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Dating Your Hat (A Place to Discuss the Age of Your Vintage Hat)

Messages
17,533
not much to tell really, the sweatband is crumbling and imprints faded, View attachment 171300 View attachment 171301 View attachment 171300 View attachment 171301 I just thought the style might be a giveaway
Based on the way the brim & curl is reacting to your thumb pressure I don't think it's necessarily a stiff Western weight felt. Also seems to me the brim would be more beat up if it was stiff Western weight. I'm also not sure that it is a 4X but I couldn't quite bring it out. Between looking at the sweat & this pic, maybe you can.

IMG_2781.jpg


Depending on it's care history, in the extreme heat of Australia I can see how a 1960's - 1970's sweat could deteriorate quickly. The stitching looks to be in good shape. We don't know if it was sold new in Australia or brought there.

Based on how it may fit you what would you estimate the size to be? Measure inside width & length. If you want to sell it I might have an interest.
 
Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
Have it reblocked to your size, have a new sweatband sewn in, and wear it for the next few decades. It looks to be a 4X which is a fairly modern quality designation (I think it appeared in the 1960s or ‘70s), but if you like stiffer western hats you have the makings of a neat one there.

Actually, 4X beaver quality goes back to the 1920s, perhaps earlier. This thread gets bumped from time to time, always worth thumbing through.
 

Hat and Rehat

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,442
Location
Denver
Did you hear back on the bowler offer, deadlyhandsome, or come any closer to a conclusion on the dating? I thought it was an interesting discussion, and a cool hat.
 
Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
Hoping for some help narrowing down the age range. I know that Stetson stopped calling their hats “Royal Stetson De Luxe” and changed to “Stetson Royal De Luxe” at some point, but I can’t find the date. Any ideas?

e3763d008826783f57bd87e3f334e777.jpg


c8a226c6c56383a58c8c70ba819fbee7.jpg


3054981b4c674316dae1b380b43f496e.jpg


44f5cc67805d80939d472d3aea602099.jpg


9339ff198f65fc321ab2f01d756e6c2b.jpg

Have we seen any Royal Stetson Deluxe or Royal Deluxe Stetsons with the vitafelt stamp? That might help at least to ‘47 or so. Daniel

Royal Stetson DeLuxe Vita Felt:

vita1.jpg


vita2.jpg


vita3.jpg
 
Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
I just made an offer on this hat. It’s far too small for me but I just want to own it for a while. I know it’s old, much older than any of my other hats. Any idea when it was made?


1cca717308a6b400b233e2103889d8b9.jpg


e0625cf42c64d5ac87f74856f6e8bf99.jpg


81899fdbc1740b0e21e3d8f8737ae7a0.jpg


c69534c7d80199cc38f227f716fafcb9.jpg


37a9f357babe19a444731fae9a9fd8b8.jpg


It will be a wall-hanger and a touchstone.

The 1930s estimates are good... the manufacturing label and LOTXXXX numbers might help refine. Sometimes Chestnut St. store hats have a date imprinted on the reverse of the sweatband.
 

Just Daniel

One Too Many
Messages
1,446

dr greg

One Too Many
Have it reblocked to your size, have a new sweatband sewn in, and wear it for the next few decades. It looks to be a 4X which is a fairly modern quality designation (I think it appeared in the 1960s or ‘70s), but if you like stiffer western hats you have the makings of a neat one there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
yeah i could do that but it just doesn't suit me, I'm more a trad town hat person, and given the climate round here, tend to wear fine-weave vintage straws when i find em!
 

dr greg

One Too Many

Tonio

A-List Customer
Messages
445
Hoping for some help narrowing down the age range. I know that Stetson stopped calling their hats “Royal Stetson De Luxe” and changed to “Stetson Royal De Luxe” at some point, but I can’t find the date. Any ideas?

e3763d008826783f57bd87e3f334e777.jpg


c8a226c6c56383a58c8c70ba819fbee7.jpg


3054981b4c674316dae1b380b43f496e.jpg


44f5cc67805d80939d472d3aea602099.jpg


9339ff198f65fc321ab2f01d756e6c2b.jpg

If it helps, I once owned a company store Royal Stetson DeLuxe St. Regis with a Nov 15 1947 stamp.

561F9545-43D1-41BB-9176-9AEAD6B7F7E8.jpeg
156274EA-7966-4A1A-ADCB-08F265EBA162.jpeg
 
Last edited:

dr greg

One Too Many
Based on the way the brim & curl is reacting to your thumb pressure I don't think it's necessarily a stiff Western weight felt. Also seems to me the brim would be more beat up if it was stiff Western weight. I'm also not sure that it is a 4X but I couldn't quite bring it out. Between looking at the sweat & this pic, maybe you can.

View attachment 171333

Depending on it's care history, in the extreme heat of Australia I can see how a 1960's - 1970's sweat could deteriorate quickly. The stitching looks to be in good shape. We don't know if it was sold new in Australia or brought there.

Based on how it may fit you what would you estimate the size to be? Measure inside width & length. If you want to sell it I might have an interest.
 

Rmccamey

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,614
Location
Central Texas
Has anyone ever made rhyme or reason or any logic at all to Stetson's use of actual date stamps? Most hats have nothing and then you run across old one's like this with a nice date stamped in block letters. I have a Stratoliner stampted DEC 18 1957

If it helps, I once owned a company store Royal Stetson DeLuxe St. Regis with a Nov 15 1947 stamp.

View attachment 171420 View attachment 171419
 
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
Actually, 4X beaver quality goes back to the 1920s, perhaps earlier. This thread gets bumped from time to time, always worth thumbing through.

Thanks, Alan. I’m constantly humbled when discussing vintage hats. There’s a big difference from what was and what I’m aware of. I sometimes overstep my knowledge even when I know I should know better. I’ve never seen a 4X that wasn’t from the 1960s or later so I’ll go back to the old catalogs. I’ve read the entire Think Tank in the past, but reading and retaining isn’t the same thing.

I can make out “4X Beaver” on the sweat of this unfortunate hat, and the debossing looks to conform to more recent Stetsons. That stripe on the sweat is also something you associate with newer hats.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
Hi
I reckon 55-56 at best, also the brim is a lot firmer than the crown..

I can see a vague image on the sweatband that matches this debossing:

1146124df242830cc2429131ffd9a272.jpg


61a2b484c0561ca7f99f00b606c5d9bd.jpg


The stripe on the sweatband is also something I associate with newer hats, but I’m not sure when I first appeared. Your hat still looks to be more recent than the 1950s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
I think he was answering Jack's size inquiry.

Here is a much older 4X that I let slip by recently.

e5c94d3c-4e6e-408c-8bb3-6870ead14357-jpeg.170974


eef0f73b-8713-4e88-a892-7488635880e9-jpeg.170976


5947719f-0f72-408a-b09c-55c0446a1c1d-jpeg.170975

Beautiful old hat, sorry you missed out.

It gets confusing when the member posting doesn’t use the quote function or otherwise identify to whom they are responding to. Maybe I just get confused easily; I work for the government you know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
Thanks, Alan. I’m constantly humbled when discussing vintage hats. There’s a big difference from what was and what I’m aware of. I sometimes overstep my knowledge even when I know I should know better. I’ve never seen a 4X that wasn’t from the 1960s or later so I’ll go back to the old catalogs. I’ve read the entire Think Tank in the past, but reading and retaining isn’t the same thing.

I can make out “4X Beaver” on the sweat of this unfortunate hat, and the debossing looks to conform to more recent Stetsons. That stripe on the sweat is also something you associate with newer hats.

I think he was answering Jack's size inquiry.

Here is a much older 4X that I let slip by recently.

e5c94d3c-4e6e-408c-8bb3-6870ead14357-jpeg.170974


eef0f73b-8713-4e88-a892-7488635880e9-jpeg.170976


5947719f-0f72-408a-b09c-55c0446a1c1d-jpeg.170975

We are all in school together, trying to learn history from a handful of old bones. The 4x clear beaver posted above and the other day is the first (I think) early hat of this quality that I have seen. This one might be earlier than 1920. Early beaver Stetsons are rare as hens teeth.
 

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