Stetson Premier Felt Question

[Dreispitz]

Hello,

I came across this Stetson Homburg, recently. Quiet a fine hat, indeed.

Does anyone have a clue what felt the premiers were actually made of? It loocks 50 ies or 60 ies.

The inscription bears an interesting feature: "In Lizenz in Deutschland hergestellt" meaning, it was manufactured under license in Germany!

 

[Mr. Paladin]

Dreispitz, I can't answer the question but I have to tell you that is a really nice specimen. I love the look of a homburg and that one is very sharp.

 

[Lefty]

I can't give you an age but, by the 60s, Stetson was licensing its name to manufacture in quite a few countries, including Australia, South Africa, Spain, and apparently, Germany.

Though it's certainly far from being established, the [URL="http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=34210&page=2]Stetson Think Tank[/URL] thread posits that Premier may have been the highest grade of dress felt at one time. Of course, changes in designations happened pretty often, so it's pretty hard to pin-down.

 

[avedwards]

I had a Stetson homburg once which said "made in England under license". When I emailed Stetson they told me that there was a licensed hatmaker in England in the 60s. So if there was a licensed hatmaker in England in the 60s, maybe the German hatmaker was licensed at the same time? But anyway, as the maker was licensed, it was not really a Stetson hat, just another hatmaker allowed to carry the name.

My homburg said "Imperial Stetson" for felt quality. I don't know how good this ranks, but my hat was certainly the best I've ever seen, it was not water-resistant but properly waterproof, as well as thin, soft and pliable. But I think any vintage hat is probably good quality, so it doesn't matter much whether it's just standard or top quality.

Unfortunately the hat did not fit me (too small) so I did a terrible thing - sold it on ebay for only £20 (what I bought it for at an antiques fair). At the time I had no idea how much money that sort of hat is worth. Better than throwing it away at least.

 

[Just Daniel]

Early 40s ad with the Stetson Premier at the $8.50 original price point.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Early 40s ad with the Stetson Premier at the $8.50 original price point.


View attachment 201760

Interesting. Since they were made in Canada and use the term “Victory Bonds,” I assume it’s an advert for the Canadian market. Very cool!



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[Rmccamey]

+1

Dreispitz, I can't answer the question but I have to tell you that is a really nice specimen. I love the look of a homburg and that one is very sharp.

 

[mayserwegener]

The hat Dieter posted was made by Mayser under license.