Hi folks:
I took a gamble with this purchase recently. The seller mentioned an old hat. The pics were poor, and the details were sparse, but I had a *feeling* it was a sleeper. Thought you guys might enjoy a few photos.
This is the box for the hat. The shipping label indicates it shipped from the "Stetson Renovating Division" in Philadelphia, PA. On the box is a postage label in the amount of .34 that indicates the point of origin was Philadelphia, and the date of shipping was Sept 10, 1959.
.
.
.
I opened the box with a great deal of anticipation...
.
When I lifted the hat from the box I found the disintegrating remains of shrink wrap. I've heard of this honey colored "glitter" being present in old hat boxes, but had never seen it first hand.
This is the hat that I found tucked away inside. A Stetson Open Road in size 7 1/2 - Long Oval. The felt is beautiful, with no moth bites, soiling, or other signs of wear. The only issue is slight spot on the brim where the hat rested for decades on the insert of the cardboard box. The size tag, satin liner, and sweatband are absolutely mint. The hat looks unworn, and if it wasnt shipped from the Renovating Division I'd guess it was dead stock.
I enjoyed seeing what is presumably a period restoration, shipping container, and label. I wish I knew when the hat was actualy manafactured. My guess is the sweat, size tag, and liner were probably replaced in 1959, and hat was not worn much after that.
I hope you guys found this worth a look!
Thanks,
Tom
I took a gamble with this purchase recently. The seller mentioned an old hat. The pics were poor, and the details were sparse, but I had a *feeling* it was a sleeper. Thought you guys might enjoy a few photos.
This is the box for the hat. The shipping label indicates it shipped from the "Stetson Renovating Division" in Philadelphia, PA. On the box is a postage label in the amount of .34 that indicates the point of origin was Philadelphia, and the date of shipping was Sept 10, 1959.
.
.
.
I opened the box with a great deal of anticipation...
.
When I lifted the hat from the box I found the disintegrating remains of shrink wrap. I've heard of this honey colored "glitter" being present in old hat boxes, but had never seen it first hand.
This is the hat that I found tucked away inside. A Stetson Open Road in size 7 1/2 - Long Oval. The felt is beautiful, with no moth bites, soiling, or other signs of wear. The only issue is slight spot on the brim where the hat rested for decades on the insert of the cardboard box. The size tag, satin liner, and sweatband are absolutely mint. The hat looks unworn, and if it wasnt shipped from the Renovating Division I'd guess it was dead stock.
I enjoyed seeing what is presumably a period restoration, shipping container, and label. I wish I knew when the hat was actualy manafactured. My guess is the sweat, size tag, and liner were probably replaced in 1959, and hat was not worn much after that.
I hope you guys found this worth a look!
Thanks,
Tom
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