Identifying early hats by sweatband: A Guide

[DOUGLAS]

Seems to be a sound concept. I can't avoid some bleed through of sweat though and it is always in the same area regardless of the hat. It must be the shape of my head.

 

[feltfan]

Great Thread!

There's a sweatband feature I think is significant,
but I don't know its name. It seems to appear on
late 40s to early 50s hats. You can see it on a lot
of the Johnnyphi hats and on the Portis Supreme
I'm selling in the Classifieds section now. Here's an
example on DOUGLAS' Playboy:

See that extra layer between the sweat and the felt?
It appears to be some sort of extra cushion or perhaps a bit
of extra buffer between sweatband and felt, for wicking sweat.
I believe it appears on both reeded and unreeded examples in that
period. Anyone know its name or know more about how it is done?

 

[Mario]

I believe I have the same thing on my Lee Trinity. In this case the extra layer between the hat body and the sweat is made of a felt strip. Behind the sweat is some kind of thin onion skin serving as an additional protection.

 

[ScottF]

early Stetson 3X Dress hat

I blew this sweatband logo stamp up as large as possible (without offending due to size). I thought it might interest some of you to see the attention to detail shown by hat-makers in the past:

 

[buler]

Todays bump.

B

 

[randooch]

Just won this beauty this morning, which led to an hour of reading about dating crests, Quality designations, then this thread, trying to nail down the hat's approximate age.

And I still have a question! When did Stetson stop using this No. 1 Quality stamp?

Any guesses?

 

[Dinerman]

That No. 1 Quality is probably late '50s.

 

[randooch]

For once, I was guessing correctly! Thanks, sir.

 

[carouselvic]

And I still have a question! When did Stetson stop using this No. 1 Quality stamp?


Any guesses?

The 1971 Miller-Stockman catalog still shows at least a half-dozen hats available in the #1 Quality. I have a hat with the same sweatband, size hang tag and liner style as yours. Someone wrote 1963 on the back of the sweat, along with their names. I find my hat to be very inconsistent and hard to nail down on a firm date.

 

[randooch]

The 1971 Miller-Stockman catalog still shows at least a half-dozen hats available in the #1 Quality. I have a hat with the same sweatband, size hang tag and liner style as yours. Someone wrote 1963 on the back of the sweat, along with their names. I find my hat to be very inconsistent and hard to nail down on a firm date.

Fascinating. I'm eager to receive this and examine it up close, take a few pictures, and maybe get some definitive answers. Thanks for the input.

 

[Mystic]

The 1971 Miller-Stockman catalog still shows at least a half-dozen hats available in the #1 Quality. I have a hat with the same sweatband, size hang tag and liner style as yours. Someone wrote 1963 on the back of the sweat, along with their names. I find my hat to be very inconsistent and hard to nail down on a firm date.

With so many Stetson threads with overlapping subject matter I think this comes closest to the right place to ask this question, or re-ask this question.

Is there any new information or input on how long or to what years this Stetson logo was used?

This is a black sweat with clear plastic over the liner logo.

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

In Randooch's post #46 could help but the photos are missing.

I never was much of a detective or a student.... hwell:

 

[carouselvic]

Stetson definitely made them in the 60's...not sure about the 70's.

 

[Mystic]

Stetson definitely made them in the 60's...not sure about the 70's.

Thanks...

I was thinking 60's and was hoping not to be 70's.

I'm also thinking by the 60's this No.1 Quality may not mean any more than the Stetson X"s came to represent.

 

[alanfgag]

Let's not forget this example, which is likely early 1940s.

The one you posted above is later, of course.

 

[carouselvic]

Thanks...

I was thinking 60's and was hoping not to be 70's.

I'm also thinking by the 60's this No.1 Quality may not mean any more than the Stetson X"s came to represent.

The #1 Quality in the 60's was a good hat, used primarily as a western designation, it sold for more than a Royal, Royal DeLuxe and some 3X hats.

 

[Lotsahats]

This thread is very informative!

 

[Jalpa85]

I ran across this Stetson hat box at an auction a couple of weeks ago. It had, I thought, a Stetson Boss Raw Edge hat inside but there are no signs of Stetson on the hat and I can't identify the embossed crest. This is my first vintage hat and I am thinking of having it restored. I found the crest on this thread that Dinerman post on April 7, 2009 but it looks like a newer version of mine. My questions are, how old is the Stetson hat box and is it for two hats (because it is so deep) and can anyone tell me anything about the hat? Make, style, age and type of fur. I took it to a Millinery that has been in business for over a hundred years and is operated by the third generation. Unfortunately the owner wasn't there and the salesman couldn't tell me anything about it.

 

[Frunobulax]

Any markings or labels behind the sweat?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Jalpa85]

Any markings or labels behind the sweat?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

No, nothing. The sad part is it is just a bit too small for my head. I guess I better lose some weight!

 

[Frunobulax]

No, nothing. The sad part is it is just a bit too small for my head. I guess I better lose some weight!

Sadly, your head rarely shrinks. What size are you?