Help identify this vintage purse, please...

Nostalgia

Nostalgia

Registered Guest
Hello! It's my first time seeking help, so I hope I'm doing this right ;-)
I have tried to research this purse's material, designer and time period, but have hit a wall.
I feel like it's from the 40s or 50s croc. (it is quite textured, but it could just be embossed given how soft it feels)
There are etchings on the brass ring, but I can't make out any letters or numbers. The strap length is adjustable vis-a-vis snap buttons.
front.jpg
full front.JPG
IMG_3138.JPG
material inner.JPG
side view.jpg
Zip and hardware.JPG


Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!
 

Attachments

  • Etchings on brass ring.jpg
    Etchings on brass ring.jpg
    24.4 KB · Views: 86
Hi! It looks like the etching says "GERMANY" and maybe there's a "W." or "West" in front of it? Hard to tell because it there's a line of glare through the ring in the picture. Do you have other images of the etching? Can you tell what fabric the liner is? Or maybe how the inside pocket zip is sewed in could give clues to its age.

I am not a handbag expert, but the style looks much more 80's than 40's to me. I'm new here too, so hopefully some more experienced users will weigh in. Good luck!
 
Last edited:
poisson_rouge said:
Hi! It looks like the etching says "GERMANY" and maybe there's a "W." or "West" in front of it? Hard to tell because it there's a line of glare through the ring in the picture. Do you have other images of the etching? Can you tell what fabric the liner is? Or maybe how the inside pocket zip is sewed in could give clues to its age.

I am not a handbag expert, but the style looks much more 80's than 40's to me. I'm new here too, so hopefully some more experienced users will weigh in. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Hi there, and thank you for your response. Unfortunately, I've been unsuccessful in getting a better picture of the etchings, but it seems as though I'm off by a couple of decades, which may explain why my research kept hitting a dead end - lol.
 
I believe this is an emboss, not crocodile—as you said its softness just isn't like croc. The fact that it is likely embossed doesn't define the date.

Thank you! How embarrassing to be this far off, time-wise, especially for my first time.
Click to expand...
Honestly, this is a hard one to figure out, and you are doing great. The lining fabric appears to be faille, and I'd guess rayon or acetate. The adjustable strap is what makes me think newer than 50s, but I'm not the expert on bags.
 
my first impression was 1980s from the hardware on the front of it.

oh, and a hint for close up images? sometimes a camera (whether it be on a phone or by itself) will auto focus better if you pull away just a bit from the item you want a close up of. Then you can crop the image to focus on that area.
 
denisebrain said:
I believe this is an emboss, not crocodile—as you said its softness just isn't like croc. The fact that it is likely embossed doesn't define the date.

Honestly, this is a hard one to figure out, and you are doing great. The lining fabric appears to be faille, and I'd guess rayon or acetate. The adjustable strap is what makes me think newer than 50s, but I'm not the expert on bags.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the vote of confidence! You've given me some great leads to go off of.
 
The Vintage Merchant said:
my first impression was 1980s from the hardware on the front of it.

oh, and a hint for close up images? sometimes a camera (whether it be on a phone or by itself) will auto focus better if you pull away just a bit from the item you want a close up of. Then you can crop the image to focus on that area.
Click to expand...

Appreciate the tip on taking better (close up) photos. I need to work on that, for sure. Thank you!
 
Nostalgia said:
Hi there, and thank you for your response. Unfortunately, I've been unsuccessful in getting a better picture of the etchings, but it seems as though I'm off by a couple of decades, which may explain why my research kept hitting a dead end - lol.
Click to expand...

No shame, that happens! Actually I'd guess early 80's, bc it has a 70's floppiness but is starting to quote some 40's style elements (which was big in the 80's). In any case, I did a quick Google search for West Germany 80's handbags and had a bunch of hits that looked similar to this one. Hopefully that opens some leads for you!
 
Nostalgia said:
Thank you! How embarrassing to be this far off, time-wise, especially for my first time.
I will start researching the 70s onward - this should keep me busy and out of trouble for a while ;-)
Thank you, Ruth!
Click to expand...
No shame at all, as poisson_rouge said! We all get it wrong sometimes. Looks like I might be wrong on 70s...

It's that zipper pull that's making me think 70s. I'm sure I had one like that on a 70s bag (that I also originally thought was much earlier). I kinda think metal zips in bags were starting to fade by the 80s, but I might be wrong on that too.

Perhaps on the cusp of the 70s / 80s?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top