The Stratoliner Society {VINTAGE}

[Short Balding Guy]

Pine Green for certain. Here:

Buler's Alpine Blue Strat here:

Mr.Palidin's green Strat - oh la la! Here:

Buler's carmel colored Strat. Here:

It also appears that a variety of "brown" colors have been showcased on this thread. The scarcity of the colors in a given size certainly make for it being a sellers market.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Eric, you don't see that color often I bet it would fetch a pretty penny. Any one have one? I went thru the thread an did not see one.

 

[VetPsychWars]

Buler's carmel colored Strat. Here:

Pardon me if it offends anyone, but that looks like a silver belly in desperate need of a cleaning. You can see at the bottom of the crown an area the height of the sweatband that's a lot lighter and pinker. I should be getting back a Royal Deluxe Open Road tomorrow that was so filthy it was basically yellow except for that pinkish area.

I know some of you call that "patina" (WHAT?!) but to me that's just 50 years of dirt and cigarette smoke.

When I get mine back, I'll be sure to take pictures.

Tom

 

[RBH]

Here are my Stratoliners, all with an ''Arkansas Crease''.

By the way, the top one of mine is silverbelly, the middle light brown and the bottom one is what I always called carmel.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Rusty looks like you are in need of another pin.

 

[RBH]

Ha! I have a couple more pins... but I like that hat without one.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Nice Arkansas squadron of Strat's RBH. Nice hat jewlrey on your silver and light brown. Thanks for sharing your hats sir.

Eric -

 

[buler]

Pardon me if it offends anyone, but that looks like a silver belly in desperate need of a cleaning. You can see at the bottom of the crown an area the height of the sweatband that's a lot lighter and pinker. I should be getting back a Royal Deluxe Open Road tomorrow that was so filthy it was basically yellow except for that pinkish area.

I know some of you call that "patina" (WHAT?!) but to me that's just 50 years of dirt and cigarette smoke.

When I get mine back, I'll be sure to take pictures.

Tom

Huh??! Just saw this. Not sure what you are seeing in the picture, but the hat is the color your seeing. Its mint and pretty much unworn. Not silver belly, never was.

B

 

[St.Ignatz]

All this Strat talk. I think I'll take mine out of the moth ball chamber and air it out for tomorrow.
Tom D.

also the one in my avatar.

 

[DJH]

Recent Stratoliner arrival - grey/green colour.

The green one is older than my grey Stratoliner and is proudly wearing the vintage Stratoliner pin I got from Lefty a while ago. The grey Strat has a reproduction DC3 pin.

 

[bowlerman]

Superb Strats, David! I have a feeling there are probably a dozen threads on this, but other than a wider variety of colors, what makes a Stratoliner not an OR?

 

[DJH]

That's a great question Jeff - you are right, there are some threads where this is discussed including this one.

I don't own an Open Road at the moment so I can't make a direct comparison, but I think the OR has a little wider brim and the Strat's brim is flanged with more curl. The bow is a little different as well, I believe.

Always seems to me that the OR is (or was marketed to be) a little more Western and the Stratoliner a little more dressy. Certainly the Open Roads I've had the chance to handle seemed to be of heavier construction and were also available in more quality/price points: Royal Stetson, 3X, Stetson 20, Stetson 25, 7XCB - I'm not sure if the Stetson 100 was marked as Open Road or not.

For the Strats, I think the vast majority were Royal Stetson quality (close to the bottom!) although I seem to remember seeing a Royal Stetson Deluxe version, maybe posted by Zetwal?

Of course one of the cool things with the Stratoliner is tracking down the neato box and the little pins as well!

 

[jimmy the lid]

what makes a Stratoliner not an OR?

My take...

 

[RBH]

Also check out this thread.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...rtising-Text-and-Cases-John-B-Stetson-Company
Scanned page 460 speaks of the Stetson Stratoliner.

 

[VetPsychWars]

This is the auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350522487789

When it arrived today it was clear that it was very dusty but hadn't been worn much, if at all. Brushed it well, fired up the kettle, and put my usual diamond-ish crease in it:

The reason I don't think it was worn much is that the size tag and white bow in back weren't discolored from sweat and pomade.

The color isn't the bright blue of the auction (only a slight disappointment) but a nice heather blue that will go with anything. The picture is color-corrected, so if your monitor is adjusted, you're seeing it correctly. I note that the ribbon is not the same color as the edge binding.

Something neat, when I first tried it on it didn't fit as well as I had expected, but looking under the sweat, there was a strip of white felt padding it out! Taking out that felt made it fit fine. Also under the sweat is a $10 price tag.

Here's a shot of the interior:

All around very clean. Quite pleased.

Tom

 

[zetwal]

All around very clean. Quite pleased.

Nice! Congrats on your new vintage Strat ... :yo:

 

[randooch]

Nice! Congrats on your new vintage Strat ... :yo:

+1

I'm heather blue with envy!

 

[VetPsychWars]

I didn't like the diamond crease so I redid it with a teardrop:

I wanted it to look like:

Tom

 

[Jedwbpm]

Very nice Srat. Enjoy it.

Jeff

 

[randooch]

Superb Strats, David!

And nicely posed, too!