgish" OR's with the wide ribbon & kettle curl that have appeared on the FL. Max may have had the last one, if I recall correctly. Then there is the Hemphill OR & the City OR
with the 2" brim (remember LBJ preferred 2-1/4 from Resistol). I believe the City OR is listed in some of Mark's vintage ads & is in the thread.

 

[Tukwila]

Speaking of 'different' Open Roads, I also posted this ad from Visalia Stock Saddle co. in the Western thread, but I didn't look very carefully at the OR listing until just now.


Open Road with 3-cord band? News to me.

What are those color designations listed as B. Belly?

 

[M Hatman]

The OR in the ad does not have a 3 cord. While I have seen pencil curl and homburg 'OR's there is absolutly NO evidence they left the factory that way. And I do not have nor have seen ANY ads or paperwork for such hats from Stetson. People forget that once a hat leaves the factory the retailer could and often did reshape hats to the customers specifications (and advertised the same). Additionally, what did the customer do to the hat themselves? Also in the 50 to 70 odd years, was the hat cleaned and re-blocked? MANY cleaners and hat shops specialized in cleaning, repairing, and re-blocking hats. I have ads from the late 50's offering to change ribbons, cut down brims for that new "modern look". And YES, Stetson did advertise and sell 2" and 2 1/4" inch brim OR's for that Same "modern look". But, and a big but here: the ribbon and bindings were the same as the standard OR's AND these hats were specially advertised as a differant OR offering.
The "OR's" we see with wide ribbons, and unbound short brims are ALTERED from the origional as are the re-flanged "homburg" and pencil roll OR's.............remember these cleaners and hat shops were PROFESSIONALS who specialized in this work. I myself have reflanged and re-blocked (I have all the correct blocks bought from a cleaners who did this work in the 40's -1970......) some modern westerns and homburgs (I will not do this to a vintage hat unless it is trashed) and even hat guys cannot tell they did not come from the factory looking like they do now....same blocks the factory has after all......so I guess my point is everyone needs to settle down.....consider the age and history of the hat, do some research (right here on the lounge even) study those pictures CAREFULLY, and reflect a little before they declare they have a "Factory Varient"......
M
PS : also bear in mind many factories including Stetson would do full custom work even as late the 60's (even the car companies did this even up into the 80's). A single custom job in no way indicates such a hat is in any way related to a production model......while variants are fun to show off and even speculate how they came to be......they really cannot be reliably considered to in ANY WAY represent the standard factory "models" we all love and set these threads up to discuss....and quite honestly should probebly have their own threads (which would be quite interesting in themselves). As an aside I have some custom work orders for Stetsons and some other companies from the early teens.........they had real craftsmen back then!

 

[M Hatman]

One last comment for thoughtful reflection from a person who has worked with countless museums in the collection and curating of artifacts: Just because Uncle Joe thoughtfully donated that 1880's Officers undress cap to the museum in the 1940's saying it was grandfathers "Civil War hat" .....does not mean the museum should label it as a "Civil War hat"!
M

 

[Hurricane Jack]

While I have seen pencil curl and homburg 'OR' s there is absolutly NO evidence the left the factory that way.

Are you saying Bowen's Open Trail is not a production "Homburgish" Oen Road model?

 

[RBH]

Hey Jack, I believe the Open Trail is a entirely different model hat than the Open Road.