Is this seal fur?

Anatomy Vintage

Anatomy Vintage

Alumni
I picked this jacket up before Christmas and I have been sitting on it for over a month. It is very soft, and I think it might be seal. I have my doubts, as I cannot find a similar item. The pattern and dimension makes a beautiful visual texture, and leads me to believe that it could be from an animal with a smaller hide. Please help!

Also, there is a small split right below the pocket, which is only about 2 inches long. How can I repair this?
 

Attachments

  • vfgthumb.jpg
    vfgthumb.jpg
    79 KB · Views: 481
  • davidsonsfurthumb.jpg
    davidsonsfurthumb.jpg
    81.4 KB · Views: 450
  • davidsonsfurthumb2.jpg
    davidsonsfurthumb2.jpg
    76.3 KB · Views: 410
While the color is right for seal, I do not think it is seal. Seal is very dense, and your fur has a looser look to it. Possibly beaver, although beaver is also denser looking than your coat (in my experience). The pelts on your jacket are small as you say. This could be any number of small mammals (squirrel, mole, etc) that was treated, cut and dyed to imitate seal. Of course, it may be a finer fur, I am just throwing in my 2 cents!

We have a fur resource here on the VFG (check the home page) and you might browse and see if anything is a close match.
 
Looks like sheared fur to me, maybe beaver or lamb. I'm leaning toward lamb, perhaps you could do a search for both for comparison.
 
I agree with Barbara--it doesn't look dense enough to be seal, or, actually, any of the fur-bearing water mammals such as otter or beaver. It does look like sheared something, but what, I can't say....
 
I've handled a few furs, and this is a really nice one. I agree that it's not seal, although i was so seduced by the touch that I thought it was. My boyfriend purchased a seal muff for me from a vintage Furrier in St. Louis, and I just got it out and compared. I was so wrong.

Thank you very much for the link to the fur resource. I was having a hard time finding it. After a quick perusal, it looks most similar to sheared beaver to me. I'm not sure about the density, though. It doesn't in the slightest bit resemble a mouton, and after a closer inspection it is definitely a larger fur that has been sheared into that chevron pattern. Where the shear paths overlap, the length is different. You can see the reductive process. Does beaver sound totally wrong to anyone?

I've got a bit invested in this piece. I hope it wasn't a silly purchase.

Also, any thoughts on that little repair?
 
I don't think it was a silly purchase at all; it's really lovely, and you can "see" how soft it must be just from the pictures!

As I said, not being an expert on fur, I really have no idea what this is, but I doubt it's otter. Otter fur is the most dense of the water mammals, and this fur just doesn't look very dense. With otter, you can barely spread the hairs apart and usually can't even "get to" the skin. I've had a few pieces with otter trim, and this really doesn't seem to be it.

LOL--I just remembered I bought a sheared beaver coat a few months ago, and just went to check it. I think you may be right with sheared beaver. The texture of the fur on yours and its density look very much like that of my coat. The color is throwing me, though, but it must be dyed!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top