Vintage Fur Coat Appraisals

It is undeniable that furs are back in fashion. An extravagant material, fur tends to be associated with high fashion and has been used on coats, jackets, mittens, skirts and blouses alike. Vintage furs have been popular for fashion icons for decades – you only have to picture Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, and Elizabeth Taylor to think of luxurious furs on beautiful women. Fur is a favorite among top designers like Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, and Christian Dior to name a few. Contemporary furs, although newly constructed and less worn, tend to be worth less than vintage furs or heirloom furs. Pre-owned furs continue to sell well on the market. 

How to identify a real fur?

Today, the artificial furs are so well crafted that it may be really hard to recognise the difference between the real or syntethic fibres, and especially if there are no labels giving away the composition. However, there are few tricks to identify the kind of fur you have.

1. Check the fur at a base. Real furs usually are attached to the skin, whole the fake ones have a fabric webbing. Some luxurious fake furs though can be attached to the leather lining making it even more impossible to recognise.

2. The burn test ( although you probably should not test that at the store). Clip the tips of the fur fibres off and set them on fire. If they will start to melt, they are made of plastic and are therefore synthetic. Natural fibres will mell of burning hair and Clip off the tip of the fibres and set light to them. If they melt like plastic, it's fake. If they singe and smell of burning hair instead proving the natural origins of your fur.

How much are fur coats worth today?

Just a few decades ago a newly constructed natural fur coat would cost a small fortune and would be a a real statement piece in anyone's wardrobe. Today, due to ethical reasons, people are much more fashion conscious, and usually pick a artificial fur coats or the real ones from the second hand market. The main reason is to not support a harmful fur animal market but also fashion veganism. Because of this but also a strict law that regulates fur farms in many countries all over the world, the furs today are worth a friction of what they once were.

If you are looking to buy a natural vintage fur, you can get even the most luxurious pieces, on a second hand market for just several hundred dollars. If you wish to sell your furs, that you for example inherited, the value will be determined based on several crucial factors.

How to check the value of your furs?

Today, women are passed on furs from their glamorous grandmothers or come across them in Goodwill shops – but how does one know what fur is worth? Even more pressing – is how can you tell whether a fur is faux or the real deal? The best ides is to submit it for appraisal with a fur and fashion expert, for example one of our experienced experts at Value My Stuff!. Whether a mink, sable, chinchilla, fox, or designer fur, our experts value your fur based upon historic auction results, construction, age, style trends, wear and design. Our vintage fur experts examine the history of the fashion of fur and will always provide a fair market value for your fur appraisal. 

Start your vintage fur appraisal here!