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The Open Road Guild

Is this the “auctioneer hat” or was that some other design? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
No, the Auctioneer was made by another company.....many think Resistol.....but I am not sure. At one time I knew but cannot remember. They ARE short brim OR clones. I have two of those...one with the 2" brim the other with a 2 1/4".
M
 
Messages
11,130
Location
Alabama
No, the Auctioneer was made by another company. M

Auctioneer W Craig Lawing. Mr. Lawing was the 1st President of the North Carolina Auctioneer Association from 1960 - 1969 He was also the 1st inductee of the North Carolina Auctioneer Hall Of fame in 1979. He had a business called Craig Lawing Enterprises - and one of their products were Hats for Auctioneers.
 
Auctioneer W Craig Lawing. Mr. Lawing was the 1st President of the North Carolina Auctioneer Association from 1960 - 1969 He was also the 1st inductee of the North Carolina Auctioneer Hall Of fame in 1979. He had a business called Craig Lawing Enterprises - and one of their products were Hats for Auctioneers.

The "Auctioneer" was a model name of hat made by a regular hat company.....it was an OR clone with varied brim widths. I have two but they are special editions for the National Auctioneer Society. I have seen the same hat without the special liner......just cannot remember what hat company it was.:rolleyes:
M
I wonder if your guy sold these.....I would bet he did!;)
Auctioneer Liner.jpg
 
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Rmccamey

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,614
Location
Central Texas
I just picked up one of those Lawings Milan hats off eBay. While it is an interesting hat, it has a few problems not mentioned by the seller. First, the straw and liner are very, very dry. The straw needed a lot of steam to recover much pliability. The hats must have been in storage for along time, possibly not climate controlled. The sweatband is so dry that it has solidified and "glued" itself to the inside straw. I tried to fold a portion of it back and it has already cracked. No way I can pull the sweatband back without destroying all of it. After some steam to get the straw useful without crunching and cracking, the straw in the brim is very "springy". That is, it holds itself curled much more like a homburg than an OR. If I snap the front down, it goes almost straight down...not very appealing to me. The material is so light that the brim "vibrates" in the wind.

It is an interesting conversation piece, but I'm not sure if it will see much head time. The jury is still out.

NewORStraw.jpg

Liner tip in this Milan is like the liner in those. National Auctioneer Society, made by or for Lawing's company.
View attachment 161600
 

Rmccamey

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,614
Location
Central Texas

Terminator

Familiar Face
Messages
98
Hi all, I’m clearly no expert but would love to acquire an OR. The seller says that this one is deadstock 1950s or 1960s but the price on the wholesale tag is throwing me - surely ORs were much cheaper than $107 “back in the day”. Any thoughts? Many thanks
 

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Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
Hi all, I’m clearly no expert but would love to acquire an OR. The seller says that this one is deadstock 1950s or 1960s but the price on the wholesale tag is throwing me - surely ORs were much cheaper than $107 “back in the day”. Any thoughts? Many thanks

This hat was posted here a few weeks back. The attached form was for the dealer/retailer and the pricing is per dozen.

The size tag configuration does narrow it down to the very end of the 1950s or the very start of the 1960s. Most of the felt Stetson was making at this time was of substandard and ever lessening quality, but still better than what came after it. If you’re after a great felt Open Road you should keep looking. If you want a decent vintage hat and the price is fair this might be alright.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Found this solid later 50's entery when out and about Sunday......butter soft felt......aparently at least the liner was cleaned at one time...."Nu-Way" hatters tapes are very interesting......it is a 7 1/4 LO......so goes in the trade pile. Usual silverbelly, with
5/8 brim.......if only a 7 1/2 LO.:(:rolleyes:;)
M;)
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rclark

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,271
Location
Central Texas
Found this solid later 50's entery when out and about Sunday......butter soft felt......aparently at least the liner was cleaned at one time...."Nu-Way" hatters tapes are very interesting......it is a 7 1/4 LO......so goes in the trade pile. Usual silverbelly, with View attachment 170419 View attachment 170420 View attachment 170421 View attachment 170422 View attachment 170423 View attachment 170424 View attachment 170427 View attachment 170428 5 1/4 open crown, 2 5/8 brim.......if only a 7 1/2 LO.:(:rolleyes:;)
M;)
Great find! And my size too!
 
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
Found this solid later 50's entery when out and about Sunday......butter soft felt......aparently at least the liner was cleaned at one time...."Nu-Way" hatters tapes are very interesting......it is a 7 1/4 LO......so goes in the trade pile. Usual silverbelly, with View attachment 170419 View attachment 170420 View attachment 170421 View attachment 170422 View attachment 170423 View attachment 170424 View attachment 170427 View attachment 170428 5 1/4 open crown, 2 5/8 brim.......if only a 7 1/2 LO.:(:rolleyes:;)
M;)

Great find! A 7 1/4 won’t last long. Let me
Know when you’re ready to put the St. Regis in the trade pile ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

TheOldFashioned

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
The Great Lakes
So my boy comes running out of my stepfather's room wearing a hat. I say, "Hey, that's a nice looking hat. Please come here." Lo and behold:
IMG_20190625_201412.jpg
IMG_1299.JPG

It's a bit dirty, faded band looks like maybe another hat was stored on top, no liner, and the sweat is pretty dry so I'm hesitant to look for tags. Belonged to my stepfather's father, but is now a work hat around the house I'm told. I'm going to see if he wants me to steam and reshape it.
 

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