Inherited a large vintage scarf collection - Absolutely clueless....

[WillardStiles]

Hi,

A friend of mine inherited quite a large collection of vintage scarves. I have an eBay store so he asked if I could sell them for him. I thought it would be a lot easier to identify the scarf type, age, value etc...but I have hit a wall. Any help in value, date, material etc...would be greatly appreciated! There is a lot and I know the rules said to post one piece per post, but I don't want to gunk up your forums with a ton of posts so I've added a bunch of photos. I hope that is okay. If not, I will edit/delete.

 

[WillardStiles]

More

 

[WillardStiles]

i'll stop here for now

 

[The Vintage Vendeuse]

Pretty scarves!
Per forum rules, we are unable to assist with valuations.
Personally, I have found that only certain "names" sell well... Hermes (of course!) , Liberty, Vera...
Many, many unbranded scarves are out there and, even if silk (which I can't tell from your photos), they generally don't bring enough cash to be worth my time to sell... JMHO.
Hopefully, others here can offer you more/better info!

 

[Ranch Queen Vintage]

I too, have been given large quantities of vintage scarves to sell, so I know how you feel!
Sorry to say, I share many of the same feelings about selling vintage scarves as Donna has stated here.
Unless they're extraordinary in some way, selling them individually might not be worth your while.
I'd consider grouping them in lots by style (Mod, Traditional, etc.) and offering them that way. You might even market them to crafters for re-purposing.

 

[WillardStiles]

Ty for the replies. Sorry about the valuation question, I'm surprised I missed that.

 

[WillardStiles]

Aside from the brand/maker, what would make a scarf extraordinary/special?

 

[The Vintage Vendeuse]

Aside from the brand/maker, what would make a scarf extraordinary/special?

Design... something really special, novelty, etc.
To be brutally honest, I don't see that in any that you've presented here.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

I agree with what has been said. Also, it helps a bit if you can determine if they are silk, or polyester, etc. None of them look to be older than maybe the 1960s, some much newer and fairly common designs. If you have any that have novelty graphics that helps, such as ballerinas, horses, fantasy scenes, animals, circus, places of interest, etc.

 

[retro ruth]

Hand rolled edges are a sign of quality and do make a scarf more desirable. You will see that on silk scarves and quality synthetic scarves. I can see that at least some of yours are hand rolled.

I will usually sell silk hand rolled edge scarves singly, whatever the design. Most others in lots, unless they are exceptional in some other way. But people have different cut off points for that decision!

Size is a factor. I’ve sold huge but otherwise unexceptional silk scarves for a price I was happy with.

The other factor, as always, is condition. Stains or snags significantly reduce the price.

 

[retro ruth]

Eg I think this one is quite good. Large size, hand rolled edge, quite interesting design, maybe 1960s, a bit psychedelic. Can’t tell if it’s silk but I wouldn’t be surprised. That would go on my sell individually pile.

 

[bycinbyhand]

I sell vintage scarves all the time, purchased cheap from collectors. I sift through them fast for labels/stamps that might be easier to research and market and list those first. I clean them too, unless they are in store folds and unworn with foil tags or labels etc, which I recommend. Some scarves have been worn and loved and will have a scent that many don't find appealing - powders, perfumes, storage etc.

Then I pull out certain styles that are popular. That can mean oversized, water repellant, sash... and so forth. Keep up with the trends and you'll see what I mean.


My collectors for the scarf's next generation are likely to wear them. Yours seem to be that kind of scarf.

I also sell a lot of specialty scarves, a whole 'nother topic. I don't see any of those here in the photos.

After you figure out the basics, list them. If they don't move, bundle by color or shape or era or whatever and sell that way in a grouping.

 

[WillardStiles]

Eg I think this one is quite good. Large size, hand rolled edge, quite interesting design, maybe 1960s, a bit psychedelic. Can’t tell if it’s silk but I wouldn’t be surprised. That would go on my sell individually pile.

View attachment 194681

Ty for the reply. Would all hand rolled look like that?

 

[retro ruth]

Ty for the reply. Would all hand rolled look like that?

Similar yes. As far as I can tell, most of those you’ve shown have hand rolled edges, except the red paisley one in your first post