Originally Posted by queeniegirl

I have learned so much from this thread! Paper Tiger thank you so much for the info!

Agree..... PT

Originally Posted by SkeeWee1908

Agree..... PT

thanks for your input and expertise!

Originally Posted by papertiger

Thank you for these. I can't actually see the fault-line, which is a good sign I think. Plastic is def easier to fix than if it were stone . If you think it's worth it get it done of course, I might be inclined just to leave it as is though unless you think it will get worse over time.

Originally Posted by vintagevix

thanks for your input and expertise!

My pleasure fellow vintage Gucci lover

Advice on buying second-hand and pre-loved

A fellow tpfer wanted me to share with you some truths about buying Gucci pre-loved and de-bunking some of the myths written out there. Of course, this is all IMHO but there are some crazy things that are written that might send you the wrong way.

Receipts or no receipt

First let me say a receipt is not necessary a) counterfeiters often send bogus receipts with their items b) unless you know your bags intimately like the the model no or price there is no point to the receipt and c) even if you do, how would you tell it's the same real bag rather than it's nasty copy unless you can already tell real from fake.

...and besides who would keep a receipt for longer than necessary unless you wanted all along to sell? I know some of us do but this is the tpf, most 'normal' people just don't keep receipts for years.

Read Descriptions Carefully

Do you trust the pictures too much? Check carefully between the bag shown in the photos and the details given (that goes for all Gucci items of course and not just vintage).

It could be the seller has just left part of an old description of another bag in a re-write for a new but it could also mean they will be sending you a different bag altogether and will be able to prove you knew what you were buying.

This also goes for measurements, photos of similar bags can be used and a hand of finger looking small against the bag is no recourse to claim you thought the bag was bigger. Sometimes bags are shown on vintage dummies that are actually more petite than average mannequins. Sellers know people prefer bigger bags nowadays and therefore command higher prices.

Warning signs or Ignorance?

Buying from an on-line auction:

Does a seller say 1960s when its 1980s? Does the seller say snakeskin when you know it looks like lizard? It could work in your favour but would you trust a seller that didn't know there own bag (private) or business (business)?

Gucci do not and have never made the following:

Stamped snake-skin, lizard, crocodile or alligator.

If someone has a bag that is a stamped exotic it aint Gucci

Faux-leather - Watch out especially for Tom Ford mid-late 1990s high-shine, polished leather examples especially in black (sometimes with GUCCI written in upper-case on the outside). It is so hard to authenticate these bags unless you are an expert in this era. Lots of fakes on the market from that generation too because they were relatively easy to copy. Most copies are faux leather but there were leather copies too alas.

Gucci have used many interesting materials for their hardware that one would not associate with bags including:

bamboo (of course ) wood, lucite (early acrylic) early plastic (hardware) semi-precious stones, cut crystals, precious stone, sterling silver and 18 kt gold

Make sure your bag's style (or the bag you are buying) corresponds to the correct date for the materials used

Gucci's Vintage No-rules Rules

Gucci has not make it easy to authenticate and many of the rules I see written down about particulars do not always hold true. Gucci change their styles continuously, developing new colours in established styles and adding different linings to coordinate with a new season's ethos. This has always been the case and in the past some items were custom made for a customer never to be repeated.

I do not want to go too much into the nitty-gritty here or I will be educating the wrong people. Just make sure you know what you are supposed to be looking at or 'take' your bag before you buy to the authenticate this thread, or a professional authenticator or if you own it already to the above or an established high-end auction house that has a specialist dept like Christies.

PT: Thank you for this excellent Gucci information !

Hey, PT!

Do you have any info on some of the vintage pieces, that had G. Gucci engravings on their hardware? I saw a wallet similar to the one listed below, except it was Navy blue with the red interior. It all looked legit, but I have never seen the G. Gucci made in italy engraving before (when you open the wallet, it was on the metal bar portion, kwim?) Thanks!! This one appears to just say Gucci. Also, the metal plaque on that one was much thinner. Hm.

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GUCCI-WO...7#ht_500wt_922

Originally Posted by JessieRose

Hey, PT! Do you have any info on some of the vintage pieces, that had G. Gucci engravings on their hardware? I saw a wallet similar to the one listed below, except it was Navy blue with the red interior. It all looked legit, but I have never seen the G. Gucci made in italy engraving before (when you open the wallet, it was on the metal bar portion, kwim?) Thanks!! This one appears to just say Gucci. Also, the metal plaque on that one was much thinner. Hm. http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GUCCI-WO...7#ht_500wt_922

Could be 1980s? Your eyes must be better than mine, I can't see the brass plaque clearly it's tiny even enlarged on my screen.

Originally Posted by mzbag

PT: Thank you for this excellent Gucci information !

Always a pleasure mzbag I hope it does help

Originally Posted by papertiger

Could be 1980s? Your eyes must be better than mine, I can't see the brass plaque clearly it's tiny even enlarged on my screen.

Yeah, this one doesn't have it. Of course, the style is exactly the same. I wish I would've taken a pic. I was thinking it was 1980's. I didn't know if it had anything to do with the family dispute or..?? It was just so odd to see everything, all the other markings, hardware, materials, even the snap closure (manufacturer markings) was accurate, however, I had never seen G. Gucci engravings before. She brought in other vintage pieces, all were authentic and in such pristine condition.