Incredible Belted Back Suit, Badly Listed

[Marc Chevalier]

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Hope springs eternal for eBay buyers. If only I'd seen this one! Not big (about a size 40 in today's measurements), but WOW. It doesn't get more 1930s than this. And the price, for such a suit, was a steal. Not well listed, and with no mention at all of the decade it's from. Result? A good value for a lucky buyer. Anyone here won it?


http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-3-Piece...80QQihZ018QQcategoryZ3001QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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[Baron Kurtz]

funny that it was two FLoungers bidding it up, eh? I pushed it to $100 and would have gone further but the old bank balance wouldn't manage it. I would have sold it for at least 3 times that price.

bk

 

[Nonchalant]

It's mine, and I won it in a close contest with Baron Kurtz here. Thank goodness for badly listed items such as this, or else I would never have been able to afford it.

I just took it out of it's package an hour ago, and it's an absolutely pristine suit. NRA tag inside the jacket... I wasn't as certain of it's age, but thanks to the education I've got on these forums at the hands of Marc Chevalier, BK & co., I at least knew I should GET IT.

If anyone would like to see pictures, I'll post them over in the "Show Us Your Suits" thread.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

:eusa_clap I am very happy for you! And as flattered as all get out. Thank you for the kind words!


You did a great job in guessing that the suit was '30s: it could have been mistaken for a '60s piece by someone less perceptive. The details are what reveal it to be three decades older: you picked up on them, and for that you deserve :eusa_clap.


And yes, we'd LOVE to see some photos!

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[slicedbread]

I, too, saw this suit...And if i hadn't foolishly paid 100+ on a vintage suit in an impulse buy, i wouldve snapped this up myself...Sadly, I've run myself broke and will now begin to unload my finds merely attempting to break even...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Someone recently asked me if I minded the fact that by sharing of knowledge about vintage menswear, I help to increase the competition on eBay. You know, it doesn't bother me a bit. I want the folks who appreciate these things to be able to find, identify, and purchase them. Education is the key.


Whenever a Fedora Lounger scores a great suit, I feel good about it, even if that person was 'competing' with me. In the end, we're in the same boat and on the same wavelength ... and it's all good.

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[slicedbread]

Someone recently asked me if I minded the fact that by sharing of knowledge about vintage menswear, I help to increase the competition on eBay. You know, it doesn't bother me a bit. I want the folks who appreciate these things to be able to find, identify, and purchase them. Education is the key.


Whenever a Fedora Lounger scores a great suit, I feel good about it, even if that person was "competing" with me. In the end, we're on the same boat and on the same wavelength ... and it's all good.

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Quite true, and it does take some diligence to spot these great deals...And even so, with the terrible pictures that some of these sellers take, not to mention the poor descriptions, there is a bit of risk involved when making purchases...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And even so, with the terrible pictures that some of these sellers take, not to mention the poor descriptions, there is a bit of risk involved when making purchases...

Yes, there is. It's easy to get burned, even when you're an 'expert.' In an iffy auction, I try to never offer more than I'd be willing to lose.

 

[Nonchalant]

Someone recently asked me if I minded the fact that by sharing of knowledge about vintage menswear, I help to increase the competition on eBay. You know, it doesn't bother me a bit. I want the folks who appreciate these things to be able to find, identify, and purchase them. Education is the key.


Whenever a Fedora Lounger scores a great suit, I feel good about it, even if that person was 'competing' with me. In the end, we're in the same boat and on the same wavelength ... and it's all good.

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I can't stress more how helpful your contribution to my own knowledge of vintage menswear has been. The information you've shared here is invaluable. In a year of reading these forums, I've learned what it would have probably taken me many years to discover on my own. Kudos to you, Marc! :eusa_clap

 

[reetpleat]

Without sites like this, there would be little demand. Without demand, there would not be dealers digging through estate sales out in the boondocks, or some grubby in city thrift store. More of us is in the end a good thing.

 

[slicedbread]

Without sites like this, there would be little demand. Without demand, there would not be dealers digging through estate sales out in the boondocks, or some grubby in city thrift store. More of us is in the end a good thing.

Is there honestly (decent)money to be made for these dealers?

 

[cookie]

1930s Belt Back suit

Marc thanks you are a great bloke! Thanks everyone for letting us "share the moment".

That suit is pristine.

How is it in the US of A youse guys still find these gems somewhere? I suppose it is because it is a rich country with a big population that liked quality clothes years ago when there was not as much dough around.

 

[reetpleat]

Is there honestly (decent)money to be made for these dealers?

Years ago,I was in texas and noticed tons of antique shops with mediocre stuff and I got to thinking. I na place like texas where jobs might be scarce but housing is cheap, a lot of people "get by." they don't need to make a ton. Just a bit here and there. E-bay has opened up a lot to them.

Actually though, if you want to educate yourself on many different things, clothing, gas station memoribilia, paper efemera, books etc, you can make a decent living without having to work too hard or commit to a schedule. I have a friend who is amusician. He does e-bay and it keeps his schedule open to do his music thing. He is not rich, but he does okay. He is pretty cheap with the beer buying though.

I think I could make it, but rea lestate is much more lucrative. Not always as fun though. for me, the thrill of the hunt is fun. I love hitting he thrifts or gharage sales. But it isn't as good as it used to be.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

In the link below, you can see another example of a wonderful suit that was not particularly well listed.


From the 1940s. Hand picked stitching on the lapels. Great looking lapels! Inverse ('British') pleats and v-back waistband on the trousers. A well cut, well tailored suit. A vibrant (but not flashy) blue color that goes with a lot. A fine, smooth wool ... possibly a lightweight flannel. And a nice size: 40R.


All this ... and look at the price it went for!!! :eusa_doh: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Mens-Su...99QQihZ003QQcategoryZ3001QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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[Nonchalant]

That suit, and several others, were gathered from an estate sale and sold over something like a 2-3 week period... I don't think anything from that lot went very much past $100, and most of the pieces were selling for far less than that.

Even in the section where the suits were listed, it's likely the seller could have done much better business had he/she taken some time to make better pictures, or to at least have the items cleaned so they didn't look so dirty in the photos that were taken.

I just knew I should have bid on the one you mentioned above. However, I did pick up a green 1940s 3-button number from that same seller which I'm very pleased with, and I got it for a song - just $20 and some change.