Surprise Find in the attic! Is this Vintage Ostrich Kelly Worth Anything?

irisdescent96

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Nov 4, 2019
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D3A28FED-4899-4857-969F-59EAE3C2435C.jpeg 8EB0CAC2-97A9-40D2-B3F4-E2B47EB9E794.jpeg 2B234506-97A2-4242-815B-7B5D0FFE02A2.jpeg DFEF534B-DBA3-46B7-8121-1DDBB2272E5A.jpeg 6972FF2C-FCB3-4253-B998-E85A3F603BDA.jpeg ACD40F6E-8854-48EB-84A8-547D59EFB3A9.jpeg F423C962-DA25-4222-ABB0-5E66CBACC6E0.jpeg B8C7E20C-93E8-4D17-92C2-21A7FCA03555.jpeg 50E6CE52-0CFD-4010-82EA-98B9EDD32C9E.jpeg D89D3644-6DA3-4FC8-BF0B-DAF75D35D115.jpeg AE75D1B4-91D5-4E7B-8D0D-FB4EDE9C738B.jpeg ADD28045-9827-462D-8D6E-6B2345DA8CE7.jpeg Hi guys! Interesting story, I was looking for something in the attic when a certain dust bag caught my eye and to my surprise(and horror!) I found this obviously once beautiful piece just laying in a pile of junk. The leather is somewhat stiff at certain parts, the once gold hardware is now silver with slight hints of gold at the edges. The handle is twisted at a somewhat outward angle and there are slight cracks in the leather. However, the stitching is still so immaculate and the ostrich skin, even after all these years is still so beautiful to look at and just as an overall, the entire bag looks like a weapon which could have been used to silence an entire room filled with jealousy. I brought it down and my grandmother chastised me for being up in the attic and dirtying the house with old junk(haha). I knew it was hers because my grandmother had such an elegant style with the most beautiful and exquisite handbag collection for as long as I can remember and not many asian ladies carried such bags back then. I asked her about this bag and she said that it was a gift my grandfather had got for her in London sometime in the 90s before I was even born. I asked her if could have it, and she said go ahead but she also said how its far too old and dirty for someone so young like me to be carrying. She told me to get a longchamp or something like that(double haha). Long story short, can everyone look at the attached pictures and see what is the specific model/make and if it’s worth anything?
 
View attachment 4582176 View attachment 4582181 View attachment 4582189 View attachment 4582190 View attachment 4582191 View attachment 4582192 View attachment 4582194 View attachment 4582195 View attachment 4582196 View attachment 4582199 View attachment 4582208 View attachment 4582209 Hi guys! Interesting story, I was looking for something in the attic when a certain dust bag caught my eye and to my surprise(and horror!) I found this obviously once beautiful piece just laying in a pile of junk. The leather is somewhat stiff at certain parts, the once gold hardware is now silver with slight hints of gold at the edges. The handle is twisted at a somewhat outward angle and there are slight cracks in the leather. However, the stitching is still so immaculate and the ostrich skin, even after all these years is still so beautiful to look at and just as an overall, the entire bag looks like a weapon which could have been used to silence an entire room filled with jealousy. I brought it down and my grandmother chastised me for being up in the attic and dirtying the house with old junk(haha). I knew it was hers because my grandmother had such an elegant style with the most beautiful and exquisite handbag collection for as long as I can remember and not many asian ladies carried such bags back then. I asked her about this bag and she said that it was a gift my grandfather had got for her in London sometime in the 90s before I was even born. I asked her if could have it, and she said go ahead but she also said how its far too old and dirty for someone so young like me to be carrying. She told me to get a longchamp or something like that(double haha). Long story short, can everyone look at the attached pictures and see what is the specific model/make and if it’s worth anything?
Worth anything as in you want to sell it?
 
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The bag is amazing. I can’t speak as to the bag’s market value.

I would consider it priceless if it could be spa’d back into usable condition. My grandmother had an early 90s MCM bag bought from Berlin on a trip with my mother and sister. After she died a few years ago, I had hoped it could be restored. Unfortunately, the canvas was too far gone after a few decades of poor storage. I would carry the heck out of your grandmother’s bag.

ETA. I am older than you, but I have seen many women around your age on tpf who enjoy vintage bags and shoes from many designers—much less Hermes.
 
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The bag is amazing. I can’t speak as to the bag’s market value.

I would consider it priceless if it could be spa’d back into usable condition. My grandmother had an early 90s MCM bag bought from Berlin on a trip with my mother and sister. After she died a few years ago, I had hoped it could be restored. Unfortunately, the canvas was too far gone after a few decades of poor storage. I would carry the heck out of your grandmother’s bag.


I’m sorry for your loss :sad:
But thanks for the advice! My grandma did say that I could try popping in to Hermès and see if they can to “repair” it. But if that doesn’t work, I’m just gonna send it to a bag spa and hope they can throughly clean it up and restore it to its former glory. Fingers crossed!
 
I would take it to Hermès to see what they can do... If those are real cracks in the leather on the main body of the bag (can't tell from the photos), it might be limited in terms of what you can expect. Good luck!
 
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First get authentication from a paid for service (fakes and copies go way back). If irs H get it repaired and spaed by H, don't try this yourself, the bag needs alot of work including edging, re-etitching and conditioning. Vintage ostrich in shades of brown isn't woth a huge deal in the current market but it will worth more than the repairs (just about) and you'll have a great bag to carry.
 
First get authentication from a paid for service (fakes and copies go way back). If irs H get it repaired and spaed by H, don't try this yourself, the bag needs alot of work including edging, re-etitching and conditioning. Vintage ostrich in shades of brown isn't woth a huge deal in the current market but it will worth more than the repairs (just about) and you'll have a great bag to carry.

I second this... I would be very curious what the spa quote would be.
 
I would not take this bag to anyone but Hermès. Authenticate it first since they will destroy counterfeit bags, but if you have it repaired anywhere else 1) they will not know how to restitch it and b) you'll never be able to service the bag at Hermès again.
It's entirely possible the bag could reach a usable vintage look.