Very helpful points. I bolded what l thought is very insightful. I have a brand new box calvi, and a box plume from 2002, and l just went to closely examine them. While they both have lines based on the angle of light and the way l manipulate them, there is no/minimal texture to the strations. The box kelly l saw at the shop had a ‘dried’ texture when l pressed on the leather, beyond what l was comfortable with. They also made me wear plastic gloves, so the ‘feel’ was lost on me. Thanks again @r luvs h ! Appreciate itVery welcome! I guess it depends on the appearance and texture of the lines.
You will be the best judge since you saw and felt the bag in-person. On a well conditioned bag, the striations should have very minimal texture. This is the case for my Box Calf Kelly from 1981. It has those visible striations you described, but they melt into the leather and have no real texture. The drier the leather*, the more textured the leather will feel.
I (begrudgingly) passed on purchasing a very old Kelly from the 1940s once because the Box Calf leather was scaly and really in horrible, irreparable condition. Maybe an analogy would help— if you’ve ever done a charcoal face mask and felt your skin once the mask dried, that is how the leather felt.Of course, this is a worst case scenario, but simply put, if the leather* feels dry, it is probably dry.
*Specifically referring to Box Calf here, as there are some leathers which naturally have a dry hand.
Box Calf / Veau Box through the years #boxcalfnerds
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Here's my 1952 Kelly 28 in Gold. I'd call this Box calf leather supple, smooth to the touch and definitely has a shine, but not a glossy shine, a subtle shine.
The patina is wonderful on this bag!!
Thank you for sharing this photo! It‘s so interesting to see what a different shade Gold is on this bag. I guess variations across leather, dye runs and time are to be expected, but I wonder if the colour of your bag has changed much over its life?
This color was called Gold in 1952 (per Bababebi) but is not what we would call Gold today....closer to Noisette. (It also does not have a contrast stitch.) I don't think the color has changed at all as there is no fading or unevenness on the bag. I believe it was well cared for, as there's not so much as a loose stitch.
FWIW the bag tends to photograph a bit redder than it is IRL.
It really is gorgeous. A few months ago I let a 1970 box Kelly in Cognac with a beautiful glowing patina get away and I have regretted it ever since. This family of colours is my favourite in vintage box.
Wow, that bag is in incredible shape for its age.
hate when I let something get away & then regret it; sorry! That's why I just scooped up the vintage gold box b30 even though my husband is ready to kill me 😬😂
Exquisite!@QuelleFromage. 💗💗💗
May I please know the color name of the purple Box K that is labeled photo 5 ? Purple is my favorite color. I once had an Iris bag that was a spontaneous
purchase from the Palm Beach boutique. She was in Clemence, and I quickly realized she was too heavy for me to carry so we had to part ways.
I've been patiently waiting for a shade of purple with blue undertones and PHW. Of course Box would be ideal. I've seen several Box bags in Raisin, yet each one I've encountered has had brown undertones, which simply will not work with my complexion.
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Hi @stillfabulous , that Kelly is Rouge H as noted in the post
It is definitely a cherry red but it's not purple at all. Monitors all look different!I don't find that much brown in Raisin Box (Raisin chèvre, Clemence, and Togo, sometimes; Raisin Epsom, often). Here's a Raisin Box White Bus I used to own...this IMO is pretty typical of Raisin Box calf. If this is too brown, there are amazing purples (like your Iris) that lean more blue but, yes, sadly, none I can think of easily found in Box.
For the thread, I am working from memory but this bag is from first half of 2000s, I want to say 2004-5 but could be a bit earlier.
Edit to add, @stillfabulous , this post shows a really beautiful Raisin Box Kelly.
Hi all. I’m on the hunt for my first vintage Hermes piece in box. Am I correct in believing anything pre 2000 had a single ring? would a leather strap have been supplied to bags with only the single ring?
Thanks in advance 😊
Thanks in advance 😊
My understanding is that the double rings appeared from about 2000 (my 1999 K28 has the single ring, and a strap) and for earlier bags at least they only came with a strap if it was requested. I’m not sure when the strap started being included as a matter of course.
Yes, I bought a Kelly in 1991 and it came with the strap, I didn't particularly ask for it. My first Kelly, from 1980, didn't come with the strap. Idon't know exactly when they started including the strap by default since there are 11 years between my two Kellys. HTH