Help with a recent Stetson purchase...

[MadDawg]

This weekend I purchased a Stetson Fedora from the local factory/overrun outlet and need a little help identifying it, if possible.

It is fur with by my best judgment has a 2 3/8 or 2 1/2 inch brim, 1 1/2 inch ribbon, and black leather sweatband. The inside of the sweatband has the JOHN B STETSON COMPANY crest logo with "The Sovereign STETSON" stamped beside it. On the other side it has the "Harry the Hatter DETROIT" stamp in the band.

Unfortunately, there is no model indicator. A quick trip to Harry the Hatter site turned up two options. One is the TEMPLE, but the Temple has a dimensional brim, and I don't believe this hat does. The other is the Firenze, which apparently is Beaver fur, and has a 2 3/8 brim.

Is there anyway to tell which one it actually is?? I will try to post pics shortly. I figure for the $50 I paid for it, it is a steal either way, but if it truly is the Beaver fur, then I should feel guilty about the deal I got (but, of course, I won't.)

Thanks for any input.

 

[jlee562]

Well, if it's Sovereign quality, then it's not beaver, IIRC.

It sounds like the Firenze more than the Temple. The Temple has a 2 5/8 brim and a thicker ribbon.

 

[gtdean48]

Any stickers or tags behind the sweatband?
Need photos to help ID this model...

 

[MadDawg]

Here are pics of the lid, and the sweatband stamps. The discription of the Firenze said it is a "silk-beaver finish." I have no idea what that means, but the price that it sells for leads me to believe it is not actually a beaver felt.

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[gtdean48]

As said above, a Sovereign grade is not a beaver felt. I have a Roadmaster that is a Sovereign & definitely not beaver. I'm sure with seconds it won't have all the tags underneath the sweatband, which would have some model designation. Hopefully somebody can eyeball it & recognize it. Seems like a nice lid tho.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Actually, it looks alot like a Temple to me. The wide ribbon, center-dent bash, and Sovereign-grade felt are correct. And that's the same sweatband that mine has.

Are you sure that it's not a dimensional 2-3/8" (side) x 2-5/8" (front/back) brim? It's easy to mistake for 2-1/2" all around if you don't measure carefully...

 

[MadDawg]

I actually contacted Henry the Hatter and asked about it as well. I measured the brim this morning and it is 2 3/8" all around. He also asked me if the felt fur appeared to be "thicker" or "longer" than that of my other Stetson, which it does. He said this is typical of the "silk-beaver" finish which is on the Firenze model. So that is what I am going with.

I guess bottom line is it is a fantastic hat to me and for the price, it will be a permenant feature to my collection.

 

[gtdean48]

Remember that silk-beaver finish does not mean beaver felt any more than kitten finish means you have cat fur felt hat...

 

[gwold]

Firenze looks right

I've got mine right here, and short of mine not stamped "Harry the Hatter," they look identical.

It's a very nice hat, IMO. Much finer felt than on my brand new Akubra Fed IV. And you did get a great price.

Question for you: Does it seem to run small? Mine's marked 61 and fits snugly, but in both my Resistol cowboy (same manufacturer) and my Fed, I find a 60 to be a tad large.

Greg