Vintage Stetson 1950s 7X Clear Beaver SilverBelly 7++ to 7-1/8 & Box

  
This Vintage Early 1950s Stetson 7X Clear Beaver - Open Road - SilverBelly - Size 7++ to 7-1/8, read below. We know the size tag states "7/8" but there was NO hat sizing standardization back then. The tag was found broken inside the Oval hat box. We cut off the rough edge and will take it back together and use a drop of Elmer's glue to place it back into position. These are so Rare to come across anymore these days.

UPDATED NOTE: so one of Dads hat collectors wrote to us if another way of cleaning this hat up not using the Orange Cleaning Sponge. He suggested using a very mild dishwasher soap and water. If you look at all the pictures closely you'll see that those spots have been significantly reduced by using it. He only did a single treatments on the brim.

Dad is always reluctant to change the way he "works" hats but he made an exception for this one hat. We don't know if it can be completely cleaned using this method or how the Orange Cleaning sponge would work on this. If you have any other questions or thoughts please write to us.

The first pictures (not the first picture) best reflect the actual color of this hat. It's the vintage Silverbelly color. We had to place this next to a 1950s Stetson Taupe color to verify that. Some of the pictures of the underside keep coming out as a Taupe color but it's NOT!

Currently Dad and I are NOT agreeing on the color! These older true vintage Stetson colors do not match up with any of the newer Stetson, same name of colors. The newer Taupe and SilverBelly are different shades than the older true vintage Stetsons. The lighter pictures are SilverBelly and that is what 3 of Dad's hat collectors have written to tell us it's a SilverBelly! Dad still thinks it has a bit of Taupe color but that's where we don't agree! We don't know why some pictures are coming out dark, giving the impression that it's a taupe color.

If anyone has some photography tips please write to us. This 7X Clear Beaver is very soft and pliable. It can easily be "hand-bashed" into many shape in seconds. Those first few pictures shows how easily it is hand bashed.

Steaming any shape into an Open Road, Cowboy Fedora, Telescope crown, Standard Fedora and these shapes will be permanent, so if you'd like that done please write to us. We took a video but for some unknown reason it's not attaching to the ad. But we believe that most everyone knows these older vintage Stetsons and how easily hand bashing is. NO Pencil Rolled brim though!

Old hands just can't do that work anymore. This was steamed into an Open Crown shape but then Dad decided that a Simple Center Dent would allow "Hand-Bashing" by the new owner. So currently that is how it is shaped. But Dad can steam many different shapes into this hat, just write us to ask. So there is something on the hat that did not clean up when Dad used not only his horsehair brush but another stiffer hat brush.

We keep getting messages about using the Orange Cleaning Sponge but after working hat for nearly 50 years Dad refuses to change his ways. It thinks it will be like trying to hide something. And we don't think it would work? It appears these stains would need something more than that. His old hat buddy used some special type solution to clean these spots up but he is no longer with us, sadly and Dad does not have that formula.

So we just don't know or believe this is an easy clean up. The Size tag states 6-7/8 but back at that time period there were NO hat sizing standardization. That came about in the 1970s when the Tilley Hat Sizing Chart was agreed upon by the Hat Manufacturers. So this actually measures to a 7++, it's a fraction under a perfect 7-1/8 by 1/8 of an inch. It's takes time and patience to get a stretch to remain in the leather sweatbands memory. It can take a few days to a few weeks. Dad uses glove oil before stretching a hat. He applies a thin coat and always lets it dry and then repeats that a second time. NEVER use a stretcher before it absorbs into the leather sweatband! We filled the picture gallery so you can see every detail, we hid NOTHING. This was worn but not many times and then stored away. You can see what great condition the leather sweatband is still in, this makes it easier to stretch. You can see that the hat is from the early 1950s by "7/8" Key-Hole size tag and the liner has that very thin plastic liner cover. The color is SilverBelly, the older Stetson vintage SilverBelly color and The first pictures are the best representation of the actual color. This is Stetson 7X Clear Beaver was one of their BEST hats manufactured at that time! Dad says that Stetson used Beaver Belly and that's softer than the beaver because it's in the water all the time.

Not certain who told him this? So Dad has replaced it with that Stetson square hat box with its original hat holding insert set.

That box has some very very minor paper wear and is well worthy of storing and displaying. We added pictures of the hat box so you can see the condition. If you have any questions please write to us. Previously this had and old square CHAMP hat box but we located that Stetson square box to replace the Champ hat box. If you have any questions please write us. We filled the picture gallery so you can see every angle, we hid NOTHING! A perfect size 7 is 22 inches and a perfect size 7-1/8 is 22-3/8 inches. This measures 22-1/4 (22-2/8) inches, that's an 1/8 of an inch under a perfect 7-1/8.

And like always we measure each hat 3 times using different methods to verify the actual size! Size 7++ or 22-1/4 inches or 56.7. Width 12.4 inches, at the widest part. Height 4.9 inches, at the highest point.

Wide Brim width 2.9 inches. Matching Grosgrain ribbon string band. Coat trolley string, is fully functional, the button has well aged patina. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL HAT! Everyone will turn heads for this hat!

Please read our very excellent feedback. Dad has collected hats for a lifetime and there are 100s of them, on shelves, stacked in closets and spare bedrooms. We are slowly listing these special hats weekly.

No Smoking - No PetsThank You. The shipper sent us a picture of the box sitting at the front door and it was NOT CRUSHED? We also discovered that because we were NOT in possession of the box it was impossible for us to file the claim.

There are always some Bad Apples around who make everyone's life impossible! It not fair to the rest of the GOOD FOLKS but it's a fact of life these days! Thank you for your understanding.