kittysfish
Registered Guest
Hi all. Yet one more set of questions, with Long background. After much online research & interacting with Fish & Wildlife, I am confused about how to understand and approach this conundrum.
The facts -
1. This coat below is one more my uncle left behind, that my sister really values & would like to receive from his estate.
2. As per the tag, it was created by Steven Corn Furs, which (from what I could search) appears to have been an established & respected furrier with a reputation for quality and customer service. They had locations in New York, New Jersey, and possibly one other place, until they sold their business to Maximilian furs only a couple years ago (super unfortunately for me).
3. The coat was created 1981 or after (the tag looked 90s onward to me), as the business went from being "Corn Furs" in pre-1981 to being "Steven Corn Furs" in 1981 or shortly thereafter. It would also be before 2017, as the tag lists only 2 stores & they opened a 3rd in 2017.
4. From everything I've searched out here on VFG & online elsewhere, I believed this coat to be "lippi".
5. Places throughout the internet claim that "lippi" is legal, and multiple current mainstream retailers - Marc Kaufman Furs, & Estate Furs - have expensive "lippi" coats on their websites. (*below)
6. Some sites - including VFG - have identified "lippi" as the Chinese Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). The VFG page says "Most [cats] are listed as endangered species but Chinese Leopard Cats are allowed to be traded with regulation, proper permitting, and are listed on Appendix II..."
7. When I contacted Fish & Wildlife Services to be certain interstate purchase of this coat by an heir would be legal, they informed me that if it were actually Chinese Leopard Cat, no, it would not be legal, as the Chinese Leopard Cat is protected under the 1976 Endangered Species Act, and cannot be sold interstate. The only exception is if the cat has been bred with enough generations of domestic cats to no longer qualify as a Chinese Leopard Cat. (But it is legal to inherit, possess, display, or donate specimens protected under the ESA, provided they were lawfully acquired, according to the expert.)
8. The subject matter expert with whom I corresponded at Fish and Wildlife Services informed me that the [identity & reputation of a] manufacturer is inconsequential, and it is not out of the question for manufacturers post-ESA to import illegal cat furs for their coats. This was surprising to me.
So. My questions:
1. Is there any other legal fur this coat could be that I'm missing? (Oncillas & Southern Tiger Cats aren't legal either, it looked like, & didn't quite match anyway.) I still find it hard to believe Steven Corn Furs would knowingly import & sell an illegal fur, so suspect it may be the "bred for the fur industry" designer cat approach.
2. In the databases some of you have access to (@furwise ?), do you have any mention of Steven Corn selling this kind of fur, &/or what fur they identified it as, &/or if they gave any information on its origin to demonstrate legality? (Ie: if they did what other retailers claim, that Lippi is "bred for the fur industry", as the FWS specialist commented on as a possibility.)
3. Long shot - does anyone here have knowledge of how to contact anyone from the past Steven Corn Furs business to ask questions directly? I have used every email address I could find, & their successor (Maximilian) did not get back to me.
Okay. That's all (o_O)
Thank you for the frequent help!
Hollie
*The links below are for illustration - they are NOT endorsements:
Marc Kaufman Furs, "Lippi" -
Estate Furs, "Lippi" -
www.estatefurs.com
The facts -
1. This coat below is one more my uncle left behind, that my sister really values & would like to receive from his estate.
2. As per the tag, it was created by Steven Corn Furs, which (from what I could search) appears to have been an established & respected furrier with a reputation for quality and customer service. They had locations in New York, New Jersey, and possibly one other place, until they sold their business to Maximilian furs only a couple years ago (super unfortunately for me).
3. The coat was created 1981 or after (the tag looked 90s onward to me), as the business went from being "Corn Furs" in pre-1981 to being "Steven Corn Furs" in 1981 or shortly thereafter. It would also be before 2017, as the tag lists only 2 stores & they opened a 3rd in 2017.
4. From everything I've searched out here on VFG & online elsewhere, I believed this coat to be "lippi".
5. Places throughout the internet claim that "lippi" is legal, and multiple current mainstream retailers - Marc Kaufman Furs, & Estate Furs - have expensive "lippi" coats on their websites. (*below)
6. Some sites - including VFG - have identified "lippi" as the Chinese Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). The VFG page says "Most [cats] are listed as endangered species but Chinese Leopard Cats are allowed to be traded with regulation, proper permitting, and are listed on Appendix II..."
7. When I contacted Fish & Wildlife Services to be certain interstate purchase of this coat by an heir would be legal, they informed me that if it were actually Chinese Leopard Cat, no, it would not be legal, as the Chinese Leopard Cat is protected under the 1976 Endangered Species Act, and cannot be sold interstate. The only exception is if the cat has been bred with enough generations of domestic cats to no longer qualify as a Chinese Leopard Cat. (But it is legal to inherit, possess, display, or donate specimens protected under the ESA, provided they were lawfully acquired, according to the expert.)
8. The subject matter expert with whom I corresponded at Fish and Wildlife Services informed me that the [identity & reputation of a] manufacturer is inconsequential, and it is not out of the question for manufacturers post-ESA to import illegal cat furs for their coats. This was surprising to me.
So. My questions:
1. Is there any other legal fur this coat could be that I'm missing? (Oncillas & Southern Tiger Cats aren't legal either, it looked like, & didn't quite match anyway.) I still find it hard to believe Steven Corn Furs would knowingly import & sell an illegal fur, so suspect it may be the "bred for the fur industry" designer cat approach.
2. In the databases some of you have access to (@furwise ?), do you have any mention of Steven Corn selling this kind of fur, &/or what fur they identified it as, &/or if they gave any information on its origin to demonstrate legality? (Ie: if they did what other retailers claim, that Lippi is "bred for the fur industry", as the FWS specialist commented on as a possibility.)
3. Long shot - does anyone here have knowledge of how to contact anyone from the past Steven Corn Furs business to ask questions directly? I have used every email address I could find, & their successor (Maximilian) did not get back to me.
Okay. That's all (o_O)
Thank you for the frequent help!
Hollie
*The links below are for illustration - they are NOT endorsements:
Marc Kaufman Furs, "Lippi" -
Estate Furs, "Lippi" -
Woman's Natural Lippi Cat Fur 7/8 Coat - Estate Furs
Woman's Natural Lippi Cat Fur 7/8 Coat in like new condition features Exceptional quality and condition, Pristine gold lining, Velvet lined pockets, European hook and eyes and decorative button at neckline.
www.estatefurs.com
