Vintage Fur Coat - identify fur and date please?

[Melony H]

I recently bought a vintage fur coat on eBay, the seller didn't know how old it was or what sort of fur it was.

I know now, upon giving it a good look-over when it arrived, that it is Seal fur - it is stamped 'US Govt Fur Seal FOUKE'. I'm not sure what the collar is made from, but having looked at the Fur Resource it looks like it could be mink or some sort of marten.

The lining is really lovely, it's a black silky feeling fabric with strips of red crepe-like fabric, the red crepe strips are also alternated with black on the sleeve linings from wrist to shoulder The red crepe fabric looks a little faded and is monogrammed MVB. Under the bottom of the loose lining there is a sewn in hand stitched simple name label, 'Peter Black'. The inside edges of the pockets are lined with leather, then the black silky fabric is used for the rest of the pockets.

It has a tie at the waist lining and a corresponding elastic loop on the opposite side front closure and two hooks and loops to close the front. There is a label "Ellis Barker Furs CHESTER" just above the waist tie, oddly placed vertically. It looks quite modern and doesn't seem to match at all - the fabric of the label seems synthetic and the type doesn't look hand-stitched, maybe it had some repait work in the 80s/90s.

I'd really appreciate any help on identifying the fur collar and giving me an idea of the age. It is a really beautiful coat, so much nicer than I ever expected. I thought I was probably getting rabbit from the price I paid!

 

[foreveraftervintage]

Hello, That is a nice piece of history you have there. I think I can help you a little bit. The collar is Sable Fur which is one of the most prized furs, the body of the coat is Seal which you already knew, and the coat looks like it dates to the 50s based on the overall shape of the coat, the swing style, and other information which I will also share. I am not positive from the views shown but in one of the photos it looks like the sleeves may also have wide cuffs. That was another popular feature in 50s fur coats.

The Ellis Barker Furs label looks true to the time to me also, the placement of the label is right, and I have seen a few other Ellis Barker furs label from the 50s that looked quite similar with the same font on the same color background.

The tie sash that you mention is an inside belt to secure the coat from the inside. The loose lining at the bottom is called a French hem. When furriers show fur coats they usually lay the coats down and lift the bottom hem opening(french hem) to show potential customers the skin side of the pelts.

Fouke fur company was contracted by the US government to receive Pribilof(islands off the west coast of Alaska) pelts from 1921 until 1961. Fouke fur company is still in business today. The stamping US Govt Fur Seal FOUKE would have only been present on Fouke pelts up until 1961 when the contract was terminated so the pelts have to be pre 1961.

This information was obtained from the ebook titled Fur Farms of Alaska

 

[Melony H]

Thank you so much Caryn, all the information is wonderful and I'm really excited to add such a beautiful and interesting piece to my collection of vintage clothes.

 

[foreveraftervintage]

You are most welcome. Enjoy that coat. It is a wonderful piece to have.