Vintage Stetson Sovereign

[Inusuit]

I recently acquired a vintage Stetson Sovereign that resembles an Open Road. Has the Cattleman's crease, 2 3/8" bound brim, narrow ribbon with OR style bow, and a wind trolley. The sweatband says "The Sovereign Stetson." There is no "X" designation and no tags inside the sweatband except for a Hatters Union sticker. The felt seems thinner and stiffer than my OR's that appear to be of a similar vintage.

Any information you could give me on Sovereigns would be appreciated, especially about how quality compares to OR of the same era. Yep, I tried the search function, and nope I can't post any pictures.

Thanks.

Inusuit

 

[gtdean48]

The Sovereign is the next level over Royal DeLuxe. From what I have read, I think it is just below a 3x. There is a thread of a guy with almost exactly same questions of similiar style to Open Road & if The Sovereign was a model of hat instead of level of quality. There are hats that look exactly like an OR but have no designation as such = they are just thin ribbon, bound edge hats of the same style for whatever reason. In the Open Road Guild thread, it was claimed that if it didn't specifically say Open Road or The Open Road, it was not an official Open Road. Now I have a fairly moder OR that has no marking on the sweatband but printed on the label inside the sweatband is OPRD. I have 2 Royal Stetson that say Open Road & 1 3X that says The Open Road. The 2 Royals were made in Canada. Go figure?

 

[gtdean48]

Found the other thread...

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=37980&page=2

 

[Inusuit]

Thanks gtd!

I remembered the thread you posted, but couldn't find it. The pictures and description are exactly like the hat I have, including the color, sweatband imprint, liner logo, etc. Mine also has a retailer imprint, "Western Ranchman Outfitters, Cheyenne Wyoming." It's a little dusty and has a couple of smudges that can probably be removed with the brush or sponge.

Regards,

Inusuit

 

[Inusuit]

Oh couple of differences. The sweatband is brown and the size tag is rectangular, gold on a black background.

 

[gtdean48]

Sounds like a real nice hat. You got it locally, I take it. Run into anymore in 7 5/8 let me know! How many OR-types do you have now?

 

[Inusuit]

Three and I'm done...

Actually, this one returned to Cheyenne via California. I'll keep my eye peeled for your size.

 

[gtdean48]

3 & I'm done...yea, right! Don't know how many times I've said, I have all that I need...hope you stand firm, I am too weak & cave to a good deal everytime!

 

[Atticus Finch]

I recently acquired a vintage Stetson Sovereign that resembles an Open Road. Has the Cattleman's crease, 2 3/8" bound brim, narrow ribbon with OR style bow, and a wind trolley. The sweatband says "The Sovereign Stetson." There is no "X" designation and no tags inside the sweatband except for a Hatters Union sticker. The felt seems thinner and stiffer than my OR's that appear to be of a similar vintage.

Any information you could give me on Sovereigns would be appreciated, especially about how quality compares to OR of the same era. Yep, I tried the search function, and nope I can't post any pictures.

Thanks.

Inusuit

Yep. I recently bought a "The Sovereign Stetson" also. Except my mystery hat has a 2 3/4 inch bound brim.

The hat might not say Open Road, but I'm proudly wearing the heck out of it, anyway!

AF

 

[Sargon]

I agree that The Sovereign has got to be a quality designation. I have a 1.5 inch stingy brim Stetson with a 1 7/8 inch ribbon that says The Sovereign Stetson. No relation to the OR at all.

 

[Inusuit]

Mismeasured

The brim on my Sovereign is 2 3/4 not 2 3/8. It's a decent hat for the money.