10 Best High Top Casual Shoes

Best High Top Casual Shoes in 2023

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Purses: A Collectible that Carries Its Own Weight and Then Some

The right shoes and purse can make or break an outfit. Given the gravity of such an accessory, no wonder there are so many purse collectors. Regardless of the genre you prefer, you'll find that special something to accent your dress or decor.

I've gathered up and sold bunches of collectible purses from the '50s and '60s in my antiques booth. I've found the big sellers to be every bit as functional as they are collectible. The most sought after are those tiny gold or silver lame, beaded or classic black satin purses, ready for that night on the town. And no wonder they're collectible! You can't buy a similar new model for a better price.

Department stores the likes of Target and WalMart are touting oversized purses with sequins and embroidery featuring scenes of Gay Paris, the Orient, etc. Wooden and metal purses are making a comeback as well, so if you have vintage purses, you have a real find, as you can buy these in bulk for less than what you'll buy one new one at the Department store.

As always, if you're looking at this for resale value, think of crossover subjects. I invested in a group of metal purses featuring Betty Boop. So, I had a collectible that appealed to two groups - -the purse collector and the Boop collector. I can't keep these things on the shelf of my booth.

But if you're buying for resale, it's always that crapshoot. I bought an alligator purse which, I'll admit, was not in the greatest condition. What I thought made it so valuable was that it still held receipts inside a hidden pocket from 1928. It's still sitting on the shelves after six months. Similarly, there's a purse on sale at www.desireditems.com that is hand-tooled leather dating from the 1920s, and is selling for $125. As per leather purses of the day, the original owner's name is embossed on the inside flap.

These won't sell in an antiques store at the same rate other purses might. The asking price is much higher than that of the Betty Boop purses, and that will always play a role. People may make that impulse $20 purchase, but shelling out $100 for an alligator purse will always take longer, regardless of the circumstances. You have to find that one person for whom a vintage collectible like this is a rare commodity. According to price guides I've checked, two alligator purses by Hermes of Paris have gone for $1,000+ to $7,000+. The more expense of the pair dates only to the '70s; however, condition played a major role, I suspect. Both were in excellent shape.

Right now, in terms of antiques stores, box, decoupage and beaded purses catch the buyer's eye. Some embroidered purses that have survived the years have sold for upwards of $1,000. A silver lame and snakeskin purse by Judith Leiber sold for over $4,000 in 2001. Another Judith Leiber creation constructed of lizard sold for $920.00 around the same time.

I've bought many of my finds online in bulk on eBay. That's when you make your real finds. As such, yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores will produce some of your best finds. If the purses have made it to a store or online site featuring collectibles, expect to pay top dollar - -generally. Every so often you'll get that shop owner who doesn't specialize in fabrics, purses and the like, and he bought a box of "something" and found a purse on the side. In that case, the seller may just want to make a few bucks and get it off the shelf. Still, that's a rarity.

If you're not looking for a bargain (solely), check out the online sites. No doubt you'll be able to find that one collectible purse you've needed to complete that tone you've set with your particular group of purses. At Ruby Lane, (www.rubylane.com ), for example, for $75, you can get an antique floral, German, silver- framed purse with ring mesh and dangles. The purse is a under 6" and dates to the late 1800s. Style wise, it falls very much into the Victorian genre, so again, crossover wise, if you have a room decorated in a Victorian theme, this is a perfect adjunct.

Likewise, even if you aren't a strict purse collector, if you adore the French theme, this same online site offers a beautiful French tapestry purse created by the Walborg Company (a well-known manufacturer in the field.) You can have this for $148 plus shipping.

The online site www.antiquescove.biz features pages of purses for sale. A particularly interesting one is a red leather clutch purse that features bakelite handles for a mere $28. It has a heavy monogram on the front of the purse, but for any hard-core collector, if a red clutch purse with bakelite handles is what is needed, then this is something that can be overlooked.

A delightfully whimsical online store, The Family Jools: Treasures from Grandma's Attics, hosts a multitude of purses covering several genres. In the red purse line again, there's a lovely and very rare Lilly Dache hand clutch. Dache, a Paris designer, fashioned this silk number featuring a rhinestone clasp. This can be had for $65.

Let's face it, regardless of the genre we choose, we all want to know what our collectibles are worth, even if we have no intention of selling them. For more information on your collection, check out Vintage Purses: at Their Best, with Price Guide by Lynell K. Schwartz. The book includes over 500 color photos along with the history of many of the leading manufacturers of collectible purses: Bliss, Napier, Whiting amp; Davis, among others. The price guide reflects the collectors' market today. New copies are selling for around $20 on Amazon.com, but used ones can be had for in the $15 range.

We all know those shoe and purse women, and it should surprise no one that there is a Web site, The Purse Forum, that bears the credo: "Shallow Obsessing Strongly Encouraged" dedicated to these people. This forum bills itself as the Web's Number One site for purse lovers, boasting 26,000 members and 1.5 million visitors a month. If you fall into the purse collector category, maybe you should boost the membership to 26,001!

Kim Remesch is a Baltimore journalist with nearly 25 years experience. She authored a column on antiques and collectibles, and has operated an antiques business as well.