Pre- 1940s Stetson dress hats.

[mayserwegener]

Thanks again, Steve! I believe you have one or two hats with original crown clips, don't you? Those have always fascinated me. I have seen advertisements for them in the American Hatter publications, but have never seen one in person.

Yes I have one hat that came with a crown crease clip. The hat doesn't have a liner or patch and the crown is ~ 6 3/8 inches open.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/130-ems-hutfabrik/

 

[fedoracentric]

One of these?

 

[mayserwegener]

No it's a metal clip to make an extreme center crease.

An American model (1918) Josh posted.

An American model (1922) Buler posted.

 

[fedoracentric]

Ah, thanks. I wasn't sure what you meant. I have never see one of those before.

 

[hatsRme]

It seems I remember when that one came into your possession, Steve. Unforgettable!

 

[Lotsahats]

Just got this guy from MattC here; I'm having a hard time, given my lack of photography skills, getting a good shot of this hat, but it's a luxurious long-haired fedora, and it's in absolutely amazing shape:

I added lot number pictures to that thread.

 

[Lotsahats]

The guts:

I'm in love. The feel of this hat is amazing--it's so light and comfortable, and the felt is so soft; the brim is nicely stiff, and the crown just takes any crease or dents you'd like.

Cheers,
A

 

[hatophile]

Whoo, that's nice Aaron. 1930's?

 

[Lotsahats]

Good question, Perry. At one point, I read that this liner went out of use in the 20s, but I'm certainly no expert on such things. I'm hoping someone with more knowledge will weigh in on the age question.

 

[mayserwegener]

Aaron, Fantastic! It can be difficult photographing old black hats especially with longer finishes. You have to play around with lighting and backdrops.

 

[carouselvic]

By the early 30's Stetson was using a sewn rear seam sweatband, so it predates that.

 

[Lotsahats]

I appreciate the information, Vic.

 

[Joshbru3]

The guts:

Aaron, Stetson won another medal in 1915. I believe this hat predates 1915 based on the Paris Expo 1900 stamp. Obviously its possible that they used the Paris Expo stamp longer than 1915, but its more than likely that your hat is pre-1920 at the youngest.

 

[alanfgag]

I'm guessing 1930 or a little earlier, based on a LOT 5319. Fantastic find any way you shake it!

 

[hatsRme]

Wow, Aaron! Another exceptionally beautiful upgrade to your collection my friend.

 

[Joshbru3]

I'm guessing 1930 or a little earlier, based on a LOT 5319. Fantastic find any way you shake it!

I am really beginning to wonder if Velours/Long Hairs follow their own set of rules. It seems like we keep finding contradictions between the Lot Numbering system and sweatband stamps/trim features on early Stetson velours/longhairs. It seems like with regular felt hats of that era, they all seem to follow some logic when it comes to the Lot Numbers. Would Stetson still be using a Paris Expo 1900 Stamp in the late 20's when they won another medal in 1915? [huh]

 

[Lotsahats]

Interesting points, all around. And yes, I'm loving this hat!

I tried to look up information on the store ("Bloombergs' Stores for Men 646-43 No. Clark St. 6922-24 S, Wentworth Ave Chicago"), but my Google-fu wasn't strong enough to beat out Bloomberg News and its crowding of my results.

A

 

[alanfgag]

Good questions. If twenty years went as fast then as it does now, I think many of the parts and pieces and marks could have been reused along the way. I like the LOT number as a dating tool best of all. I can see a trademark stamp being reused (it seems many of the old ones were in continuous use from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The LOT stamps are often hard to read and it does seem that the numbering sequence repeated when the four digit numbers reached 9999 in the teens. But for all we know, this may only be a dream.

 

[Joshbru3]

Good questions. If twenty years went as fast then as it does now, I think many of the parts and pieces and marks could have been reused along the way. I like the LOT number as a dating tool best of all. I can see a trademark stamp being reused (it seems many of the old ones were in continuous use from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The LOT stamps are often hard to read and it does seem that the numbering sequence repeated when the four digit numbers reached 9999 in the teens. But for all we know, this may only be a dream.

Very true and very well stated, Alan. :yo:

I sure wish Stetson date stamped more hats in those days. But at the end of the day....the early Stetsons, no matter what year they were manufactured....are really spectacular hats from a bygone era.

 

[alanfgag]

Amen.

Happy to see Aaron getting into the fray and glad he's not our size.