What to do with 100 year old fox pelt?

G

GingerestAle

New member
Hey guys, I'm in need of a bit of advice here.
So my grandma brought me some sewing stuff from her place yesterday (because she knows I love to sew) and among these items I found, to my great surprise, an entire silver fox pelt. The pelt is intact, it has no cuts or damage to it, the fur is soft and warm, the tail is stuffed to give it volume, it still has the face and paws (with some claws still in there!!) and the whole thing is kind of like a tube?? So like, it wasn't opened at the stomach, the whole thing is seamless. My grandma told me that it was her mother that gave it to her, and she estimates the pelt is between 100 and 150 years old. But now I have this beautiful pelt and no clue what to do with it!!!! I have a few questions, which I'll list below and I'd be grateful to anyone who can help!

1. Is there any way to tell how old the pelt is?
2. How do I care for this thing? It's been in a plastic bag for probably a few decades now and it sort of smells old. Is there a way to remove the smell? Is it more fragile because of it's age? Is it normal that the leather seems thin or stiffer in certain places?
3. I am considering using the fur to make something with. What garments is fox fur best used for in a way that will keep me warm in winter? I want to use the fur in a practical way (since winters are very cold here) and not as a fashion statement.
4. It seems a shame to cut into such a beautiful and old pelt. What can I do with it while keeping it intact? (Please note that I don't want to wear it in public, since the view of a whole pelt with legs and face still attached can be disturbing to many people)
5. With it's age and apparent quality (at least to the untrained eye), would i be better off donating this pelt to a museum? It was presumably caught and prepared by someone in my family who caught the fox locally, so perhaps it could have historical or cultural value?

Once again, even if you can only answer one of these questions that's already very helpful and thank you to everyone who has any insight into this situation!

Edit: I originally said it was a gray fox pelt, but it is a silver fox pelt. Got mixed up in the terminology!!
 
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Do you have any photos

Does the leather tear easily, or is it strong and springy.

I assume its tanned?


It would be a miracle to be in good enough shape to hold a stitch after all these years but I have seen a bear skin coat from the 1800's that was well cared for and in perfect condition, So stranger things can happen.

Throw it in the dryer with a load of laundry and an extra dryer sheet or two, that will freshen it up. Low or no heat.


Its best use would be a treasured family heirloom proudly displayed in you home.
 
Thanks for your response! I actually did take a few photos, although they aren't the best.

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As for the leather, it still has some moisture in it so it is a bit springy and not dry but it definitely feels a bit fragile, like I could rip it if I pulled too hard in certain places. No clue about wether it is tanned or not.
 
The fox pictured is what the industry calls a Silver Fox. From what I can see, it looks like it was prepped for taxidermy. So, I assume it was tanned.


You can check completed/sold sales on ebay and see what tanned silver fox hides are selling for.


Usually $30 to $100 USD.

So its probably best as a display item at this time.

Unless your an awesome sales person and get some extra money out of it for being "vintage"
 
I'd make a hat. With the legs attached. I would also wear it in public. I'm mighty sick of all the "political correctness" we have to deal with, Lord forbid we hurt some super liberal's precious feelings.

We should be proud of what we do!

The more we bow down to that crap, the more we will have to deal with in the future.

We give an inch, they take a mile.
 
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I have some very old mink and fox chokers that were made with the faces(glass eyes and finished noses) and feet on them(women used to wear them around their necks like a scarf), they are still soft and pliable though they dated to pre WW-II. I used them for displays when I did talks on trapping in the schools in MN. I would pass them around the class room the kids loved to feel the fur. Now they plus an old bobcat should scarf are in displays of antique traps in my BinL's home.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=xp14sqnq&id=ABB119CBEECCFA9E1B46570B08361D9FCE276A33&thid=OIP.xp14sqnqnGSqgeOB9ZLMQwHaE9&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fimg0.etsystatic.com%2f113%2f0%2f7784914%2fil_fullxfull.867303384_g8xf.jpg&exph=1004&expw=1500&q=antique+mink+collar&simid=608047035345338688&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

He has a little museum in his place, it was the original Weyerhauser office when they first logged northern WI. He also has all my ice harvesting gear, saw, poles and tongs from when they would harvest ice from the lakes in the winter to store in an ice house to cool stuff in an icebox through the summer, I'm old enough to remember getting in trouble playing in the sawdust in the ice house and hauling ice blocks into the house.

He also has my old flintlock and percussion to breechloader conversion shotgun that I used to hunt with in a display plus some of my big buck racks on the walls.

He used to own the store next store that was the original company store, so he has a lot of the old store equipment on display in his place.

I'd say find a couple of old/antique #2 longspring traps and make a wall hanging with it,.
 
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Thanks for your reply! As I've said previously, I won't be wearing it public with the legs and face attached, not out of political correctness but as personal preference to be nice to other people! Lots of people love animals and seeing their pelt in that way can be disturbing and a bit morbid to a lot of folks! And there are times when those things are called for, but it's not the type of message I'd like to wear on my head.

Not to mention the fact that dangly legs would just get tangled in my hair, bump into my face and just be overall not very practical in cold winter winds.

But yeah, thanks for making this lovely discovery of mine super political!
 
Thank you for sharing! That sounds lovely, I might see of there's a similar place that might benefit from having my fox! For now though, I'll just be keeping him safe at home!
 
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