Miller-Stockman Catalogs

[hatophile]

I want one of them flowery shirts, myself.

 

[hatflick1]

Stetson Columbus

How I wish Stetson would revive some of those vintage Western styles!

 

[barrowjh]

This is the first Miller Stockman catalog with Resistol hats that I have seen, and it sheds some light on some things I have suspected but was not sure of.

Note that the Resistol San Antonio's crown is 1/4 inch lower than the Stetson Open Roads (without regard to the felt quality) - the Resistol's is 5 1/4, the Stetson 5 1/2 inch. I thought the Resistol San Antonios in my collection were a step shorter than the Stetson Open Roads, but was not certain of it until now.

Also notice a subtle change in the descriptions - only the Stetson 100 is described as pure beaver, the 7X is 'fine beaver' in the description of the 'top hand' hat. I strongly suspect that Stetson maintained the same price level ($50 for the 7X) for more than a decade by gradually altering the felt quality as a means of coping with inflation; this matches up with our own assessments (the collective lot of us) of declining felt quality, especially after the 1950s.

The pure beaver was only available in the Open Road with a 2 3/4 inch brim; the widest brim for the 7X was only 3 1/2 inches. Relatively few of the hats had 4 inch or wider brims. Note the detail on page 30 - the 'new' tapered high crown at 5 inches was the 'newest trend' and at the bottom of the page we are reminded that for the pre-creased hats the crown height is measured after creasing, not open-crowned (so, a 5 inch crown after creasing would have been how high if measured open-crown?).

I finally see my favorite crease on two hats on page 31; the Western Slope and the Colorado Trail. Note Stetson's 'Lazy I' crease in the Frontiersman on page 31 and compare to Resistol's 'Lazy BR' crease on page 26 - the Stetson name is more descriptive, the Resistol's use of 'BR' now allows us to know that by 1963 the Resistol hats were probably no longer marked as 'Byer-Rolnick' and instead the original names are acronymed and woven into some of the hat names (maybe there were transitional years of both markings?). I bought a 6 3/4 Resistol 'BR 20' a year ago and cleaned it up for a child's gift.

Interesting tidbits of information as these catalogs changed over the years.

 

[barrowjh]

Miller Stockman #166 Spring 1971

Ok, to keep from overloading one post, will put the next 6 in another post. Note how the price of the Stetson 100 and 7X have remained constant for so long (two decades!). No change from the 1963 catalog 8 years earlier! Compare the Stetson Open Road on page 28 to the Resistol LBJ on page 30, a full inch difference in the crown, and a 3X LBJ is the same price as a Stetson 25! On page 29 Resistol has added a 7X hat (El Lobo, lower right corner) for $40, likely a direct competition to the Stetson 7X (no longer 'clear beaver') in quality and $10 cheaper. My favorite crease, Western Slope (page 28) is a little different from the 1963 catalog, but is still significantly different from the square front look of most of the creases.

Notice that the straws are correctly identified as Cuenca Panama Straw for Dobbs, Stetson, and Resistol on page 27, and the Resistol Cuenca is the most expensive of the lot at $20.

 

[barrowjh]

Miller Stockman #166 Spring 1971

I threw in those last two pages of shirts for a reason - take a look at the shiny shirts on page 9 - this is 1971, fully 9 years before the movie Urban Cowboy will be released in 1980 - dig that! I kind of like that 'Shades of the old west' shirt # 2228 on page 8 with the detachable 10-snap front bib. There are color pics of the Resistol LBJ and the Stetson Open Road on page 36. Also notice that Bailey is in the catalog, as is Dobbs West. The hair thickness and sideburns are also a change from 1963!

 

[barrowjh]

Miller Stockman #82 Spring and Summer 1950

Here is another, from 1950.

 

[barrowjh]

Miller Stockman #82 Spring and Summer 1950

Only one Open Road in this one, and it is a 4X for $30. 3X ranges from $15 to $20, with a '25' between 3X and 4X prices. There is no Stetson 100 in this catalog.

I notice there is no Stetson 100 in the 1956 version on page 1 either - was the 100 a 1960's invention? Did true 7X quality jump from $50 to $100 at that time, or maybe the 100s were available in the 1950s, just not through these catalogs.

 

[gtdean48]

I know the current OR is labeled 4X but outside of this 1949 catalog, I have never seen it offered as 4X. I was interested that it was priced between the 25 & the 50/7X CB.
I've looked at all the Stetson ads I could scrounge in the Lounge. Anybody else seen a vintage Open Road in 4X?

 

[carouselvic]

Western Ranch Outfitters winter 1956-57

 

[carouselvic]

Western Ranch Outfitters winter 1956-57



So you won't run out of things to look for.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Hm! That Deming up there in post # 26, and the Kingston and Southwest in post # 27, all look great.

 

[gtdean48]

...
So you won't run out of things to look for.

Like that will ever happen...Thanks Vic.
Now, has anybody actually seen one of these hats, not a catalog ad?

 

[zetwal]

So you won't run out of things to look for.

These are wonderful catalogs. Thanks for posting them!

As it happens, I have a clear beaver 5X from an earlier period. It's a great hat. I would be very happy to find one like the one in your picture as well.

 

[carouselvic]

Stockman-Farmer Winter 1940-1941 No.59

 

[barrowjh]

Most expensive hat is the Stetson Arminx at $16.50, a 3X belgian beaver (light sand color). Was it the predecessor to the Stratoliner? Maybe it was the San Fran?

 

[monbla256]

Most expensive hat is the Stetson Arminx at $16.50, a 3X belgian beaver (light sand color). Was it the predecessor to the Stratoliner? Maybe it was the San Fran?

I think the Strat was already in production before the date of this catalog. I really like all the center dent side pinch creases they had then.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I also noticed back up in Post 26, that Miller offered a "Laloo" model from Stetson, AND a "Laloo" from Dobbs! Was "Laloo" some famous place or person or term from the Old West, that both companies should use the name? (Personally it always makes me think of The Great Garloo, the 1960s toy from Marx! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0p0WRhAp9o)

 

[barrowjh]

i am curious about Laloo also. From google searches, the only vintage western connection I can find is this one -
'Laloo was a man with a parasitic twin growing from his midsection. He died in a train wreck in Mexico in 1905.' Laloo is a fairly common name in India, and I think this fellow Laloo was from India. There is a Laloo vintage shop now in Nevada City. Why were so many western styles called Laloo prior to 1960s, and then it disappeared?

 

[rlk]

The Denver Dry Goods Co. The Stockman's Store Fall/Winter 1936-1937

Note "The Douglas" and the Ur-Stratoliner "The Kingsway"

 

[carouselvic]

Stockman-Farmer Spring & Summer 1935