Dating Vintage Stetsons by Liner: A Field Guide

[Rogera]

erhhh ... thanks ... I guess [huh]

Hi Ole! How are you today sir? ;-)

 

[nightandthecity]

Pre-1959 because that's when the store finally closed. Unbashed (or rather de-bashed) nutria OR style with unusual cowboy liner - not "the last drop".



Pix lifted from ebay!

 

[barrowjh]

Nice to see something different, and I estimate 40s or early 1950s.

 

[ManofKent]

Nice find nightandthecity - I'm no Stetson expert but I don't think John is far out.

 

[gtdean48]

...I don't think John is far out.

Unless he's been conversing with the dog again....

 

[barrowjh]

My estimate could be off-base, and I'm sure others will chime in and help get this right. I'm confused by the lack of any tip cover - no oilskin nor clear plastic, and you won't know if the there is an oilskin sweat barrier until after you have it in your hands. I was under the impression that sometime after Stetson introduced the clear plastic tip liner in 1952 there was a switch to always having a tip liner, but I could be wrong about that.

 

[fedoracentric]

(Not sure what you mean by "tip cover," could you expound on that?)

I have seen some of the oil skin crown protectors melt away in the heat of attics and disappear in shards until it looks like there never was any cover there. I bought a hat last year in its original hat box that when I pulled the thing out a shower of yellowed shards of something came snowing out of the thing. I noticed that some of these shards were in the seams of the crown liner and realized it was the oil skin-like, translucent liner protector that had just disintegrated.

But it seems to me that there is no reason to believe that there never was any kind of cover in the crown liner in the first place.

Oh, yeah, and I agree it is late 40s, early 50s.

 

[alanfgag]

Lots more here.

 

[fedoracentric]

Here is a Stetson logo I have never seen. Anyone know anything about it....



This was found in a wrecked collapsible opera gibus hat.

Anyone got an age on this logo and isn't it interesting that it doesn't have the typical animals on it?

 

[carouselvic]

The 1108 Chestnut puts it prior to February 13 1913, when they moved to the 1224 location.

 

[fedoracentric]

Thanks for that. They guy selling the hat seemed to think it was from the 1930s, but it looked much older than that to me. You just verified that I was right in my feelings that it was older.

It is interesting to me that it has two lion-like animals in the logo instead of the beaver and the griffin.

 

[fedoracentric]

Is this a 1930s liner?

 

[carouselvic]

1930's and into the war years of the 40's

 

[Joao Encarnado]

Is it possible to make a graphical chronology of what "we" see here?

 

[Roan]

^ I agree, it would be helpful to have this information compiled into some sort of guide with pictures of each of the liners and the possible years they were used.

 

[gtdean48]

Is it possible to make a graphical chronology of what "we" see here?

Go for it!!!

 

[fedoracentric]

...some sort of guide with pictures of each of the liners and the possible years they were used.

I think, Roan, the problem is that Stetson used literally hundreds of different liners. We are finding new ones all the time. I don't even know it its possible to get "all of them."
That's what this thread is for, really. To talk about all the liners we find.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

But is it possible to make one with what we know here?
One with hat models/quality also?

 

[Mystic]

Is it possible to make a graphical chronology of what "we" see here?

I had asked a while back about this being done. Something similar to what Lounger Billyspew did with Adam liners: http://www.thehatmovement.co.uk/Adam/AdamLiners/Site/Adam%20Liners.html BTW, Cudos to Billyspew for this project.

It would be an enormous time consuming and difficult task with Stetson. Also, would require the necessity of constant updates and re-arranging as new finds and more accurate dating arose.

It would be quite a project even for a joint venture of several knowledgeable and experienced Loungers.

But, I agree it would be very helpful and interesting for the rest of us.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Also, would require the necessity of constant updates and re-arranging as new finds and more accurate dating arose.

Exactly why I went the route of starting my own website for posting my research. Even with the Fedora Lounge Guides section, updating can only be done by appending posts to the thread, thus breaking any kind of chronological organization. I received a C&K Derby yesterday that will be used to update my The Fedora Lounge Guide to Dating Dobbs Hats for the 1908-1914 period, but it will have to be tacked on at the very end of the thread. The Fedora Lounge is a fantastic resource full of information, but forum software makes any kind of access and organization very problematic.

Brad