Vintage
Vintage western shirts: how to date one from the label and snaps
A vintage western shirt is usually dated from its labels first. An RN or WPL number names the company behind it, a union label with AFL-CIO wording means 1955 or later, and the FTC care label rule dates to December 1971. Snap inserts, fabric and embroidery narrow the range further.
| RN number | Names the responsible company. System in place since the 1940s, per the FTC |
|---|---|
| WPL number | Older wool label number. No longer issued, still in use |
| Union label | AFL-CIO wording means 1955 or later. ILGWU label launched Jan 9, 1959 |
| Care label | FTC Care Labeling Rule promulgated Dec 16, 1971, amended 1983 |
| Snaps | Rockmount moved from real shell to synthetic inserts by the '50s |
Use the clues together. No single label dates a shirt on its own.
On this page
When were the classic western shirts made?
Mostly between the 1930s and the 1970s. The Chicago History Museum writes that "the 1930s through the 1970s is considered the golden era of western wear."
Several of the labels that turn up on old shirts started in that window. Rockmount opened in Denver in 1946. H Bar C says its family opened a Los Angeles office in 1936, when the label became H Bar C California Ranchwear. Levi's renamed its "Dude Ranch Duds" line "Western Wear" by the late '50s, according to the FIDM Museum.
Old shirts did not always look valuable to the people who made them. The New York Times tells of Jack A. Weil's reaction when his grandson traded two new Rockmount shirts for an original: "You traded two perfectly good new shirts for an old one we sold for three dollars 40 years ago?"
What can the label show?
The label is the best dating tool, and the RN number is the first thing to look for.
An RN, short for Registered Identification Number, identifies the business responsible for marketing or making a garment in the United States. In 1997 the FTC said the system had been in place since the 1940s, and it keeps a public lookup. The same FTC release warns that some directory entries still reflect the original application, so a match names a company without dating the shirt. Wool shirts sometimes carry a WPL number instead. The FTC says it no longer issues those, though many are still in use.
Union labels narrow things further. Cornell's ILGWU archive notes that the AFL and CIO merged in 1955, so a label reading AFL-CIO dates from 1955 or later, and that the ILGWU's own union label launched on January 9, 1959.
A care label with washing instructions is a later clue. The FTC promulgated its Care Labeling Rule on December 16, 1971 and amended it in 1983, so a shirt that carries care instructions was more likely made after that.
Do the snaps help date a shirt?
They help a little, mostly on Rockmount shirts. Steve Weil told Cowboys & Indians that Rockmount's first snaps in the '40s had no pearl. A few years later it tried real mother-of-pearl, which cracked in laundering presses, and by the '50s it had moved to synthetic inserts. The pearl snap guide covers the hardware in more detail.
What do fabric and embroidery say?
Weil said early shirts might be wool or rayon gabardine, and that Rockmount now does that look in cotton. His account of embroidery is more specific. Work from the '40s through the '60s was highly skilled, and then, as labor costs rose, most companies "dumbed-down the designs." Dense hand embroidery on a gabardine shirt fits the older end of the range. The embroidered shirt guide has the tailors behind the showiest pieces.
One famous example: the Times says Heath Ledger's shirt in "Brokeback Mountain," with plaid fabric, diamond snaps and saw-tooth pockets, was Rockmount Style No. 69-39.
What about new shirts cut from old patterns?
A reissue is the practical way to wear the look without hunting for the right size in a 60-year-old shirt.
Rockmount lists its white smile pocket shirt as a 1940s vintage design, with piping and five-snap shotgun cuffs. H Bar C says its Denver shirt dates to 1938, and Pinto Ranch sells it in Tencel. Scully's Vintage Western shirt puts diamond snaps and smile pockets on a polyester and rayon blend for less money. All three are new garments with modern labels, which is worth knowing before buying one secondhand as an original. The same makers turn up on the western shirt brands page.
| Clue | What it supports | Source |
|---|---|---|
| RN number | Identifies the company. Lookup on the FTC site | FTC RN FAQ, FTC 1997 release |
| WPL number | A wool product label number the FTC no longer issues | FTC RN FAQ |
| Union label reading AFL-CIO | 1955 or later | Cornell ILGWU union label timeline |
| ILGWU union label | January 1959 or later | Cornell ILGWU union label timeline |
| Care instructions label | Likely after the Dec 16, 1971 rule | Federal Register, Aug 2, 2000 |
Questions people ask
How is an old western shirt dated?
Start with the labels. An RN number can be looked up in the FTC database, union label wording narrows the decade, and a care label points toward a shirt made after the FTC care rule of December 1971. Snaps and fabric help after that.
What does the RN number on a shirt label mean?
It identifies the company responsible for marketing or making the garment in the United States. The FTC said in 1997 that the RN system had been in place since the 1940s, and it runs a public RN lookup.
Are vintage pearl snaps real pearl?
Some early ones were. Steve Weil of Rockmount said the company tried real mother-of-pearl a few years after its first snaps of the '40s, then changed to synthetic inserts by the '50s because the shell cracked in laundering presses.
When was the golden age of western shirts?
The Chicago History Museum writes that the 1930s through the 1970s is considered the golden era of western wear.
Are new shirts made from old patterns worth a look?
They are the easier way to wear the look. Rockmount sells shirts it describes as 1940s designs, and H Bar C dates its Denver shirt to 1938. They are new garments, so they carry modern labels.
Shop the style
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1938 design
H Bar C Snap Front Denver Shirt, Olive
H Bar C, sold at Pinto Ranch
Illustration 1940s design
Rockmount Men's Signature Solid White Western Shirt with Smile Pockets
Rockmount, brand site
Illustration Vintage styling
Scully Vintage Western Diamond Snap Front Shirt, White
Scully, sold at Pinto Ranch
Illustration
Sources
- Registered Identification Number FAQ, Federal Trade CommissionWhat an RN identifies. WPL numbers are no longer issued but many are still in use.
- Registered Identification Numbers (RNs), FTC press release, December 1997The RN system has been in place since the 1940s. Some directory information may be outdated.
- Care Labeling Rule notice, Federal Register, Aug 2, 2000The rule was promulgated Dec 16, 1971 and amended in 1983.
- Union label timeline, ILGWU collection, Cornell University ILR SchoolAFL-CIO wording means 1955 or later. ILGWU Union Label launched Jan 9, 1959.
- A CHM Western Wear Treasure, Chicago History Museum, Mar 4, 2015The 1930s through the 1970s is considered the golden era of western wear.
- Steve Weil in Cowboys & Indians, reprinted by Rockmount, Sept 22, 2026Snap inserts by decade. Early shirts in wool or rayon gabardine. Embroidery simplified as labor costs rose.
- Jack A. Weil obituary, New York Times, Aug 14, 2008Brokeback Mountain shirt was Rockmount Style No. 69-39. Jack Weil on collectors trading two new shirts for one old one.
- 129 Years: The Complete History of H Bar C Ranchwear, H Bar C, Aug 26, 2026Company history: Los Angeles office and H Bar C California Ranchwear label in 1936. Denver shirt dates to 1938.
- Ranch Dressing, Part 1, FIDM Museum at Arizona State UniversityLevi's renamed its Dude Ranch Duds line Western Wear by the late '50s.
- Rockmount Men's Signature Solid White Western Shirt with Smile PocketsListed as a 1940s vintage design.
Update log: . Sources and retailer titles checked Oct 7, 2026.