Inherited Vintage Kelly 60s

[SakuraSakura]

If hermes is willing to refurbish it does she still need it authenticated? I don't have time to go to her place to take extensive photos and figure out the process. I have a full-time job and a toddler and 7 month pregnant. I told her what u guys are saying but if she doesn't want to put in the time then I just don't see why she can't just go to an hermes and have it be serviced

If you are going to be selling an item at such a high price it is better to have lots of proof versus minimal evidence of authentication. It is a protective measure. People can be sketchy especially with higher priced items. There is work that needs to be done, but that is a personal choice. The problem of destroying this item is that it might have sentimental value. It may be really hard to have something somebody places emotional significance on destroyed.

 

[platinum_babie]

Right now she wants to sell it and doesn't know what its worth. It's very possible tomorrow she goes to a consignment shop down the street on avenue bosquet and sell it for 1k eur. If the bag needs to be authenticated, wouldn't the seller want to specify which place to go that they trust? Would hermes be more willing to refurbish the bag they think is fake just because she has a certificate someone gave her online?

This to me, and I could be very wrong, seems like a chicken or egg question. If she takes to hermes, explain her story, they refurbish it and she then tried to sell it and someone asks for it to be authenticated at their preferred location she should go do that. But she's not trying to sell it on ebay right now. If the bag is indeed fake and hermes tells her so, I'm not sure how à third party authentication site would tell her otherwise.

I'm just trying to figure out for her, should this bag be real, the ball park figure so she can decide for herself how much time to spend on reselling it. Knowing her, she might just decide to give it the consignment shop near her place for 500 eur and leave it at that. I wouldn't buy it for 500 unless she authenticates it myself but it's not a choice I can make for her.

If you are going to be selling an item at such a high price it is better to have lots of proof versus minimal evidence of authentication. It is a protective measure. People can be sketchy especially with higher priced items. There is work that needs to be done, but that is a personal choice. The problem of destroying this item is that it might have sentimental value. It may be really hard to have something somebody places emotional significance on destroyed.

 

[platinum_babie]

Just to add if I had no interest in handbags, and wasn't already on this forum, she'd probably already be at hermes asking for advice. She's in her mid-70s and she's been using the same 250 eur handbag for 10 years and was shocked when I told her the kelly is not easy to come by and might be worth a couple thousand depending on a variety of factors (most of which I am not familiar with since I'm not an Hermès collector)

If she needs the money fast, I really can't help her because I don't have the time or energy to do all the authentication on her behalf. Even though we live 15 min from each other, and I love her dearly, we probably only see each other 4 times a year. It's just bad timing.

 

[platinum_babie]

And I also want to add that I really appreciate all the advice and shop names and authentication service provided so far. It's really useful! I get why people don't want to waste time discussing a bag without knowing if it's authentic. I'm not pushing for more info, and I'm gonna pass all this to her for her to make the decisions. This forum is awesome and the knowledge you ladies provide is invaluable! Merci!

 

[TC1]

I highly recommend Bababebi. It's just a few photos and a small fee. Once authenticated you can get more of an idea of your next step (it would literally take as long as a few posts here on this forum)
Unfortunately no one here can just give you a value (even if authentic) Best of luck to you and your aunt.

 

[platinum_babie]

Right I understand that no one can give a value and I'm not asking for it. Ppl gave me ballpark and next steps and I appreciate it. All my questions were answered and I appreciate it. I'm not pushing anyone for more things. All I am saying is that I cannot physically go to her house to take the photos because I work full time and have to take care of a toddler when I get home and on the weekends we have to run errands and chores. I gave her the link and if she wants to do it she can. It's easy for me to be on the forum during work hrs to ask a few qor commuting in the metro, not so easy to physically go take pictures and maybe someone in their mid 70s don't find it so easy either? I asked her for a pic on the back of the strap to find a stamp and she took a pic of the front of the strap so it is what it is for now.

I highly recommend Bababebi. It's just a few photos and a small fee. Once authenticated you can get more of an idea of your next step (it would literally take as long as a few posts here on this forum)
Unfortunately no one here can just give you a value (even if authentic) Best of luck to you and your aunt.

 

[Love Of My Life]

If hermes is willing to refurbish it does she still need it authenticated? I don't have time to go to her place to take extensive photos and figure out the process. I have a full-time job and a toddler and 7 month pregnant. I told her what u guys are saying but if she doesn't want to put in the time then I just don't see why she can't just go to an hermes and have it be serviced

It is your Aunt's call to make. Ideally the bag should be authenticated whether she takes it to Hermes or not
There is much concern today with "authenticity" & all parties involved should be respectful of this
Your Aunt perhaps should take the bag to Hermes & have the bag serviced. & understand that this spa treatment
will likely not be done quickly.. It could take several weeks even longer to fix/repair

 

[papertiger]

I tried eBay but it was hard for me to understand whether the bag sits in the spectrum of value. I see stuff ranging from 3k to 10k but the conditions are all much better so I told my aunt at the condition she's looking around 2k but I dunno with improvements what it would be worth

Advanced search > sold items

 

[platinum_babie]

It is your Aunt's call to make. Ideally the bag should be authenticated whether she takes it to Hermes or not
There is much concern today with "authenticity" & all parties involved should be respectful of this
Your Aunt perhaps should take the bag to Hermes & have the bag serviced. & understand that this spa treatment
will likely not be done quickly.. It could take several weeks even longer to fix/repair

Thank you and I completely agree! I think when she has decided what to do she will need to get the authentication. I wouldn't take the risk myself and buy it from her without it authenticated but like you say, it's her call. I'd hate for the bag to be sold cheaply to a consignment store or someone who doesn't appreciate it if it is authentic and that's why I want to nudge her along the process one step at a time. The path of least resistance for her is to talk to a sales Rep from hermes to understand the price and timeline and what it will look like refurbished. If she chooses not to pay to get it serviced and also not authenticated then it may just sit in her closet for another few years. I honestly wouldn't be surprised either. If she's not in a hurry I will do the leg work for her once I'm on mat leave and hopefully have some time (hard to say!)

I would love to get my hands on a vintage Kelly but I also want to make sure she does the right thing for herself.

 

[Love Of My Life]

OP, just looked at ebay Hermes black 32 kelly bags (sold) there were 23 listings
The least expensive was $1449 in poor condition, several others were priced at $2200 to $2600 & escalated
as high as $10K (condition varied) on US site

 

[Love Of My Life]

Thank you and I completely agree! I think when she has decided what to do she will need to get the authentication. I wouldn't take the risk myself and buy it from her without it authenticated but like you say, it's her call. I'd hate for the bag to be sold cheaply to a consignment store or someone who doesn't appreciate it if it is authentic and that's why I want to nudge her along the process one step at a time. The path of least resistance for her is to talk to a sales Rep from hermes to understand the price and timeline and what it will look like refurbished. If she chooses not to pay to get it serviced and also not authenticated then it may just sit in her closet for another few years. I honestly wouldn't be surprised either. If she's not in a hurry I will do the leg work for her once I'm on mat leave and hopefully have some time (hard to say!)

I would love to get my hands on a vintage Kelly but I also want to make sure she does the right thing for herself.

First & foremost, IMO, the bag needs to be authenticated & you & your Aunt can go from there
Hermes will give her an idea of the cost to have the bag refurbished..
There are times (rare) that a craftsman will have a look at the bag & share his/her thoughts about repair & what
the bag will look like once spa'd.
Most of the time a sales associate will take the bag in & give the client a receipt. Usually the client
will be called with an "estimate" There are times when the crafsman can be on the premises
but as mentioned that is "rare"..
Hermes only works on the exterior of the bag, so if the interior is not in good condition that may affect the price

 

[chicinthecity777]

Right I understand that no one can give a value and I'm not asking for it. Ppl gave me ballpark and next steps and I appreciate it. All my questions were answered and I appreciate it. I'm not pushing anyone for more things. All I am saying is that I cannot physically go to her house to take the photos because I work full time and have to take care of a toddler when I get home and on the weekends we have to run errands and chores. I gave her the link and if she wants to do it she can. It's easy for me to be on the forum during work hrs to ask a few qor commuting in the metro, not so easy to physically go take pictures and maybe someone in their mid 70s don't find it so easy either? I asked her for a pic on the back of the strap to find a stamp and she took a pic of the front of the strap so it is what it is for now.

Who took the photos in your previous post? Your aunt? If she can take those photos then she can take more photos to submit to Bababebi for a photo authentication. It's not that difficult.

 

[platinum_babie]

I asked her to take a photo of the back of the strap and look for a blind stamp and she stook a photo of the front two times and then gave up and said she will go to hermes so I don't know why I need to keep justifying her actions...she's in her mid 70s and granted she listens to instructions better than my mother in her 60s who lives in Canada and puts her banking info on her phone and doesn't know how to delete it even when I send her Screenshots of how to delete... With numbered steps!

 

[platinum_babie]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hermes-Kel...604515e:g:5Q4AAOSwIpxdwKt~#vi__app-cvip-panel

I found something similar in size and year. I would really like to see the bag and told her if she brings it over I can take pictures but she said she doesn't have time. Let's see what hermes tells her and what she wants to do.

And if someone asks me why does she have time to go to hermes and not my place I would venture to guess she thinks hermes would provide her better info than I can, which I am inclined to agree. She really needs to talk to someone else other than me to verify what I tell her and decide on the next step

 

[Tonimichelle]

Just a thought but if you or your Aunt would like to take it to someone in Paris for authentication and an idea on value you could try contacting Jerome Lalande. I’ve met up with him before at Collector Square (but he’ll meet elsewhere in Paris if more convenient I believe) to look at a bag in person. He also authenticates for them and should be able to give you an idea of value after telling you if it’s authentic or not.
http://www.jeromelalande.com/en/