green stetson

[Dav3]

So I'm not terribly knowledgeable about hats, but I was out looking through antique stores a few days ago. Since this is alberta, there's not much to find in the way of hats other than cowboy hats (if a fella was looking for a nice old cowboy hat, antique stores are great around here), but I did find this, and it looked kind of interesting. I didn't buy it, but it was only 14 bucks. I might go back for it another time, even if I'll never wear it.

 

[feltfan]

Does it fit you?
I have one a bit like that (different color, wider ribbon,
different bash) that matches a picture I have in a 1936
catalog of Stetson hats. I'd guess that one is a bit later,
but maybe not.

It's a stiff, odd felt. Not as cardboard stiff as cowboy hats
today. Rough mix of furs for a real working hat. The oddest
thing about it is that it's the only vintage hat I have that
soaks through in an instant in the rain.

The sweatband is top quality.

Hey, if you don't like it, you can surely sell it for a lot more
on OFAS or here.

 

[Bogie]

My two cents...

Just judging from the looks of it, and any thin ribbon experts feel free to correct me, I would say that the hat you have found is a Stetson Open Road.

The Open Road is considered by many loungers to be one of those hats that if you like Stetson, you want to get. People will murder over them on ebay.
However, all Open Roads that I have seen (I have never owned one) come with a lining, unless yours was ripped out.[huh]

 

[ideaguy]

If I had the chance, I'd buy it in an instant. Haven't seen any like it, and do
believe it could have been an OR type; if it's a 7 3/8, let me know...

 

[tonyb]

Just judging from the looks of it, and any thin ribbon experts feel free to correct me, I would say that the hat you have found is a Stetson Open Road.

The Open Road is considered by many loungers to be one of those hats that if you like Stetson, you want to get. People will murder over them on ebay.
However, all Open Roads that I have seen (I have never owned one) come with a lining, unless yours was ripped out.[huh]

Consider yourself corrected. I've yet to see an Open Road without a bound edge. The hat in the photo appears to have a raw edge. Also, while the band on that pictured hat is indeed thin, it is of a style I have never seen on an Open Road. Those horizontal lines running the length of it are very un-OR like. The brim also looks to be a skosh on the wide side, but that doesn't say much either way. ORs have been spotted in the field wearing brims ranging from just barely 2 inches to a whisker over 3 inches.
Still, your point about people willing to pay considerably more than what this hat could be bought for is certainly a valid one. At that price, I'd have snapped it up just for its color, not to mention that it looks to be in solid condition.

 

[feltfan]

If it's anything like my No. 1 Quality (and it appears to be), it's
not much like an Open Road at all. It's a thicker, rougher felt with
a bruiser of a sweatband.

The brim is raw I guess, but there is a brim treatment made of
the material used to make the ribbon, sewn along the bottom
of the brim edge. Can't really see that in the pictures here.
Maybe I'll get around to pictures of mine, but I've been pretty
busy lately.

BTW, if it's a size 7 1/2 or 7 5/8, I'll gladly pay four times the
price plus shipping, Dav3.

Consider yourself corrected. I've yet to see an Open Road without a bound edge. The hat in the photo appears to have a raw edge. Also, while the band on that pictured hat is indeed thin, it is of a style I have never seen on an Open Road. Those horizontal lines running the length of it are very un-OR like. The brim also looks to be a skosh on the wide side, but that doesn't say much either way. ORs have been spotted in the field wearing brims ranging from just barely 2 inches to a whisker over 3 inches.
Still, your point about people willing to pay considerably more than what this hat could be bought for is certainly a valid one. At that price, I'd have snapped it up just for its color, not to mention that it looks to be in solid condition.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

No. 1 quality for $14? I'd go back and get it, no doubt. That's $14 Canadian too, right? That's a great price for a No 1 quality Stetson. If you're not a western kinda guy you could have it reshaped into fedora dimensions/crease - this has been done quite successfully by a number of FLoungers.

bk

 

[DOUGLAS]

BUY BUY BUY!!!! It is a #1 Quality Stetson. It is not rare but still a great hat for the price.The felt should be good.

 

[Feraud]

Let me echo what the others have said. Go for it! If it is your size you can wear it as is, or shape it into whatever style you prefer.

If it does not fit you can get your money and time back by selling it to a Lounger.

A very nice hat for sure.

 

[Pilgrim]

Green felt Stetsons are a bit hard to find. I'd say go for it immediately!

If you don't like it and it's a 7 1/4 (or any size close to that) you will have NO problem re-selling it in the Classifieds here (and I'll be among those interested).

I also vote that it's not an Open Road, for reasons mentioned above - no bound edge, ribbon is incorrect, and I'll add that the stamp on the sweatband shown in the pic is unlike one on any OR I've seen. Also, the proportions to my eye are more full-size western than OR.

But with a good blocking and minor brim trim, and one could have a mighty fedora-looking, thin ribbon, green Stetson.

 

[Dav3]

so I went and picked it up on my break from work today. I'll think about selling it, since I'm not too comfortable with wearing hats with wide brims/tall crowns, but I'll have to look into ways to do that since I don't have any paypal and I'm not sure if my brother's is set up to receive funds or just send.

Either way, the tag under the sweatband looks like it says the size is 7 1/4. I usually wear 7 3/8, but this fits alright, if a little tight.I took a few more pictures. most of them look a lot lighter than the hat is. the closest ones are the first one on my head and the ones looking inside

someone got their initials on it

so yeah, 7 1/4 and there's some kind of serial number or something there, so if anyone is good at dating things, then maybe that'd help.

it needs a good cleaning in general. the biggest stains are in the front under the brim and on the very top

also the ribon is pretty discolored and frayed at the ends



Still, a pretty neat hat.

 

[tonyb]

That it is.

 

[Dav3]

so is there anyone that can tell anything about the hat based on the serial number there?

 

[Dinerman]

That's a cool hat.
I love everything about it.

 

[Rick Blaine]

so is there anyone that can tell anything about the hat based on the serial number there?

Not so much on the basis of the number, but from what I have been able to glean here at TFL the "No. 1 Quality" designation does denote an earlier product... pls. see here: Stetson felt question
and here: Got a 7x......cheap
I only know this because I scored this a couple of weeks ago, also marked "No. 1 Quality":

Where in AB are you?
'cause the last timed I was in Calgary I went to a shop just chock-full of vintage felt mostly Cowboy hats(of course) but more than a few Fedoras & Open Roads, none in my size tho'. I cannot for the life of me recall the name, but it was a very distinctive building. A former house (residence) painted with a B & W cow pattern (Holstein? Gurnsey?) right off of the Edmonton Trail at about 14th street, near Peter's Drive In, if you know where that is...

 

[Dav3]

yeah, I'm about 2 hours south of calgary, but moving there in the fall. I know where peter's drive-in is for sure, so I'll have to look for it.

 

[DanielJones]

By the ribbon treatment & color I wonder if it was made for the Forestry Department or the Department of Public Safety. I found this similar picture with almost the exact ribbon.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[akaBruno]

That's a real nice hat. You're lucky it was still there.

BRUNO

 

[Warlock]

A very attractive color, that one. I suppose it would be blasphemy to suggest adding a complemenatry color of ribbon to it. It does have a look that suggests Daniel may be on to something.