Pre- 1940s Stetson dress hats.

[feltfan]

5/8ths?? 5/8ths?? Wow. Wish I'd spotted that beauty.
Nice. Not that I wear the bowlers I have now. Will post my
7 1/2 "Standard Quality" Stetson bowler soon.

[ScottF]

Here is a big (7 5/8) Stetson bowler Excellent Quality Feather Weight.

B

Is that the oldest 'round label' sweatband stamp we've seen? Appears to be '20s? Maybe they started using the round stamps on bowlers, prior to using it on fedoras?

[carouselvic]

US Patent Office shows a first use date of Aug. 1930, filed Sept. 25 1935 and registered Mar. 10 1936.

[ScottF]

US Patent Office shows a first use date of Aug. 1930, filed Sept. 25 1935 and registered Mar. 10 1936.

Cool - thanks. I thought that 'curled' sweatband rim was 1920's.

...off Bulerin' today - hope to bring back something interesting to post.

[carouselvic]

Both of my The Royal Stetson bowlers still have the "hemmed" sweat, making them post 1935. Hemmed is only what I call it, I don't know if it has a proper name.

[ScottF]

Most interesting thing about this one is the 'Finisher' tag with pencilled signature.

Comparing closely with another Select that I'm almost certain is from 1924-26 (due to the $7.50 price tag), I believe this one is just a little bit newer. Both have the tiny circular size tag at the back of the sweat, both have 'v' stitching and taped sweat, both have frayed bow. This one has a rough texture to the sweatband, a little less curl at the top of the sweatband, and the bow isn't as '20s-looking. Another big difference is the bird in the sweatband logo - skinny bird in this one. I haven't seen that fat bird from the other 'Select Quality' in any other quality logos. The felt is very soft and more supple than a '30s 'Standard Quality' of almost the exact same design.

[Artie]

Well here's my contribution, a beautiful Stetson Select Homburg. I will leave it up to you experts to tell me how old it is.

[ScottF]

Well here's my contribution, a beautiful Stetson Select Homburg. I will leave it up to you experts to tell me how old it is.

The sweatband logo on yours is exactly like the one I just posted, but stamped in black rather than gold. Also has the taped sweatband and the small size sticker. But yours has the texture and stitching (not 'v') of a '20s No. 1 Quality I have. I would go with anywhere from late '20s to mid-30s. It would be nice if we could find a few of these with price stickers under the sweat - so far, just the $7.50 one. They were priced at $7 through 1923, then $8 in 1927.

[rlk]

2-1/2"wide sweatband
Pre-Cleaning:

[ScottF]

Thanks for posting the clear pics - that sweatband logo is really a help, as I feel confident yours is a little older than mine, meaning the 'fat bird' came before the skinny one on that logo, which I had suspected...and now I suspect much stronger. Thanks!