SR James
New in Town
- Messages
- 8
- Location
- Norman, Ok
I spent this past weekend at the big Tulsa gun show. It’s an interesting show in that there are many other things to look at besides firearms, such a western artifacts, art, and memorabilia and…some hats. Near closing time on the last day, I saw one vendor had four hats on his table, two cloth bucket hats and two really nice westerns. I was immediately drawn to this one as, though it appeared to be an Open Road, it was obviously not a Stetson, but a custom job which appeared to be 100% beaver. Turned out to be from Rand’s Custom Hats in Billings, MT. and I was right that it was pure beaver! The hat was custom made for the seller but he never wore it much. (Unfortunately, I forgot to ask him whether it was made before or after Ritch Rand sold the business in 2020.) The good news was that it was my size. The best news was the price…$100. Yep, $100 for a pure beaver, custom Rand hat! I went to the show with keeping an eye out for hats in the back of my mind as there are almost always some for sale, usually nothing of interest to me. This one was definitely interesting and then some!
But now I have a dilemma; I already have a 6X Stetson OR in Fawn color that is very similar to the Rand (see 2nd pic). Under some light, the colors are even closer than in the photo. Given the Rand is pure beaver, I’m tempted to re-crown it to more of a fedora shape as was often done with ORs in days past. Re-doing the 6x, machine-pressed Stetson would be more of a task. Don ‘t want to sell the Stetson but they are very similar in appearance.
The rest of the story is that while I was talking to the vendor, another gentleman walked up and picked up the other cowboy hat and said to the vendor “I’m getting ready to leave. What’s your rock bottom on this one?” They had obviously negotiated on that one earlier. Vendor said “$200”. The man countered with $150. Vendor said “Split the difference with me…$175”. Sold! I asked the gentleman what the hat was; another Rand pure beaver, this one more of a contemporary cattleman crease style in silverbelly. Easily a $1000 hat today. I had been so focused on the OR that I had yet to even look at the silverbelly. Had the other gentleman not shown up, I would have bought them both. But I’m happy with the one I got.
But now I have a dilemma; I already have a 6X Stetson OR in Fawn color that is very similar to the Rand (see 2nd pic). Under some light, the colors are even closer than in the photo. Given the Rand is pure beaver, I’m tempted to re-crown it to more of a fedora shape as was often done with ORs in days past. Re-doing the 6x, machine-pressed Stetson would be more of a task. Don ‘t want to sell the Stetson but they are very similar in appearance.
The rest of the story is that while I was talking to the vendor, another gentleman walked up and picked up the other cowboy hat and said to the vendor “I’m getting ready to leave. What’s your rock bottom on this one?” They had obviously negotiated on that one earlier. Vendor said “$200”. The man countered with $150. Vendor said “Split the difference with me…$175”. Sold! I asked the gentleman what the hat was; another Rand pure beaver, this one more of a contemporary cattleman crease style in silverbelly. Easily a $1000 hat today. I had been so focused on the OR that I had yet to even look at the silverbelly. Had the other gentleman not shown up, I would have bought them both. But I’m happy with the one I got.
