Vintage Kelly to buy or not to buy

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#16
QuelleFromage said:
This bag is in decent shape for its age, and "pre-Kelly" Kellys are harder and harder to find (I have one from 1952).
This is Box leather (named after Joseph Box).
Apres-vente will be thrilled to service it and it will cost around 350 in USD or euro.
A handle replacement would easily be 3x that.

The bad: that cracking in the leather cannot be fixed.

Overall if you do not actually want a funky/very vintage look to your bag, this is not the bag for you. FWIW, although I love my 1952 Kelly (which is in much better shape than this bag), I only carry it when I specifically want that vintage/cool/indie look. Doesn't sound like that's what you want from a Kelly.

ETA: Resellers will charge almost anything for an Hermes B or K no matter what shape it's in or how old it is, in the current market. 3600€ is really high for this, but I definitely see many bags priced this way. I paid USD $1500 for my '52 in a much lower market, but mine had a large pen mark on the front (which I was able to remove). Waiting for the market to soften is an option.
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What!! You removed pen mark!!! Could you do a separate thread on how you achieved that miracle?
 
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#19
I mostly agree with everyone who replied above, I recently purchased a vintage exotic Kelly and I'm incredibly happy with it (the particular model seems to be less popular at the moment so I think it was a great price vs. what I think it should generally go for in the secondary market and what retail is), so I would say vintage Kellys are amazing and would definitely encourage you to find one but not sure the trade-off between price / style / condition on the exact one you're looking at is worth it

I'm guessing you might be looking for something like what you posted photos of, if so there are great Japanese vintage dealers (all in business for a long time and you'd feel comfortable buying because there's lots of previous customers) who could probably offer you something very similar in much better condition for $6-8k USD if I had to guess - I know that's a big premium compared to the price of the one you're interested in but I have a feeling you might end up liking something in this range more than the one you're already considering for the reasons that others have noted
 
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#21
orangeisthenewblack00 said:
I mostly agree with everyone who replied above, I recently purchased a vintage exotic Kelly and I'm incredibly happy with it (the particular model seems to be less popular at the moment so I think it was a great price vs. what I think it should generally go for in the secondary market and what retail is), so I would say vintage Kellys are amazing and would definitely encourage you to find one but not sure the trade-off between price / style / condition on the exact one you're looking at is worth it

I'm guessing you might be looking for something like what you posted photos of, if so there are great Japanese vintage dealers (all in business for a long time and you'd feel comfortable buying because there's lots of previous customers) who could probably offer you something very similar in much better condition for $6-8k USD if I had to guess - I know that's a big premium compared to the price of the one you're interested in but I have a feeling you might end up liking something in this range more than the one you're already considering for the reasons that others have noted
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Thanks so much for your opinion, you nailed it completely. I’m sure I’ll find something that I will love much better even if I have to spend a bit more :)
in reality my absolute goal would be to find one from 1984 (my birthday) so I will keep looking for the one :)
 
#22
tinkerbell68 said:
Last summer I found a 1999 K32 in Rouge H Box for $5,500. Obviously not nearly as ‘vintage’ but also only needed a basic spa trip. I think you can definitely find your perfect vintage Kelly in much better shape for not too much more.
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Do you usually look online? Any particular website besides the obvious ones? I am in Europe so would prefer something in europe to avoid customs but for the right one I’m open to other places. Would love a 1984 bag :)
 
#23
amdmarques said:
Do you usually look online? Any particular website besides the obvious ones? I am in Europe so would prefer something in europe to avoid customs but for the right one I’m open to other places. Would love a 1984 bag :smile:
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I found that K32 on eBay and then, in addition to the eBay authentication, I asked bababei to authenticate it. My biggest fear is that I might inadvertently buy a fake though I suspect there are fewer 'vintage' fakes than current fakes. I've also looked at Christies and Sothebys though typically the bags in those auctions are newer.
Good luck with the hunt!
 
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#24
tinkerbell68 said:
I found that K32 on eBay and then, in addition to the eBay authentication, I asked bababei to authenticate it. My biggest fear is that I might inadvertently buy a fake though I suspect there are fewer 'vintage' fakes than current fakes. I've also looked at Christies and Sothebys though typically the bags in those auctions are newer.
Good luck with the hunt!
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At least one of the more popular "superfake" makers offers a Box calf sellier Kelly with date stamp of your choice. so it is always wise to question even vintage...sad but true.
 
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#26
I personally don't find the wear to be that "cracked" aside from the handle maybe which you can throw a twilly over after it's polished.

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