Are these fur's worth anything?

[ddchicago85]

my grandmother's cousin passed away and her children brought over bags and bags of vintage coats that their mother had made for her in the 1970's and maybe even earlier. These coats have been kept in great condition, there is slight damage to some of them but I would consider them to be in excellent condition. I have no idea what furs these coats are made out of, the woman loved real fur items and they do not feel fake. Of course there is some musty odor to these items but overall not bad. Does anyone know how to identify these items? And are they worth anything?

 

[jellyv]

1970s was the height of faux furs, so that's some info on what you may have. But to have any real response you'll need to post closeup (macro) pics of the labels, the material itself, and any tags disclosing the content.
Whether faux or real, I'm sure you can google to see what equivalent things are going for on vintage clothing sites. With condition problems, there's going to be no value.

 

[ddchicago85]

thank you so much! I will do just that when I get home.

 

[KellyObsessed]

The lighter coats look like mink, and the darker coat may be sheared muskrat, commonly known back then as Hudson Seal. Vintage furs are not worth much unless they have a provenance, or are exceptional skins such as sable.
If they fit you, perhaps you can enjoy wearing them. If the skins are in good enough condition, you may be able to remodel them to suit, if you don't care for the styles.
You can also try to sell them on Ebay, as fur-wearing weather is coming up.
At any rate, it's always nice to inherit or be gifted a fur coat. Enjoy!

 

[ddchicago85]

The lighter coats look like mink, and the darker coat may be sheared muskrat, commonly known back then as Hudson Seal. Vintage furs are not worth much unless they have a provenance, or are exceptional skins such as sable.
If they fit you, perhaps you can enjoy wearing them. If the skins are in good enough condition, you may be able to remodel them to suit, if you don't care for the styles.
You can also try to sell them on Ebay, as fur-wearing weather is coming up.
At any rate, it's always nice to inherit or be gifted a fur coat. Enjoy!

thank you for your reply! The lighter coat is very plush, in great condition. When I get home I am going to take better photos of these items and post them. I was thinking of selling them on poshmark, i can tell what the going rate for items like this are on the second hand market, its just I dont want to sell anything I am not sure what it is.

 

[ddchicago85]

The light colored long coat has no labels inside. The lining is very heavy and so is the overall cost, but no labels.

The brown coat which photos bad has the brand tag and inside the lining it has a seal of authenticity. This coat is also extremely heavy.

The stole only has the label and no information on what it is. This item is lined very well too and is heavy. I don’t know, I have no purpose
For these items and dealing with them is just making me sooooo hot lol. I’ll have to upload photos of that later because they won’t load. But thanks for any information out there!

 

[BigPurseSue]

The first coat is what's called "champagne mink" which was popular in the '70s. A lot depends upon the condition of the fur. Turn the coat inside out and examine the back of the skins to determine whether they've dried out.

 

[ddchicago85]

The first coat is what's called "champagne mink" which was popular in the '70s. A lot depends upon the condition of the fur. Turn the coat inside out and examine the back of the skins to determine whether they've dried out.

Thank you very much for that information. I turned the coat inside out but I can’t tell a thing by it.

 

[BigPurseSue]

Thank you very much for that information. I turned the coat inside out but I can’t tell a thing by it.

Does the back of the skins feel dry, stiff, brittle? Are there any cracks or splits? To get a sense of the condition you need to go over the back of the fur very carefully, examining every inch. Especially under the arm pits and in other areas of potential wear. Take a look at the seams of the pelts. Are they all in tact? Then go over the front just as carefully looking for wear spots, dirt spots, fur coming loose.

Is all the lining in tact or is any of it coming loose?

You mentioned the coats smell musty. Smell is also a large factor and can be related to condition especially if you're selling online. People don't like to get things with smells whether it's mildew or perfume because smells can be tough to get rid out. And who wants to walk into a fancy party smelling like a bunch of musty coats? So be sure to mention any smells in the description.

 

[cdtracing]

Take them to a furrier to have them cleaned & inspected. They can tell you the type of fur & condition.

 

[snibor]

Take them to a furrier to have them cleaned & inspected. They can tell you the type of fur & condition.

I second this. Vintage furs are generally not worth much. But I’d have a furrier look at them and advise of condition.

 

[Rephined]

Furs depreciate very quickly. These items will not be worth much financially. But if you enjoy wearing vintage items and especially vintage fur, you will enjoy them immensely.