The Open Road Guild

[ScottF]

...Their family date was 20 years before the incorporation took place, but their was no convincing them aunt so and so was wrong.

Now that I'm older and my memory isn't so good, I can empathize with people who are "disremembering" history. If I'm dead-certain about a past event, and someone contradicts me emphatically, I figure they're right.

Scott <=== hoping his beaver has a straight back

 

[carouselvic]

If you are to believe the US Patent Office, they give a date of May 1948 for the last drop(registration 1132246)
There is a older use date given(registration 1223387) back in the 1920's, but this use was part of a advertising campaign.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

If you are to believe the US Patent Office, they give a date of May 1948 for the last drop(registration 1132246)
There is a older use date given(registration 1223387) back in the 1920's, but this use was part of a advertising campaign.

Hmmmm,.... that's interesting for sure.

To make my situation even murkier, there is no size tag and the sweat band has been replaced with one bearing no insignia. Oh well. Thanks for all the info!

 

[John in Covina]

Now that I'm older and my memory isn't so good, I can empathize with people who are "disremembering" history. If I'm dead-certain about a past event, and someone contradicts me emphatically, I figure they're right.

Scott <=== hoping his beaver has a straight back

************
Family history and remembering events becomes difficult, often a series of similar and or connected events become combined as a single memory.

Also as a family story gets told and retold the emphesis and embelishments shift, change or grow changing the memories.

The story of the Illiad is a conglomeration of a series of stories that grew together over time.

 

[ScottF]

************
Family history and remembering events becomes difficult, often a series of similar and or connected events become combined as a single memory.

Also as a family story gets told and retold the emphesis and embelishments shift, change or grow changing the memories.

The story of the Illiad is a conglomeration of a series of stories that grew together over time.

I'm going to go fftopic: for a moment longer....Have you read "The White Goddess" by Robert Graves? If not, it really goes into how stories change over time (thousands of years), and how to unravel them back to their origins. "Three Roads to the Alamo" also gives great examples of how quickly myths can be created then firmly established by families as fact.

(Your Illiad reference made me think you might have an interest in The White Goddess)


...Gene - you've got your work cut out for you, dating that hat!

 

[RBH]

I am not for sure the ads I have found in the past [some photos no longer show up] but
here is anad I found from the year 1937. I found a couple a little earlier in the year ,but I thought this one was the best.
This Open Road had a wide ribbon and a brim with 3 rows of stiches instead of a bound brim.

this one from 1943, also a wibe ribbon with 3 rows of stiching.

From 1943 til 1948 I did not find any ads for the Open Road. Then in '48 the thin ribbon model showed up.

Here is part of an ad also from '48... of a wide ribbon Open Road. But with [I think] a bound brim.

 

[Lefty]

A wide-ribboned, vita-felt, open road would be a heck of a thing.

 

[Michaelshane]

A wide-ribboned, vita-felt, open road would be a heck of a thing.

That's my new Holy Grail....I had no idea the open road went back to 1948.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Earlier this evening, I asked Rusty what his sources showed as the earliest ad for an Open Road. The earliest ad that I can find for the modern, thin-ribbon OR is 1948, and this jibes with Rusty's ads, as well. I'm working on a theory -- more to come...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Lefty]

Here's one from '38, showing the same air-lite OR, still available at the 1937 price.

 

[ScottF]

Earlier this evening, I asked Rusty what his sources showed as the earliest ad for an Open Road. The earliest ad that I can find for the modern, thin-ribbon OR is 1948, and this jibes with Rusty's ads, as well. I'm working on a theory -- more to come...

Cheers,
JtL

I thought they were a lot older than that. Has anyone here acquired a wide-ribbon with the 'Open Road' stamp? If not, could be that some of you have the older O.R.'s, but they just didn't come with a stamp.

 

[jamespowers]

1952 Open Road and Stratoliner

 

[jamespowers]

1949 Open Road

 

[Lefty]

Scott - Douglas has the only old-style OR on the Lounge. It's in this thread somewhere, posted by Dinerman. Another one just sold on the bay. (edit: photo added)

Here's a hacky guess on the disappearance and reemergence of the OR. The old OR became the Flagship - a more support-our-troops and post-war patriotism/prosperity kind of hat. The previously unnamed thin-ribbons, with their casual appearance, seemed better suited to the outdoorsy, rugged image conveyed by the OR name. You've got to hide a name for a while if you want to change the product under it - like vita-felt. /conjecture

 

[ScottF]

another wide-ribbon Open Road

Here's another wide-ribbon that sold recently on ebay - I thought the ribbon was a later addition. It also has no liner:

ebay - wide-ribbon Open Road

 

[jimmy the lid]

Birth of the Thin-Ribbon Open Road

I think that the available evidence strongly suggests that the thin-ribbon incarnation of the Open Road dates to 1948. I have just come across a 1948 ad introducing the "new" Stetson Open Road:

This is the earliest ad I can find for the thin-ribbon OR. Additionally, the February 1949 ad posted by james powers above appears to be the first national-scale advertising for the "modern" OR.

My own theory is that Stetson's introduction of the Open Road in 1948 was an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the Stratoliner (introduced by Stetson in 1940). The Strat was essentially re-invented as the Open Road and had its own distinct marketing strategy. So, a slightly wider brim, a slightly fuller crown, and a marketing approach that positioned the OR as a western hat that was also suitable for wearing about town, or with a business suit.

Despite its positioning as a western hat, here is another 1948 ad that shows that the OR was also being illustrated Strat-style:

It seems that the early, wide-ribbon version of the Open Road was introduced in 1937 and lasted sometime into the early 40's as a distinct model. I agree with Lefty's assessment that this style was essentially morphed into another model, and I think that the Flagship is a very likely contender.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[RBH]

Very cool Info Jimmy!

 

[RBH]

This Open Road [thin ribbon] ad was from 02-04-1949.
El Paso Texas

But the rest of the ads I found had the western style Open Road in them.
Plus the one ad that still had the wide ribboned, stitched brim.

 

[carouselvic]

They must have reduced the price of the 3X beaver at some later point. There is a priced OR 3X on a certain on line auction site right now with a size hang tag giving the price of $15.00. I have a 3X non OR with oil silk that also has a $15.00 price point.

 

[Justdog]

Royal Deluxe OR Blue/Gray

Thought I would share this one. Some may have seen this recently
Absolutely fantastic soft pliable felt. 2/7/8 brim Depending on the light it looks blue, blue gray, or gray. Never saw a liner quite like this one.
Not sure about holy grails but this is pretty close if not the one. One question though. Is there a way to tighten the wind cord a bit?