Has anyone seen a liner like this?

[havershaw]

..and if so, what does it mean? I just picked this hat up on eBay, pretty cheap, to give the Fedora block a workout:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid108/p49c909f548afa69a01cf2bd621e0b4c8/f94415e7.jpg

All of the Royal Stetsons I have come with a white or ivory liner, with the same text and font. I never saw one this color, though, and I was curious if it was indicative of anything (quality, age, etc.)...?

[fedoralover]

Not exactly that color, but I did see a Stetson that had a Blue top in the liner. I can only figure that from time to time they ran limited runs on some styles of hats. They probably didn't sell that many and most of them are probably gone now but occasionally one still shows up like yours and a few others. Some of the hat ads that I bought recently had a lot of the old favorites we are used to seeing, the Playboy and the whippet for example, but some of the ads show hats I've never seen before. And I can tell you that after looking through ebay dilgently for the last 4-5 years I've seen quite a few. People like Art who have been in it longer have undoubtedly seen some of these from time to time. I think Mattdeckard posted a pic of one Stetson hat ad showing the crown with a built in slant to the crown. I got that ad with my purchase and I'm glad that style didn't take off. It was really goofy, but in the 30s and 40s they did stuff like that.

fedoralover

[BD Jones]

That is an interesting liner, but here (http://i10.ebayimg.com/03/i/01/8b/a9/f3_3.JPG) is a design I have never seen before. It is a black and white checker pattern. It is a Stetson Challenger. It is on eBay right now. I don't know how MK feels about posting live auctions so I will just post the picture, but if you search for Stetson Challenger, you will find it. I like unique looking liners, even though I never see them (since I'm usually wearing the hat!). Lee Keppler's new liner in beautiful and makes me to get one real bad. Today while walking in the band hall with my hat in my hand I thought about making up a few interchangeable liners for one of my hats (kind of like a pugaree ribbon). They would just be placed in the hat so that you could swap them out. Maybe it's just my fascination with "hat liner art" or maybe it was the Vicodin (probably the later ;)), but I think it might be something to try.

[Andykev]

I think the checker pattern has to do with advetising the hat along sporty "race car" checkered flag concept. "Challenger" probably equated to some hint at that idea. Hat looks like a 60's.

Notice how some people think the cardboard and support ring go on top of the hat! I see that all the time on Ebay.

Your hat, as we all know, goes on top, upside down, with the crown in the "hole" part, and the brim supported by the ring.

See what has happened since the early 60's when men quit wearing hats!!

[Art Fawcett]

BD, the "Challenger" was a 60s attempt to reach younger folks. I have had these before ( infact may still have) but as hats go, it is one to pass on unless you like the stingy brim look. Since it was made for the "younger" crowd, you can translate that to "cheaply made" in order to track down the sale to someone without much money. Although, that being said, it's about 1000% better than a DP now.

[Art Fawcett]

oops, forgot to answer your question Havershaw. Yes, I have seen this liner before but i am not sure if it signifies a higher quality or just an attempt at a different look. I suspect that it is similar to a recent post about liners in Panama's. Every company wants to be a little different then the other guy, even when it's an old product, so, why not make the liner different and call it "new and improved". I wait for the day a company comes out with the ad...."Same old stuff but still works great" :)

[havershaw]

I'll guess I'll know something more about the quality when it arrives. It's headed for a reblock etc. anyway, so I guess I'll get to know it pretty well.

That Challenger liner is indeed interesting. I've never seen one quite like it before.