i compliment ladies on their nice AWL all the time. the scene for bags up in maine is kinda dead unfortunately, but i can respect the all weather leather. vintage is lovely! i have a vintage backpack in perfect condish i got from my mom. love it!
I've never found a high-end handbag at a yard sale, although I've gotten several from secondhand stores. I have three Coach bags that I bought secondhand -- the highest I paid for one of them was $8 dollars. I got a vintage Dooney at Goodwill for $20, an (old) LV Speedy for $25, a Ferragamo for $20 and BEST OF ALL... one of LV's limited edition cherry blossom pochettes (from Takashi Murakami's line) for $3 dollars. Seriously! The lady at the thrift shop said it *had* to be a fake... but I took it to the LV store and lo and behold... it was authentic!
You can find some real treasures shopping secondhand stores, yard sales, etc. You just have to have some patience and a good eye. Congrats on your great find! It's a beautiful bag!
The other day we found a bag with a detachable strap that will go nicely with the D&B for $2. We gave the bag away and now the strap has a new home on my wife's $3 AWL