I recently aquired a collection of vintage bags from various eras, need a bit of help dating some of them...in particular two which are silk with glass beads, and have a label inside saying 'empire made'. Does anyone know roughly when they could date from? The top two are the ones with the label in, the other one is also silk with glass beads. Thank you in advance!
Welcome! I'm not sure of the dating, but if the empire-made ones are those beaded clutch bags, they were frequently made in the Middle East or South East Asia (the middle one, in particular). I've seen them with boutique labels from Egypt to Hong Kong, but where manufacturing location is marked, it's either India or Hong Kong. The latter is most likely referred to by 'empire-made', although if it's India, the bags would have to date pre-1947 (and I think this type are 50s-60s). If it *just* says 'empire-made' we have to presume they're most likely made for the British market too. Perhaps others with more expertise in the actual purses can come and date them! Lin
Hi, Do you have a shot or scan of one of the labels? I agree with Lin on the empire situation. But there was also a handbag maker called empire, but i don't recall seeing this type with the (would have to see what the label looks like). silk bags w/ beads, especially with the foldover/snap flap have been made for years and years and years. Sometimes even some of the relatively newer styles mimic the older styles unless you are looking very closely/know what to look for and sometimes the craftmanship still coming from India and asian would make one do a double take on the higher end types. Chris
Theres just a small label which simply says 'empire made', so I don't think its the maker. My feeling is the bags probably date from the 50's or 60's, I am going to sell all of them, so I didn't want to misdescribe them. Its hard to know a value for these things, I don't know if u have any ideas, difficult to say without seeing them, I know! They are in pretty good shape with the beading pretty much 100% intact.
Well, these brocade and beaded Oriental clutches typically start at 9 to 19 dollars on ebay.com, and quite often end at that price too. If you're selling on a website or in a store, you'll be more able to determine a comfort level price. They're rarer (as with most vintage) on ebay.co.uk, so if you're in the UK, you might be able to start them at 5 pounds and, as long as you've got clear pictures, see more than one bid. The colours would make these good for wedding guests, so you might want to promote that possibility. good luck, they are really nice ones! L
Thank you for all your help, I'll probably list some in my ebay store Strawberry Park and see what happens! xx
Great! The problem i am finding with nice beaded bags as every lady - post wear through early 60s seemed to have one, plus a black evening clutch in their wardrobe. A lot of time they just used them for "special occassions" so depending on the lady they may still survive in pristine condition as they would just not have been used day to day. But therefore, everyone, vintage sellers who are selling exceptional examples as well as everyone "selling grandma's things"...the market gets flooded, so that is why they might not do as well at auction. But i can't see why not about charging more and putting it in your ebay store. It will be to the benefit of someone who doesn't want to "compete" with the other bidders and they are willing to pay a bit more for that convenience. I'll have to check out your shop. Chris
