Stetson Surplus

[Joao Encarnado]

Looks great!

 

[RJR]

Very cool!

 

[Nyah]

Alright, you asked for rants about Stetson. I have one. Stetson seems to have fallen. All of the Stetson hats that I would've otherwise bought this year are sized in S,M,L rather than hat sizes. That doesn't work for me at all.

 

[Frunobulax]

Alright, you asked for rants about Stetson. I have one. Stetson seems to have fallen. All of the Stetson hats that I would've otherwise bought this year are sized in S,M,L rather than hat sizes. That doesn't work for me at all.

Which models are you looking at?

 

[hatsRme]

Nyah, the newest offerings from the 150th Anniversary catalogue really are spectacular. They are size marked (I got a 7-3/4) and the felts have been upgraded to what I felt are darn close to perfect. Especially the "Excellent" quality line. Don't miss a chance to check them out if you find yourself near a stocking retailer. You will be glad you did! JMHO...

 

[jlee562]

The new hemp Stratoliner is sized S-M-L, which is a bit annoying, but I wouldn't do so far to say Stetson has fallen. They've been steadily picking themselves up this year as far as I'm concerned. Very pleased with my Premiere Stratoliner. Have yet to get my hands on the new excellent quality felts, but they're making positive changes, IMHO.

 

[Nyah]

The Stetsons I was refering to are the hemp Stratoliner, the felt Runabout and the Traveler fedoras. The Stratoliner being S,M,L was a huge disappointment for me because I was waiting for it, counting on it being my durable, warm weather hat.

I'll check that new catalog for an unreeded (i.e. "crushable") felt fedora in hat sizes.

Edit: All the "crushables" in the catalog are sized s,m,l.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I don't have any real complaints about my Stetsons, and am proud of the ones I have. I've got several vintage ones, two Whippet lookalikes from the Fifties and a Open Road/Strat model (it doesn't say either name on the sweatband) from about 1960. Plus there's the OR from the '70s, my two Temples from the '90s, and my panama OR from a couple of years ago. All fit well and are sturdy, though the Temples exhibit more taper in the crown than I like these days.

The thing about the Stetson name, and someone may already have mentioned this, it's become almost a generic term for "hat." Like "aspirin" (which was originally a Bayer brand name) or "Kleenex": "Hand me a kleenex, will you?" Or maybe I'm just thinking of the WWII ad campaign Stetson used, "Keep It [a wartime secret] Under Your Stetson." But it seems any time somebody compliments me on one of my hats, they ask, "Is it a Stetson?"

I'm looking forward to trying on an Excellent Stratoliner or one of the other new models. In fact, I thought of them just last night. TCM was showing "Arsenic and Old Lace," and Cary Grant's fedora looked very much like the new Stetsonian!

 

[Frunobulax]

Picked up this Stetson 3X Beaver Quality on eBay a couple of months ago. The seller had it listed under antique mantel clocks, and I was the only bidder. I don't mind telling you I got it for a song.

About 5 3/4" open crown, 2 1/8" underwelt brim.

Rear bow: Underwelt:

Some interior shots:



The sweat:



And some tag shots:



This was my first vintage Stetson, and first of anything that was of Beaver Quality. It has a very dense feel to it, a little thick, and very malleable. It took the crease I put in it almost right away, though it had obviously been misshapen for many years.

Edit: Removed erroneous shot of a Royal Stetson sweat I have. Sorry for confusion. OK, it's still in the attachment files. I can't seem to remove it.

 

[tommyK]

That 3X is a knockout, Fruno. We'll probably never know how much beaver fur is in a 3X (30% maybe) but it does make a difference. I like mine a lot and am always looking for more of them.

 

[gtdean48]

Picked up this Royal Stetson 3X Beaver Quality on eBay a couple of months ago. The seller had it listed under antique mantel clocks, and I was the only bidder. I don't mind telling you I got it for a song.
....

Odd that I'm seeing 3X around the crest then another crest with Royal Stetson???
You're also showing 2 different liners in the photos which is confusing.
3X is a level well above Royal Stetson so this posting includes a photo of another hat....

 

[Frunobulax]

Odd that I'm seeing 3X around the crest then another crest with Royal Stetson???
You're also showing 2 different liners in the photos which is confusing.
3X is a level well above Royal Stetson so this posting includes a photo of another hat....

Yeah, looks like I got a little overzealous with my attachments. I tried to remove that photo, but it's still dogging me as an attachment.

When I get home tonight, I plan to take some photos of the Royal, as well, and post them here. I'm behind on getting some of my vintage acquisitions posted, and want to get them on record.

 

[gtdean48]

Picked up this Royal Stetson 3X Beaver Quality on eBay a couple of months ago...]

Your description should also be a hint as well...
Royal Stetson
Royal Deluxe Stetson
3X
4X
etc.....

 

[Frunobulax]

Your description should also be a hint as well...
Royal Stetson
Royal Deluxe Stetson
3X
4X
etc.....

OK. Thanks for the help. I've fixed the description. That errant photo confused my description, as well.

 

[clintfisher]

Really glad to be able to add this to my Stetson collection.

Crown: 5 1/2" open
Brim: 2 7/8"

It's my first Plushe felt and would love it if anyone has any additional info. The color is really beautiful it's like a chai.

 

[1mach1]

That's a beauty, Clint.

 

[jlee562]

That's a killer Stetson, Clint! I have a 3x from around the same period and it's fantastic felt.

 

[alanfgag]

Very nice... much of the special stuff and fancy finishes seem to have been added at this fifteen dollar (3X) price point.

 

[Sebastien Basset]

Stetson Mercury Fedora, yes or no? I can't seem to find any good pictures of someone wearing one and I want to compare it to the Cavanagh that Sinatra wore in the '50s. (A bit of an extension of my question in the hat question thread).

 

[moontheloon]

Really glad to be able to add this to my Stetson collection.

Crown: 5 1/2" open
Brim: 2 7/8"

It's my first Plushe felt and would love it if anyone has any additional info. The color is really beautiful it's like a chai.

clint that slice is amazing

congrats on a quality score !!