Western, anyone?

[VoodooSan]

For over a week, I had been GREATLY admiring the re-shaping job that Bill @wsmontana did on his Resistol Lil Big Un. I located a duplicate of the hat on the Bay, and was trying to decide if I wanted it, knowing from the photos that it would need shaping, brim curling, brim binding, and a new ribbon. Then, while pondering, another option appeared. I believed that the seller had mislabeled it in the listing, calling it wool felt. I was peripherally familiar with BountyHunter Hats, which began in 1991 in Colorado. I knew that in 1996, apprentice hatmaker Nate Funmaker, (a full-blooded Winnebago Native American), purchased the business from his former employer, shortly afterwards re-christening it as Nathaniel’s Custom Hats. I could find no evidence that BountyHunter, under either owner, dealt in anything but fur felt, so I put in a RIDICULOUSLY low bid, and discovered upon arising last Sunday, that I had won. When the hat arrived today, my hunch was confirmed, not only by look and feel, but by a hand-written tape on the underside of the sweatband, which read:

100% BLK RABBIT

WESTERN SLOPE

SZ. 23” R.O.

4 ½” BRIM

6 ¼ CROWN

ON CARLSBAD BLOCK

NF 12/96

Woo-hoo! A VERY nice fur felt hat, that required only a small piece of foam sizing tape to snug it up on my head. With only minor re-creasing, I was able to duplicate the hat I wanted, utilizing a hand-made custom, for 30% of the cost of the needed-significant-work Resistol. This is now, essentially, a black version of my Stetson Tom Mix. SO pleased!

 

[Blare]

For over a week, I had been GREATLY admiring the re-shaping job that Bill @wsmontana did on his Resistol Lil Big Un. I located a duplicate of the hat on the Bay, and was trying to decide if I wanted it, knowing from the photos that it would need shaping, brim curling, brim binding, and a new ribbon. Then, while pondering, another option appeared. I believed that the seller had mislabeled it in the listing, calling it wool felt. I was peripherally familiar with BountyHunter Hats, which began in 1991 in Colorado. I knew that in 1996, apprentice hatmaker Nate Funmaker, (a full-blooded Winnebago Native American), purchased the business from his former employer, shortly afterwards re-christening it as Nathaniel’s Custom Hats. I could find no evidence that BountyHunter, under either owner, dealt in anything but fur felt, so I put in a RIDICULOUSLY low bid, and discovered upon arising last Sunday, that I had won. When the hat arrived today, my hunch was confirmed, not only by look and feel, but by a hand-written tape on the underside of the sweatband, which read:

100% BLK RABBIT

WESTERN SLOPE

SZ. 23” R.O.

4 ½” BRIM

6 ¼ CROWN

ON CARLSBAD BLOCK

NF 12/96

Woo-hoo! A VERY nice fur felt hat, that required only a small piece of foam sizing tape to snug it up on my head. With only minor re-creasing, I was able to duplicate the hat I wanted, utilizing a hand-made custom, for 30% of the cost of the needed-significant-work Resistol. This is now, essentially, a black version of my Stetson Tom Mix. SO pleased!

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Love it Mark. Great deal all around and great job tweaking it as you have.

 

[VoodooSan]

Love it Mark. Great deal all around and great job tweaking it as you have.

Thank you, Joe!

 

[wsmontana]

For over a week, I had been GREATLY admiring the re-shaping job that Bill @wsmontana did on his Resistol Lil Big Un. I located a duplicate of the hat on the Bay, and was trying to decide if I wanted it, knowing from the photos that it would need shaping, brim curling, brim binding, and a new ribbon. Then, while pondering, another option appeared. I believed that the seller had mislabeled it in the listing, calling it wool felt. I was peripherally familiar with BountyHunter Hats, which began in 1991 in Colorado. I knew that in 1996, apprentice hatmaker Nate Funmaker, (a full-blooded Winnebago Native American), purchased the business from his former employer, shortly afterwards re-christening it as Nathaniel’s Custom Hats. I could find no evidence that BountyHunter, under either owner, dealt in anything but fur felt, so I put in a RIDICULOUSLY low bid, and discovered upon arising last Sunday, that I had won. When the hat arrived today, my hunch was confirmed, not only by look and feel, but by a hand-written tape on the underside of the sweatband, which read:

100% BLK RABBIT

WESTERN SLOPE

SZ. 23” R.O.

4 ½” BRIM

6 ¼ CROWN

ON CARLSBAD BLOCK

NF 12/96

Woo-hoo! A VERY nice fur felt hat, that required only a small piece of foam sizing tape to snug it up on my head. With only minor re-creasing, I was able to duplicate the hat I wanted, utilizing a hand-made custom, for 30% of the cost of the needed-significant-work Resistol. This is now, essentially, a black version of my Stetson Tom Mix. SO pleased!

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Congrats on the find Mark! Sounds like a killer deal and looks great!

 

[VoodooSan]

Congrats on the find Mark! Sounds like a killer deal and looks great!

Thanks, Bill. Yours inspired all this!

 

[M Hatman]

For over a week, I had been GREATLY admiring the re-shaping job that Bill @wsmontana did on his Resistol Lil Big Un. I located a duplicate of the hat on the Bay, and was trying to decide if I wanted it, knowing from the photos that it would need shaping, brim curling, brim binding, and a new ribbon. Then, while pondering, another option appeared. I believed that the seller had mislabeled it in the listing, calling it wool felt. I was peripherally familiar with BountyHunter Hats, which began in 1991 in Colorado. I knew that in 1996, apprentice hatmaker Nate Funmaker, (a full-blooded Winnebago Native American), purchased the business from his former employer, shortly afterwards re-christening it as Nathaniel’s Custom Hats. I could find no evidence that BountyHunter, under either owner, dealt in anything but fur felt, so I put in a RIDICULOUSLY low bid, and discovered upon arising last Sunday, that I had won. When the hat arrived today, my hunch was confirmed, not only by look and feel, but by a hand-written tape on the underside of the sweatband, which read:

100% BLK RABBIT

WESTERN SLOPE

SZ. 23” R.O.

4 ½” BRIM

6 ¼ CROWN

ON CARLSBAD BLOCK

NF 12/96

Woo-hoo! A VERY nice fur felt hat, that required only a small piece of foam sizing tape to snug it up on my head. With only minor re-creasing, I was able to duplicate the hat I wanted, utilizing a hand-made custom, for 30% of the cost of the needed-significant-work Resistol. This is now, essentially, a black version of my Stetson Tom Mix. SO pleased!

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Awesome get! Love these great deal stories.....gives the rest of us hope!

 

[M Hatman]

Some more from my catalog collection: this time 1952.
Cover:

Back Cover has Wile E. Coyote's favorite boots!

Stetson 100, note the OR style is called the "Governor Dan Thornton".

Some 4 and 4 1/2 inch brims.....

a 5 inch brim

Ladies Stetson:

And for boys too.....

Enjoy.....

 

[VoodooSan]

Awesome! Thanks so much for adding these!

 

[Steve1857]

Urban Cowboy in a Stetson Open Road at the end of a long road

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Stetson One-hundred

 

[Blare]

Stetson 3X Last Drop with sort of Tugboat Four Corners crease.

 

[CRH]

West meets the "Eastern Girl" 1932
View attachment 621602
In this catalog they introduce Stetson's Ladies Riding Hats (of which I have acquired three soft 3x'ers) from the mid-30's posted here: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...the-stetson-3x-before-1970.94192/post-2958548)
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And this edition has some awesome BIG westerns:
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"Not Big Enough? Mere 4 1/2 to 5 inch brims" You Say?!?!?!? Well they did also have these:
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Enjoy!

"Big Stetsons". Love that! I can feel the sweaty horses from here.

 

[CRH]

I know from looking around in the Lounge that hats from River Junction Trading Co. have had a hit-and-miss reputation over the years. Mustang Mike hazarded an opinion years back that when they were selling GOOD hats, they likely came from D Bar J, and the one I bought from them in 2015 could certainly have been David’s work. So, when I came across an on-line sale of one of their 10X fur felts in my size, selling for a RIDICULOUSLY low price, I nearly scorched my keyboard logging on and snagging it. It arrived today, and I’m VERY pleased. Fit, finish, styling and construction on this one are excellent. I’m pretty sure this is an older version of their On The Dodge model. 4” bound-edge brim, and a crown that’s 6” at the front crush, and 5” at the back, in silverbelly. Another AWESOME (and big!) Cowboy Action Shooting hat. Woo-hoo!!

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My "spur jingleometer" is off the charts.