John Wayne Stetson Cowboy Hat with Autographs
From the esteemed Ray Bentley Collection, this original John Wayne Stetson cowboy hat is an extremely neat artifact from cowboy history, and known as the John Wayne “Autographed” Stetson. This hat of John Wayne’s is utterly unique, and there is truly no other cowboy hat its like – a real bit of history.
Signatures cover both the top and under the brim of John Wayne’s unique Stetson. Though not signed by John Wayne himself, it has numerous period signatures & autographs of others of the time, though the specific reasoning behind the yearbook-style collection of signatures is not known.
We have an original Stetson display case for the hat (seen pictured) that can be added – it would be a difficult thing to ship, so we can chat about options for that if you’re interested!
Additional history & context below.
Details & Measurements:Brim is 4 1/4" all around, and the hat is about a size 7 1/2
Original Stetson factory-applied gold lettering reads “Made by Stetson Especially for John Wayne” alongside the Stetson logo, and “Sol’s Workingman’s Store WesternRanchman Outfitters 312 W. Sixteenth St. Cheyenne, Wyoming”
Silver-toned engraved & buckled hatband stamped “Mexico”
Stetson display case is made of solid wood and clear plexiglass, with “Stetson” and a brass plaque with “John Wayne” engraved on the front.
From the esteemed Ray Bentley Collection, this original John Wayne Stetson cowboy hat is an extremely neat artifact from cowboy history, and known as the John Wayne “Autographed” Stetson. This hat of John Wayne’s is utterly unique, and there is truly no other cowboy hat its like – a real bit of history.
Signatures cover both the top and under the brim of John Wayne’s unique Stetson. Though not signed by John Wayne himself, it has numerous period signatures & autographs of others of the time, though the specific reasoning behind the yearbook-style collection of signatures is not known.
We have an original Stetson display case for the hat (seen pictured) that can be added – it would be a difficult thing to ship, so we can chat about options for that if you’re interested!
Additional history & context below.
Details & Measurements:Brim is 4 1/4" all around, and the hat is about a size 7 1/2
Original Stetson factory-applied gold lettering reads “Made by Stetson Especially for John Wayne” alongside the Stetson logo, and “Sol’s Workingman’s Store WesternRanchman Outfitters 312 W. Sixteenth St. Cheyenne, Wyoming”
Silver-toned engraved & buckled hatband stamped “Mexico”
Stetson display case is made of solid wood and clear plexiglass, with “Stetson” and a brass plaque with “John Wayne” engraved on the front.
From the esteemed Ray Bentley Collection, this original John Wayne Stetson cowboy hat is an extremely neat artifact from cowboy history, and known as the John Wayne “Autographed” Stetson. This hat of John Wayne’s is utterly unique, and there is truly no other cowboy hat its like – a real bit of history.
Signatures cover both the top and under the brim of John Wayne’s unique Stetson. Though not signed by John Wayne himself, it has numerous period signatures & autographs of others of the time, though the specific reasoning behind the yearbook-style collection of signatures is not known.
We have an original Stetson display case for the hat (seen pictured) that can be added – it would be a difficult thing to ship, so we can chat about options for that if you’re interested!
Additional history & context below.
Details & Measurements:Brim is 4 1/4" all around, and the hat is about a size 7 1/2
Original Stetson factory-applied gold lettering reads “Made by Stetson Especially for John Wayne” alongside the Stetson logo, and “Sol’s Workingman’s Store WesternRanchman Outfitters 312 W. Sixteenth St. Cheyenne, Wyoming”
Silver-toned engraved & buckled hatband stamped “Mexico”
Stetson display case is made of solid wood and clear plexiglass, with “Stetson” and a brass plaque with “John Wayne” engraved on the front.
➼ History & Context
American actor and icon John Wayne was one of the most well known actors of all time and practically synonymous with the Old West. Known as “Duke,” he starred in 179 film and tv series over his illustrious career that spanned silent films in the 20s all the way through Hollywood’s Golden Age and into the 1970s, and posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Born May 26, 1907 in Iowa with the name Marion Robert Morrison, the man America loved grew up in Southern California. As a youth, a local fireman gave him the nickname “Little Duke” after his constant airedale canine companion Duke, and as he much preferred that to Marion, the nickname stuck throughout his life. Interestingly, one of his teenage jobs in an ice cream shop was for a man who shod horses for the nearby Hollywood studios.
Starting off in small parts, most of which in Westerns, at Fox after leaving USC – he lost his football scholarship after a fateful bodysurfing accident – Wayne finally reached stardom with 1939’s Stagecoach. He remained a top box office draw for over three decades.
His career was long and storied, and his contribution to American film and the concept of the Old West and Frontier America cannot be understated. As he himself had engraved on a plaque:
"Each of us is a mixture of some good and some not so good qualities. In considering one's fellow man, it's important to remember the good things ... We should refrain from making judgments just because a fella happens to be a dirty, rotten S.O.B."
