Stetson late '50s or early '60s employee retirement presentation piece with very weird attributes

[mmbarnes]

I can't figure out where to post this weird Stetson hat to get thoughts from fellow loungers. So, I'm just creating a new thread. If it should go elsewhere, please let me know.

The hat was presented to Richard Stewart (haven't found any info about him on rudimentary Google and Bing searches) by Stetson "UPON RETIREMENT AFTER YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE". And it came to me in its original box. The felt is extraordinary and when I touch it, the oil from my fingers easily leaves marks.

I posted shots in the What Hat Are You Wearing? thread today. A number of folks pointed out the hat's several incongruities:

1. Liner tip states "Stetson One-Hundred" while the sweatband identifies it as 7X Clear Beaver

2. Sweatband identifies hat as Mode Edge, but the brim is bound. So if there is a Mode Edge under there, it was covered.

3. Crown is 6", brim is only 2". Bizarrely narrow brim (if not later trimmed down) for crown height as well as period (unless I am misunderstanding the popularity of narrower brims at the time).

After I first got the hat last spring, because of the odd things about it, I sent pics to a friend who doesn't frequent the lounge much, but is pretty darned knowledgeable about American hats and their history.

He suggested an odd but fun theory: That all of the parts, and brim treatment, are original and that the apparent mishmash was Mr. Stewart's friends' way of ribbing him upon his retirement.

I've looked pretty darned closely at it, and it all seems original. And it does not appear to have been worn much. Why would someone cut down the brim, bind it and never wear it?

Just lots of oddities...

Here are a bunch of photos? Any thoughts?

Any thoughts and ideas about this one will be a great help.

Take care.

 

[moontheloon]

my gut tells me the brim has been cut and bound after the fact

just does't look like factory stitching to me and something about the proportions don't seem to line up for my eye between the current brim width and crown

gorgeous hat ... but my guess is that it has been altered at some point in its life

it is very odd to have a 7X sweat and One Hundred liner ...

your buddys theory is a nice one ... just doesn't seem completely realistic to me if I am honest

what truly matters is that you love it and look damn good in it

I'd love to hear @carouselvic thoughts on this one

 

[mmbarnes]

my gut tells me the brim has been cut and bound after the fact

just does't look like factory stitching to me and something about the proportions don't seem to line up for my eye between the current brim width and crown

gorgeous hat ... but my guess is that it has been altered at some point in its life

it is very odd to have a 7X sweat and One Hundred liner ...

you buddys theory is a nice one ... just doesn't seem completely realistic to me if I am honest

what truly matters is that you love it and look damn good in it

I'd love to hear @carouselvic thoughts on this one

Thanks moon. I certainly love the hat. But, truth be told... I'd love to cut and bind whoever may have done that to the brim. [emoji6]

 

[moontheloon]

Thanks moon. I certainly love the hat. But, truth be told... I'd love to cut and bind whoever may have done that to the brim. [emoji6]

I'd be beside you cutting and binding them ...

 

[Hurricane Jack]

It certainly would be helpful to know more about Mr. Stewart & the position of employment he held at the time of his retirement. If he held a management position in the company, even in manufacturing I would not buy the "friends ribbing him theory" unless maybe he was Manager of Quality Control. Retirement is a solemn occasion to fool around & embarrass someone in management. If he was just "Joe Blow" on the assembly line then anything goes. JMO & YMMV.

 

[mmbarnes]

I'd be beside you cutting and binding them ...

Hat avengers unite!

 

[mmbarnes]

It certainly would be helpful to know more about Mr. Stewart & the position of employment he held at the time of his retirement. If he held a management position in the company, even in manufacturing I would not buy the "friends ribbing him theory" unless maybe he was Manager of Quality Control. Retirement is a solemn occasion to fool around & embarrass someone in management. If he was just "Joe Blow" on the assembly line then anything goes. JMO & YMMV.

Yeah. I'm gonna dig.

Family will beat me if I devote more time to this hat today. Neglecting family for hat bad. I'll get in trouble. [emoji6]

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Thinking that he might have worked in St. Joseph, MO & retired there, there are no registered deaths ever in St. Joseph for a Mr. Richard Stewart. There are only 7 registered deaths for a Richard Stewart in the state of Missouri (hard to believe?): 1962; 1967; 1969; 1983; (2) 1986; 1992. There is only 1 Richard Stewart death in the state of Kansas (1980, Cowley, KS) which is not close to St. Joseph.

IF you were able to somehow pin down a death record as potentially being him THEN you would have to look for an obit in hopes it would mention his career employment.

 

[Redfokker]

I can't figure out where to post this weird Stetson hat to get thoughts from fellow loungers. So, I'm just creating a new thread. If it should go elsewhere, please let me know.

The hat was presented to Richard Stewart (haven't found any info about him on rudimentary Google and Bing searches) by Stetson "UPON RETIREMENT AFTER YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE". And it came to me in its original box. The felt is extraordinary and when I touch it, the oil from my fingers easily leaves marks.

I posted shots in the What Hat Are You Wearing? thread today. A number of folks pointed out the hat's several incongruities:

1. Liner tip states "Stetson One-Hundred" while the sweatband identifies it as 7X Clear Beaver

2. Sweatband identifies hat as Mode Edge, but the brim is bound. So if there is a Mode Edge under there, it was covered.

3. Crown is 6", brim is only 2". Bizarrely narrow brim (if not later trimmed down) for crown height as well as period.

After I first got the hat last spring, because of the odd things about it, I sent pics to a friend who doesn't frequent the lounge much, but is pretty darned knowledgeable about American hats and their history.

He suggested an odd but fun theory: That all of the parts, and brim treatment, are original and that the apparent mishmash was Mr. Stewart's friends' way of ribbing him upon his retirement.

I've looked pretty darned closely at it, and it all seems original. And it does not appear to have been worn much. Why would someone cut down the brim, bind it and never wear it?

Just lots of oddities...

Here are a bunch of photos? Any thoughts?
View attachment 61717

View attachment 61718

View attachment 61719 View attachment 61720

View attachment 61721 View attachment 61722 View attachment 61723 View attachment 61724

View attachment 61725 View attachment 61726

Any thoughts and ideas about this one will be a great help.

Take care.

As a relative newby, I am amazed at this one. The history, no matter how bizarre is all over this one! I'll be following this threat with great interest.

 

[Tonio]

Interesting find, last year I came across a very similar hat at an antique sale. Higher quality Stetson, grey, very short brim and also referencing someone's retirement.

I'll try to do some digging also to see if I can find info on the gentleman.

 

[mmbarnes]

Thinking that he might have worked in St. Joseph, MO & retired there, there are no registered deaths ever in St. Joseph for a Mr. Richard Stewart. There are only 7 registered deaths for a Richard Stewart in the state of Missouri (hard to believe?): 1962; 1967; 1969; 1983; (2) 1986; 1992. There is only 1 Richard Stewart death in the state of Kansas (1980, Cowley, KS) which is not close to St. Joseph.

IF you were able to somehow pin down a death record as potentially being him THEN you would have to look for an obit in hopes it would mention his career employment.

Thanks for the digging, Jack.

What led you to suspect St. Joseph, MO?

I am ignorant about how many Stetson production (and if there were any separate administrative corporate facilities) there were around that time and their locations.

I suspect that data is somewhere posted on the Lounge or at the bare minimum at least hanging out in some Loungers' heads. I'll look elsewhere on the internet for it, too

I wish that we had a middle name or initial to add to our limited info... Oh well...

P. S. Found the St. Joseph reason myself. Rudimentary Stetson history. Duh... [emoji6]

 

[Tonio]

Here's a start. 1920 Philadelphia census. Richard Stewart born 1888. Occupation listed as a hatter in a hat store.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903...ment; filename=record-image_33S7-9RJH-H5C.jpg

 

[mmbarnes]

Here's a start. 1920 Philadelphia census. Richard Stewart born 1888. Occupation listed as a hatter in a hat store.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RJH-H5C.jpg?ctx=CrxCtxPublicAccess&header=Content-Disposition&headerValue=attachment; filename=record-image_33S7-9RJH-H5C.jpg

Thanks Tonio.
That would put him at about the right age in the late 1950s or early 1960s.

I'm eager to read and see more about your hat with similar characteristics.

 

[Frunobulax]

I have no idea, but I love the "screw with him at retirement" theory.

 

[mmbarnes]

From this post... Square tags started showing up in the sixties. http://www.thefedoralounge.com/index.php?posts/981409

 

[Tonio]

Thanks. Regretfully I passed on the similar one I had seen based on the price the seller was asking and the short brim!

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Here's a start. 1920 Philadelphia census. Richard Stewart born 1888. Occupation listed as a hatter in a hat store.

Born Oct 17, 1888, died April 1972 @ age 84. Living in Philadelphia, PA 19131.
Now you need to find an obit.

PS on edit: no middle name or initial given on death records.

 

[mmbarnes]

Thanks. Regretfully I passed on the similar one I had seen based on the price the seller was asking and the short brim!

Oh well... That's a bummer. Thanks for the census info. That's great!

 

[mmbarnes]

The brim thing is something we've been bouncing around a fair bit. But what about the liner tip and sweatband variation? Why would that be?

One-Hundreds and 7X Clear Beaver were different price points right? Do we think that someone may have replaced the 7X liner with the One-Hundred one after-market?

 

[moontheloon]

The brim thing is something we've been bouncing around a fair bit. But what about the liner tip and sweatband variation? Why would that be?

One-Hundreds and 7X Clear Beaver were different price points right? Do we think that someone may have replaced the 7X liner with the One-Hundred one after-market?

those are some other things that don't match up ... the size tag is 60s but the sweat it is attached to is at the latest early to mid 50s

very odd piece

Frankenstein