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Stetson "Shady Oak"
- Thread starter CaddyKid21
- Start date
Nathaniel Finley
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There is a very nice Shady Oaks 7 1/8 going on eBay right now. It would be lovely if it went to a Lounger - I just can’t purchase another hat myself at the moment. This appears to be a fantastic price.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Pe...499457?hash=item1a42b7ec01:g:IVQAAOSwZB9aSxpQ
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Pe...499457?hash=item1a42b7ec01:g:IVQAAOSwZB9aSxpQ
AbbaDatDeHat
I'll Lock Up
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Nathaniel Finley
A-List Customer
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- 328
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- World wide
Excellent! Can’t wait to see it on ya Bowen!
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Was the Amon Carter Shady Oak Banker's Special only available as a "100"? Was that the difference between the Amon Carter Shady Oak Farms OR & the Banker's Special?
AbbaDatDeHat
I'll Lock Up
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Hey Jack:
Not sure if i’m understanding but i’ve got a Peters Bros. Shady Oak(s) Bankers Special Fifty. It’s a 3 1/4” unbound 3cord.
Hope that helps.
Bowen
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Just trying to better understand the differences between what Amon Carter liked/put his name on/gave away etc, & what Peters Bros produced under the Shady Oak Farms name.
The only Bankers Special I knew of was associated with Carter, was a "100" & was an OR. You obviously have another version.
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Looking around I found this Bankers Special with a bound edge, described as a 7X but is also a hundred. Clearly a version by Peters Bros, not an Amon Carter.
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...-hundred-peters-bs-resistol-small-size.62910/
As I read further Peters Bros made these from a Resistol 7X.
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Bringing info forward from Dinnerman's website:
"This vintage hat was made in the 1950s by Peters Brothers Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas. It is “The Texas Hat” – the Shady Oaks Banker’s Special. Later models would change the name to the Shady Oak, dropping the s. These were the models famously presented to presidents, and worn by wealthy Texas oilmen. It retailed for $50 in the 1950s, an extremely expensive hat for the time, and the quality really shows. I would say it is comparable to Stetson’s 7X Clear Beaver felt of the period.
The beaver felt hoods used in these earlier models were made in Switzerland. I have read they used these imported felt bodies because mercury processing was still done in Switzerland at that time, which resulted in a higher quality felt."
Size: 7-3/8
Brim Width: 3″
Crown Height: 5-1/2″
Shady Oak Fifty
https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2014/04/11/peters-bros-shady-oaks-fifty/
"This vintage hat was made in the 1950s by Peters Brothers Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas. It is “The Texas Hat” – the Shady Oaks Banker’s Special. Later models would change the name to the Shady Oak, dropping the s. These were the models famously presented to presidents, and worn by wealthy Texas oilmen. It retailed for $50 in the 1950s, an extremely expensive hat for the time, and the quality really shows. I would say it is comparable to Stetson’s 7X Clear Beaver felt of the period.
The beaver felt hoods used in these earlier models were made in Switzerland. I have read they used these imported felt bodies because mercury processing was still done in Switzerland at that time, which resulted in a higher quality felt."
Size: 7-3/8
Brim Width: 3″
Crown Height: 5-1/2″
Shady Oak Fifty
https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2014/04/11/peters-bros-shady-oaks-fifty/
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Bringing forth in part info by Jimmy the Lid:
"Apparently, up until around 1935, Carter had western hats made by Borsalino that he would give out as gifts to visitors and dignitaries -- but, when Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1935, Carter turned to Stetson to supply a new hat for him. After some months of working out the design (which differs slightly from the standard Open Road), Stetson began making the "Shady Oak" Open Road, which was originally procured through Washer Brothers, of Fort Worth. At some point (the exact date is not clear to me), it appears that the "Shady Oak" was supplied by Peters Brothers of Ft. Worth."
"Apparently, up until around 1935, Carter had western hats made by Borsalino that he would give out as gifts to visitors and dignitaries -- but, when Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1935, Carter turned to Stetson to supply a new hat for him. After some months of working out the design (which differs slightly from the standard Open Road), Stetson began making the "Shady Oak" Open Road, which was originally procured through Washer Brothers, of Fort Worth. At some point (the exact date is not clear to me), it appears that the "Shady Oak" was supplied by Peters Brothers of Ft. Worth."
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Described by the owner as an:
AMON CARTER SHADY OAK OPEN ROAD BANKER 7X BEAVER Seventy Five.
Bound edge brim, no pics to substantiate the Carter connection.
AMON CARTER SHADY OAK OPEN ROAD BANKER 7X BEAVER Seventy Five.
Bound edge brim, no pics to substantiate the Carter connection.
rclark
Call Me a Cab
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I have two examples of the Stetson Shady Oak sold by Washer Bros. in Fort Worth, and a couple of western weight Peters Bros. Shady Oaks with the two cord ribbon. I have had no luck determining what date Peters Bros. began production of their Shady Oak.
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Rick, I've seen pics of both your Washer Bros, very nice hats! Any thoughts in general about OR's vs Banker Special's? At first I thought it was probably a difference in model name only, the Open Road name being proprietary to Stetson. Now I'm not so sure that holds or not.
If the Peters Bros were all 7X bodies the obvious difference from a "50", a "75" & a "100" would be in the finishing.
Any info or thoughts on the Oak/Oaks timeline?
Any thoughts on Bowen having a Bankers with a 3-1/4" raw edge brim?
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AbbaDatDeHat
I'll Lock Up
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Not sure if this helps but a couple pics.
Pretty stiff hat all around.
B
Ps: also have a Shady Pine 5x Forty. Oddball hat.
rclark
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,271
- Location
- Central Texas
I have to admit the more I research the Peters Bros Shady Oak the more confused I get. I have one that is a “Bankers Special “ and another that is a Shady Oaks Forty (noted on the sweat as 5X). I do not have ready access to the Bankers Special, but it is a western weight with two cord ribbon and unbound brim like my Forty.
On the other hand, the Stetson version is dress weight with an OR-style ribbon and bound edge. If there is a difference between it and an OR, I have not been able to find it.
On another note, I also have a Shady Pine that is more of a traditional western hat. I’ll have to dig to locate that one...
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It's the Stetson dress weight OR version that I would like to have. If Carter commonly gave them away you would think they all didn't go to dignitaries & now be in private museums & libraries.
So many questions; if it is true that the Stetson AC is ever so slightly wider & taller, is the block number different than the OR?
On & on.
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Rick, any idea why the first one is just marked Shady Oak & the second one is marked Open Road? Could it be because the second one is a 7XCB?
Rick's pics
rclark
Call Me a Cab
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Man that is a head scratcher. I wish I knew.
