Victorian 1891 Beaded Coat? Need help with ID & Valuation please

phedre

Registered Guest
This is my first post to request assistance I believe, so please bear with me. I've read all the board rules and hope I am following them ok.

I would like some information about this coat in my collection. I *believe* it's Victorian from 1891, but really need some help with the identification. I've enclosed tons of photos to explain what I can't. Obviously, it's made in France at the turn of the century or earlier. It was made in Montluçon, a commune in central France. ome of the According to Wikipedia, some of the main industries of the town were blast furnace and glassware, which would explain the high-quality sand-blasted glass buttons down the front of the jacket.

The beading and boning are exquisite, but two things have me stumped for valuation of this piece:

1) All the buttons are sandblasted glass birds. From research, the only buttons I could find that were poorly related and not as nice were retailing at $110 each.

2) The coat is missing 1/3 of the beading on the right side front. Therefore, the beading on this coat is incomplete.

Thoughts anyone? Thank you!

Phedre


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While I cannot give a vlaue with out handling the garment, I can tell you that much missing beading does aversely affect the value. The other thing is that while having the original buttons adds to the value, they do not add at the rate they sell for individually. In other words, you can't value the bodice as basic bodice + (number of buttons x $$$) I also question that $110 per button retail price as extremely optimistic. You may want to watch those and see if they actually sell at that price.

I think your date is very close and it appears to be a high quality garment in solid condition.

Hollis
 
This isn't a coat but rather a longer length bodice as Hollis has said. You don't say what size it is. It would have had a matching skirt and a chemisette or blouse would have been worn underneath I think this from the early 1900's and not before. Yes, the missing beading presents a problem.

It's actually quite simply constructed. The buttons are great but I am no expert on buttons or how valuable they might be. There are many sources of reference and button collectors who would be able to help you.
 
Agree with Hollis' comments.

It's a quality piece but late Victorian black silk bodices are common and not particularly sought after. Whether it can be worn (and is a wearable size) may help in it's value. As Hollis said, a valuer would need to inspect it in person - and of course that value will vary depending on where it's being sold, and by whom. I've seen similar bodices sold in Australia for between $95 AUD and $285. I have a couple, have priced them around $245 but am yet to sell one because there is so little demand and supply exceeds that demand.

Nicole
 
If you sell it (which it seems like you are looking to hold onto it, so its moot...but just in case anyone out there has something like it), since its not in tip top condition, I would cross promote it to the steampunk crowd. They like victorian/edwardian in sort of a Jules Verne-ish technology mixed in sort of thing. They would wear something like this with a ring and choker made out of watch parts. It wouldn't matter if there was a little bead loss. It is a lot different than "goth."
 
Sorry for taking so long to respond.

First all, thank you to all the kind people who already responded. I really appreciate it! :USETHUMBUP:

To address the comments in order:

pastperfect2: An extra-special thank you for being the first to respond. :spin: I actually have two button price guides, and did extensive research on the internet. I think your comment is right on target: "I also question that $110 per button retail price as extremely optimistic" as I didn't think each button on this bodice was that price-worthy either. However, even at $10/each, there are 17 buttons, making the value of the buttons alone worth $170; a very reasonable price for the bodice in my opinion.

vertugarde : Thank you for naming this piece a bodice. I found various reference sources available, and as normal, some same coat, some said bodice. Unfortunately, I bought this as a stand-alone piece, so I don't have the matching skirt. I found one other source on the internet with a listing of 1891 that was similar, and since it was a well-known dealer, I changed my date. Thank you for the correction of date.

CircaVintageClothing - Thank you for being the first to name a price! Being in California, these bodices go for much higher prices. I really appreciate you taking the time to list your experience with this piece.

Patentleathershoes - Very clever! Thank you for your steampunk marketing suggestions. I *am* going to try to sell this bodice, but have never knowingly taken apart a piece of vintage so I can get "better value" out of the piece; hence the button valuation. I am trying to thin my wardrobe, and this piece doesn't fit me anymore. I'd really like to get value out of the piece, however, if seperating the buttons from the clothing will be a huge difference in selling price, I'd probably take them off. What are your thoughts on this?

Midge - Thank you for your comment!

Again, thank you *all* for your comments, they are very welcome and appreciated!

Phedre
 
First of all, many apologies for taking so long to post. For some reason, I am having large amounts of problems logging into the site. It takes me about 40 tries using IE. I finally switched to Firefox and had no problems.

Thank you Nicole, for posting your opinion. I am disappointed with over 200 views, no one else cared to post. As mentioned earlier, I have never deconstructed a garment for the purpose of earning more money, and was exploring the idea. I have decided to sell it as is, without deconstructing it, and want to thank everyone who *has* posted again for their time and expertise.

Best-

Phedre
 
Wow, told off for not posting...

Phedre, many of us here are here to learn. We sit quietly scrolling through the threads every day, happily discovering new stuff and increasingly having our own thoughts confirmed. Some of us may not feel brave enough to venture opinions, particularly about a topic that is as specialist as this one. So perhaps it wasn't that no one else 'cared to post'.

For the record, I'm glad you're selling it as is.
 
Hi Phedre,

Glad you have decided to leave the bodice intact. That's a good decision.

As Sarah-Jane said above, people are here for many different reasons. Some are learning from other peoples questions and the responses they receive and others, like myself, may have read your post and seen that it had already been capably answered by Hollis, Nicole and several others. Personally, I could not have added anything else to their responses so remained silent on the topic. Additionally, I'd wager that many of the 200 views were clicks by the same group of people (including yourself) who were looking to see if there was any new information from which they could also learn.

So, I hope you do not feel ignored by the lack of posts. In a situation where the question was already answered it seems that you had a normal amount of posts. Anyway, we look forward to seeing you around here more and feel free to post any and all questions at any time.
 
Thank you very much for the replies.

No disrespect was intended to anyone, and I'm sorry if it was taken that way. Thank you Candy, for explaining this board to me. I am relatively new to board postings, so I appreciate the education.

Phedre
 
I have had another look at this and I am going to change my thoughts on the date. I got distracted by the 1891 - 1900 discussion. And bodices without skirts always take me a bit.

With the smooth shoulder, major cuff detail with frill, very long torso line, many buttons, low collar, and back quasi bustle detail, I am leaning toward an earlier date. I do believe this is a Cuirasse bodice from 1878 - 1881. So it would have been worn with a skirt that was smoother over the hips, but still retained the many swags and drapes of the bustle eras.

Hollis
 
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