Carla Hall: Grandmother's Purse Collection, ca. 1950
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GUEST:
So these were my grandmother's bags.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
We called her Granny, and she had such a flair. I remember her carrying this one. And the other two, I just remember getting them, going through her things when she passed away.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
I don't remember her carrying this one. I would have been afraid to see that one as a kid. I was, like... (mock-screams and laughs) That would've been a little, a little too much for me.
APPRAISER:
That is a reaction a lot of people have to that type of bag.
GUEST:
Yeah, right? So her name was Freddie Mae Glover.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
And so hence the F on this bag.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm. Or for fashionista.
GUEST (laughing): Yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
With the pearl F on the center. These are all hand-stitched.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And then it's hand-outlined in gold bugle beads. And then you have the gold bugle bead leaves and flowers to make the F look like part of the bouquet. And this lovely scrollwork of pearls, it goes all the way around, stitched on the satin. I've never seen a bag like this with the monogram or with this plastic covering. But it's made by a company called Patricia of Miami.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And they were well-known for their plastic and Lucite bags, which would have been a little earlier than this. I've never seen one quite like that.
GUEST (excitedly): Ah!
APPRAISER:
This one is the newest of the group.
GUEST:
Okay, okay.
APPRAISER:
Okay? This one is probably from the very late '50s or early 1960s, somewhere in the '60s...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And this one is lizard, and then it has this centerpiece of black suede. It's an unusual bag in that it is this coloration, sort of the cream and the gray, almost black lizard skin. Most of the ones that you run across are either black or brown.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
So this is a more special bag. And this one was made by Sydney of California. So we've got Miami, we've got California...
GUEST:
(chuckles)
APPRAISER:
And now we're going to Havana.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh!
APPRAISER:
This one is the oldest of the group.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
This is from 1940, and it's an...
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
1940s, I should say.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
We can't date it exactly. These were very, very popular. A lot of the American tourists would go to Cuba for vacation, and they would very often bring these bags home as souvenirs. People either really, really love them...
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
...or don't care for them at all. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground on the alligator bag with the head...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
...and the feet, and then on the back, you know, it's the full alligator body. You've got his back legs there, too. It's the full skin. And then this one we also know belonged to your grandmother Freddie, because it's got her three initials in the center.
GUEST:
Yes! Freddie Mae Glover!
APPRAISER:
Yes. This one is always a conversation piece. A value on this one, in this condition, would probably be about $150, maybe $200.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
This one is in about the same range. This is a little bit harder for a retail sale in that you have to find another person who's got an F initial.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And then this one is in the $300 to $350 range.
GUEST:
What?!
APPRAISER:
Yeah, so this is...
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER:
Well, this one is in the best condition. It would look the most stylish and sort of fit in with contemporary clothing.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm. Who knew?
APPRAISER:
(laughs)
GUEST:
Because, honestly, they've been living in my closet.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
So let's get them out. I'm gonna have my little purse on.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
They're, like, "Carla, where're you going?" "To get the mail."
APPRAISER:
(laughter)
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