One of the first bags I sourced for Value d'Ing is a black trapezoidal clutch made of beautiful black cowhide leather. The clasp is lined with the same leather. A flap that falls forward from the back of the bag over the clasp and appears to have been pulled through a loop hides a magnetic press stud. The lining is a shiny grey fabric with narrow, woven-in burgundy and dark green stripes. There are also diagonal grey stripes between which the Picard name is woven in alternation with the characteristic mirrored P's.
When determining the resale value of a bag, the date of manufacture plays a significant role. Also important is who the maker is, where the bag was manufactured and in what edition. The easiest place to start, of course, is with the manufacturer. In this case, that is Picard. That name is not difficult to trace because Picard's name and initials are left in multiples on the lining of the bag. What does surprise me is that that manufacturer is not from France but from Germany.
Tekening gegenereerd met ChatGPT
Despite its French-sounding name, the brand Picard has its origins in Obertshausen, Germany. The company was founded in 1928 by Martin Picard and his sons Edmund and Aloïs. How production initially took place is not entirely clear, but it seems that the 'quality bags' were made in small runs or made to order. One anecdote is that Edmund cycled to Offenbach (about 12 kilometres) with a sample collection to sell the bags.
Around 1935, Martin seems to have handed over the running of the business to his sons. In that year, at least, Edmund and Aloïs started serial production of high-quality bags that were affordable for everyone. Soon they employed more than 100 workers.
Various WWII objects made entirely or partly from leather.
During WWII, the company's progress came under pressure. Leather was very important in warfare; it was used for soldiers' boots, jackets, caps, gun holsters, among other things, but also for horse gear such as saddles and reins and the like. Horses were indispensable in the German army because there were not enough raw materials to build vehicles and, moreover, not enough fuel to run them! Therefore, a company like Picard was undoubtedly very important because it had the skilled workers needed to make products for the armed forces. According to Picard's website, the Picard brothers refused to become part of the Nazi apparatus and spent the war in captivity for that reason. The company was not closed down from which a tentative conclusion can perhaps be drawn that it was requisitioned by the Nazis after all.
Little is known about Edmund and Aloïs' captivity but the fact is that they both miraculously survived the war and were able to continue running their businesses.* In fact, a new factory was built in 1949, employing more than 1,000 people by the end of the 1960s.
Picard still exists, although due to competition from South America and the Far East, production was moved to Tunisia, Ukraine and Bangladesh back in the 1970s. Since 2008, Picard has also resumed a small production facility in Germany itself.
The stamp in the clutch. Photo Valuable th'Ing
Back to the bag and its dating. As mentioned, Picard has sprinkled its name and initials on and in this bag. According to Picard itself, they started putting the name in and on their bags in 1982. Apart from on the lining, we also find the mirrored P's in the silver Picard stamp on the leather strap, which is stitched under the back brace. The stamp also contains the text: Made in W. Germany: a wonderful clue to the bag's extreme dating. Indeed, in late 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, which divided Germany into a western and an eastern part from 1961. After the 'Wende', the country became one again and West Germany simply became Germany again. This makes it absolutely clear that this bag must have been manufactured between 1982 and 1989.
Several 80s vintage bags with a chain shoulder strap. AI generated image.
Under the bracket, i.e. on the inside of the bag, two hinged chain eyes are attached diagonally opposite each other. So with the hinges facing inwards, the bag is a clutch, but if they extend above the bracket, you can also hang a shoulder strap on it. Here, in all likelihood, the shoulder strap was a chain. Another good clue to the bag's dating, as chains as shoulder straps were very popular in the 1980s.
And then during my scavenger hunt I stumble upon an online article which focuses the dating very well:
Shop window of the warehouse and factory of C.H. Frumau, which sold fine leather goods. 1935-1936 Regionaal Archief Dordrecht
In fact, there is another pocket stitched into the lining. There is a green sticker to the left under the zip, containing in pale green letters the name Frumau, the Dutch retailer who sold the bag. Again, you might expect a French link (and there probably is one) but the Frumau company was founded in Dordrecht in May 1935 by brothers Theodorus W. Frumau (1911-2006) and Carel F. Frumau (1905-1981). Until September 1968, they jointly ran a factory with shop in 'fine leather goods' at Voorstraat 318. In the late 1960s, Jan Frumau, Carel's son, took over the business. I must have walked past there countless times in my youth, but I have absolutely no memories of it.
Frumau sticker in the lining of the bag. Photo Valuable th'Ing
Anyway, it is the very article on Frumau that brings me to the end of my scavenger hunt. The Frumau company went out of business in March 1983. And that means that the bag can be dated exactly between early 1982 and early 1983 at the latest (including production time and transport). With a slap on the wrist, that makes 1982-1983. And that is a very nice result for a bag whose history is otherwise unknown.
* Hitler had over 20,000 young German men executed for conscientious objection and desertion.
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More information on the Picard clutch can be found in the
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