Hi everyone, I have a fur coat out of Montreal but I'm unsure of it's worth. Based on my research (and some helpful Reddit users), all I know about the coat is that: The coat is likely real The coat is out of Montreal (obviously) It may be made from Sheared Beaver fur The company does not exist anymore (and was likely closed before the internet started keeping track of everything - still strange that I can't find any record of them though) The tag in the jacket shows that it was made by a company called R. Lamer Fourrures Montreal but I can't find anything online about the company. I've asked on a few different subreddits and no one else has been able to find anything either. The only clue I've gotten from a Reddit user is that R. Lamer may have also been known as "Roxane Lamer" but I can't find anything else under that name either & I'm unsure how they came to that conclusion (I've asked but have yet to receive a reply). I'm in the U.S. and I've reached out to some large fur distributors here to see if they can help me at all, but I was hoping someone reading here may be from Canada who might possibly know something more about this company, as none of the U.S.-based companies have gotten back to me yet. At this point all I have is best guesses ("yes it's real" and "it may be sheared beaver"). If I can help it, I'd like to have more solid information. On top of that, I live at least 45 minutes away from the closest fur distributor in my area (which isn't terrible, but I'd like to avoid driving down there if possible. That said, I think someone examining the coat in person may be the only way to figure this out). I'm mostly wondering what kind of fur this is & what time period the coat might be from. Here is a link to an image of the tag inside the coat: https://imgur.com/a/zNPrprX And here is a link to some additional pictures of the coat for reference: https://imgur.com/a/UGonAmT ANY help y'all have would be MUCH appreciated. Thank you in advance.
If you would kindly upload photos directly we will be able to help with dating and type of fur. As to the furrier, I am from Montreal and don’t recall an R. Lamer. Montreal had a healthy fur industry and there were many fur houses that came and went over the decades. If no one else offers info here about the furrier, and finding this info is important to you, The Montreal Gazette, La Presse, Le Devoir may have an article or ads in their archives. You may have to pay and the latter two you would need to read French. Looking forward to seeing the photos.
@themerchantsofvintage i have uploaded the images to the website so you should be able to see them now. those were just the ones i already had saved on my computer, but please let me know if you need more. i should note that i do not currently have a picture of the front of the jacket, but the shoulders are very squared off and there are no buttons or a zipper to hold the coat closed. thank you so much!
I’m sure our fur expert will be along to verify fur. I’m seeing mouton instead of sheared beaver. It’s hard to date without better photos of the front and back.
Hi, The fur type is mouton, I don't know information about the furrier but it's not one that would add value to the fur being they are not well known, and I too am unable to determine age based on what's been shown. Two of the images are not appearing.
@Furwise so sorry - i took some pictures earlier but got busy with something else. i'll make a point to get them uploaded shortly so that you have a better reference point. i appreciate your help though! knowing that this is mouton gives me much more to go off of than before.
@Furwise & @themerchantsofvintage i have uploaded some additional pictures. i want to correct my earlier comment that states there are no buttons or anything on the front that may help keep the coat closed, as i looked at the coat again and was reminded that there are "clasps" of some sort along the front - though there are no buttons or anything for them to loop around. there are also front pockets on both sides of the coat. i hope this helps!
Thank you for those images. From the images it appears to have a bit of a wider sweep, swing, or hem and the cuffs look wide too. The lining from what I can see looks like those I’ve commonly seen in 50s coats. If I am seeing all of this correctly then I’d date it to the 50s.
