Thanks so much for sharing this thread!! I’ve just gotten my very first vintage Hermes so this has been a helpful learning guide for me. I did have a question about hardware that I was wondering about—my 1979 Kelly 28 seems to have quite an unusual engraving on the hardware—has anyone seen something like this before?
Query: History of Hermès Hardware
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This is an example of the first iteration of gold plated brass hardware.
That’s amazing! Reading this thread I thought it would be pure brass, but seems Hermes throws up ways to surprise us all the time with all these subtle differences! Just stepping into the vintage world and there’s so much to learn—different heatstamps and engravings etc. I fear I may have just come down a rabbit hole (albeit happily!)This is an example of the first iteration of gold plated brass hardware.
An Hermès rabbit hole is one of the best kinds of rabbit holes!
Enjoy your beautiful vintage bag.Truer words have never been spokenAn Hermès rabbit hole is one of the best kinds of rabbit holes!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! Treasuring this baby to hopefully pass it down to my daughter in future 
I recently asked the H workshop to clean and "colorize" my 1974 Sac Glissière II.
They did clean it, but they would not refresh the color because the hardware was peeling.
Because it is from 1974, I had expected it to have solid brass hardware. You can clearly see where the hardware is peeling, so I guess it is actually lacquered brass? Next time I have a chance to speak to an H artisan, I will ask about brass and which parts are solid, which are lacquered.
They did clean it, but they would not refresh the color because the hardware was peeling.
Because it is from 1974, I had expected it to have solid brass hardware. You can clearly see where the hardware is peeling, so I guess it is actually lacquered brass? Next time I have a chance to speak to an H artisan, I will ask about brass and which parts are solid, which are lacquered.
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The hardware eras (at least the ones I listed earlier in this thread) pertain more to the Constance, Kelly, and (later) the Birkin models*. For other models, I believe much of the hardware in the 20th century was outsourced, so it may not have followed the exact same “rules”. Perhaps your bag is an example of this?
In a similar vein, it’s not impossible that Hermès made gold plated brass available for other bags earlier than they made it available for the Constance, Kelly, and Birkin. Though, this being said, I’m still quite surprised this brass is lacquered/plated— that wasn’t the norm which makes this all the more interesting. I’d be interested to hear what the artisan says!
*It applies to a couple of evening bags available in the 20th century too.
Yes, it is quite possibly gold-plated.
I think this little shoulder bag is a very interesting gem.