OR Experts: Date Please?

[Atticus Finch]

Well…..the mystery deepens. My e-bay Stetson arrived today. I'm at my office and have no access to my digital camera, but perhaps photos will be forthcoming tonight. I’m still not sure what this hat is or when it was made.

---It sure looks like an Open Road. It has a narrow hatband like an OR. It has a bound edge like an OR.

---It is clearly silver belly.

---The underside of the brim, measured from the edge of the sweat band to the outside edge of the binding, is exactly 2 7/8 inches. On the topside, from the bottom of the hatband to the outside edge of the binding, it is 2 3/4 inches. The brim is the same width all the way around. The seller said it was three inches, but he must have been only guessing.

---I don’t know how to measure the crown, but it looks about the same height as my modern OR. I can say this: It is 5 inches from the bottom of the hatband to an imaginary line extending outwardly from the highest point in the cattleman’s crease.

---The sweatband is black.

---The only thing printed on the sweatband is the Stetson crest with “John B. Stetson Company” in small letters beneath it, and “The Sovereign Stetson” in larger letters beside it. The words “The Sovereign” are printed in cursive. Nowhere appear the words “Open Road” and there is no “X” designation. I’ve no idea how the seller came up with his “XXX” notion.

---There is a square, red/orange size tag in the back.

I’ve been told that “sovereign” is one of many quality designations that Stetson has used throughout the years. I’m not sure where it falls in relation to, say, “Royal Deluxe” or, in another scale, “20”. But I’ve also heard that “The Sovereign” was once a style that looked like an Open Road or Stratoliner. If such a style existed, could this be one?

I’ll post some photos tonight and hopefully someone can educate me about my hat.

AF

 

[gtdean48]

What does the liner emblem look like?

 

[gtdean48]

"But I’ve also heard that “The Sovereign” was once a style that looked like an Open Road or Stratoliner. If such a style existed, could this be one?"
It most certainly did & sounds like you do...

 

[carter]

Sovereign is a felt quality designation that Stetson has used for decades. Stetson also made hats that are very similar/almost identical to an OR but did not have the OR designation. It appears that you have a very nice example of one of these hats.

 

[Atticus Finch]

"But I’ve also heard that “The Sovereign” was once a style that looked like an Open Road or Stratoliner. If such a style existed, could this be one?"
It most certainly did & sounds like you do...

What does the liner emblem look like?

Hi GTD,

I'll post a photo tonight, but it is actually rather simple. It is the "Beaver and Eagle" crest rendered in goldish silver, red and blue with the single word, "Stetson" in block letters beneath it. Below "Stetson" is a very subtle silver design. The crest contains no writing---nothing like "made in America" or the like. Also, there is no design framing the crest.

AF

 

[gtdean48]

Does the liner have a clear covering over it with a gold edge where the covering joins the liner? Sovereign is a designation, like Royal Stetson & Royal De Luxe Stetson. It is the "The" part that is curious to me. Anything behind the sweatband, stickers, etc.?

 

[Atticus Finch]

Here's some quick and dirty photos of my new e-bay hat. First, is a close-up of the liner. Second, this is the only thing printed on the sweatband. Finally, I guess I'm finally beginning to embrace my thin ribbon hat addiction. I've got three felt Open Road style hats and another on the way. Left is the e-bay hat. Right is my modern OR. Center is my Campdraft. If you notice that the old OR is darker than the new one, it isn't the lighting. Although the e-bay hat is silverbelly, it is a darker tone of silverbelly---in fact, its almost grey or toupe.

As a post script, I'm very glad that I decided to buy this 7 3/4 sized hat. Although I wear 7 5/8 in new hats, this one is none too large. In fact, it is a tad smaller than my size 7 5/8 Campdraft and about the same size as my 7 5/8 Gun Club.

AF