What to do with a Vintage 1970's fur coat. Cost 4k

[BeerBaby]

It's a 14-16. Gorgeous. Practically new. I'm an 18 and it's unlikely to ever fit. What do I do with it?

Oh snow leopard...

It's tricky isn't it op. My grandmother has kept her mother's coat (also expensive when purchased although nothing like yours!) But she's kept it in a chest in the house (too warm) and it's as stiff as a board.

Oh Pacific. I'm the same. I inherited my great aunt's mink coat. I wore it once for a party but it felt so wrong. It's beautiful and unwearable.

Keep it. You won't get anything much for it selling it. I would be keeping it in the hope that I could wear it- Scandanavian countries and Eastern European countries still have loads of women wearing them in winter. So i would be looking at going to Prague, Berlin or Warsaw for a Christmas market, or St Petersburg / Moscow in the winter or a Norwegian fiord / northern lights/ arctic circle cruise and wear it!!

Also, definatly have it looked at and valued for insurance purposes.

Watching with interest as I've been through this and I can't get rid of it. A relative wants me to sell their hand made fur coat for them but there are really strict rules about this on EBay and unless it's something specific you won't get much. As you say the postage is high.

I then tried some fur shoes in London but no one was interest. I'm at a loss as to what to do

You could donate it to PETA

Give it to a homeless person.

A wardrobe department at a film or tv studio would love to have it. Try BBC?

I also have a mink and a sable coat in the loft because I have no idea what to do with them. I keep saying I'm keeping them until I'm an oap and too poor to put the heating on and then I can sit under them to keep warm.

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Sometimes zoos and conservation centres have an education room with displays of endangered or outdated animal products - turtle shells seized at customs, ivory, skulls etc. A snow leopard coat would fit right in there, if you couldn't sell it.

Could try selling it to a furrier. Lots of furriers sell old and new coats. There's a good one just off Oxford Circus .. he sells both, may be worth giving him a call to see if he would consider buying one to sell on.

A lot of charities won't accept real fur coats so if you do decide to donate check with them first

Donate it to a museum like V and A maybe?

My granny inherited one she was small and roundly and looked like a teddy bear in it! She tried to leave it to me as a teenage animal rights activist I was horrified!!!!

Sometimes zoos and conservation centres have an education room with displays of endangered or outdated animal products - turtle shells seized at customs, ivory, skulls etc.

Oh, I like that idea, thanks.

Pacific I'm in the same position with several from both our late mothers. Can't bring myself to get rid but would never wear except as fancy dress. I suspect my MILs were same vintage and value as yours. Beautifully hand engraved label with her name in it and the maker....

Christ! £4K in 1972! What animal was it made of, basilisk?

Fendi and Gucci both still sell fur coats, at prices in the region of 50 grand. I'd keep your grandmother's coat and wear it somewhere cold, as advised by an earlier poster. The basilisk (or griffin, or whatever the mythical beast was) is already dead, after all!

Yif you don't want to wear it my fave suggestion was to give it to the V & A. Super super suggestion. I will one day inherit some very crudely carved ivory and I had no idea what I was going to do with it- I'm going to offer it to the V&A when the time comes.

Your coat is worthless nowadays I'm very sorry.
Etsy no longer allow listings of any endangered species.
It is also illegal to sell the fur of big cats.
www.eversoscrumptious.com/2015/01/furs-you-cant-sell-what-to-do-with-vintage-endangered-animal-fur
If it is big cat fur and post 1947 you cannot trade it according to cites.
If it is a big cat fur coat and pre 1947 you can apply to defra for a licence to sell it.

Your best bet is to donate it to a museum if you don't want it.

You could buy a house for £4K in 1972!

I would contact a auction house to check, the animal is dead now so it may as well be appreciated by someone and I bet it does have a value . Failing that give it to the BBC as noted before it would be great for their costume dept . Sadly fur has become fashionable and dare I say acceptable again recently with people wearing raccoon on their heads and not caring.. it's all very sad and shocking!

I had a conversation this evening with my elderly mother (nearly 80) who has two mink coats. She has asked me whether I would want it as she is getting it "serviced" (whatever the furrier does, I've NO idea). It's old. Looks like this. I'm not sure where I could wear it but it is a beautiful coat and "dead already" iykwim 😐

OP, I'm not sure what I will do so, can't really advise.

id wear it. Nothing is as warm as real fur and if its vintage then youre not supporting anything horrible

I've seen good fur coats go for thousands (but estimated at hundreds) at our local auction room at one of their specialist sales. Take it to an auction room to get a valuation. If you won't wear it then you might as well sell it for what you can get.

For @PacificDogwod

to make you feel better/less sad