PART 1: BUYING GUIDE FOR A LUXURY LOUIS VUITTON TRUNK

Malle2luxe  was born from a passion for French craftsmanship and a passion for  old luggage , shining brasses, cowhide leather, fabrics patinated by transatlantic crossings and distant journeys. This article aims to educate future buyers , so that they make the best choice on their next  investments , at the best price.

Denounce certain indelicate practices . We help you avoid the pitfalls!  It is a question of  fighting against the destruction  of the heritage which affects the world of the  restoration of old trunk  Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Moynat. No article is available to date to precisely point out  the defects to avoid  when purchasing a collector's trunk. In order to help you, our expertise in the world of the old travel trunk and our experience in the catering sector, will be invaluable to you.

Buying in the auction room or from an art dealer (brokers, Saint-Ouen flea market, antique dealers, galleries) does not guarantee a good restoration, nor the authenticity of the trunk, so once again, remain vigilant!

By acquiring a trunk in the auction room, buyers think they are making a good deal. It's not always the case ! Pay attention to the selling costs  ranging from 16% to 28% in addition to the hammer price. The enthusiasm of buyers to acquire collector's trunks drives up the price. In fact, on some products they regularly pay 20% to 30% more than the real price in the store. These trunks often need to be renovated and the cost of a restoration is not negligible: several thousand euros.  So it's very risky. Complications can happen, like glasses in the wood , which causes their value to drop. The price of the work increases accordingly.  It is the double penalty.

Only a specialist in luxury trunk can   accurately assess the object and determine the extent of the damage and detect malfeasance of previous restorations, such as a varnished or waxed canvas. During these sales,  dealers from all over the world mingle with collectors and often novice individuals.  The euphoric atmosphere of the auction rooms stimulates buyers who push the auction and this is reflected in the final sale price, sometimes delusional. However, the price of luxury Louis Vuitton, Goyard and Moynat trunks has steadily increased over the past few years and exceptional trunks are becoming scarce., these auction house acquisitions are not such a bad deal for the finest pieces. However, it will take longer for the price of the rating to approach the selling price. In addition, the "Poubelle" trunks of which the canvas is varnished, repainted or tinkered with are to be banned.

The curved trunks often have sentimental value to their owners. But have no collection value.

Even signed Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Moynat. Too archaic, of "rustic" wrought iron manufacture, the value of its trunks has no comparison with the flat trunks.

It's a conversation that we have several times a week with novices or amateurs on the importance of restoring a trunk or not. Here are some ways to become fully aware of a subject rarely discussed. This expert article will help you see more clearly. When talking about "restoration" collection trunk Louis Vuitton, Goyard , Moynat , Hermes many believe to be redone to nine ! You have to know how to qualify.

The verb to  restore  means:  

Restore to its old state or to its original form. 

Repair, renovate, restore to good condition (a work of art, a monument) while respecting the primitive state, the style. 

The act of preserving, keeping intact or in the same state. 

The word restore therefore also designates: 

• Light work
  Like a simple dusting or polishing of

• brass.

• Heavy work
  Replacement of wood ,

• replacement of destroyed brass part or repair of old restoration.

The answer is of course  YES  but under certain conditions. The main ones being:  

• That the canvas

•  is original unvarnished, neither waxed nor repainted

• That the brasses are not brushed (or polished brushed)

• That the leathers are in perfect condition.

• That the restoration is carried out perfectly, respecting the rules of the art, inside as outside.  

Otherwise it will have the opposite effect. A bad restoration is detrimental to the value of a trunk . 

Now if the question is:

The answer is  NO , except for very rare models . The price of a restoration is very important and it will be easier to sell the trunk cheaper as it is than more expensive, taking into account the price of the restoration.

Even if these objects are old, even if they have a certain charm to look like  a ruin , like the end of a good period, a bygone time. The more the object is degraded the more mysterious it becomes, and the imagination takes precedence over reality.

For a collector, a museum , a heritage institution it is inconceivable to own a precious, luxury object, damaged by an inadequate restoration, dirty and dilapidated and therefore not in conformity with the origin!

The wreckage of an old car leaves one dreaming. But any collector likes clean, healthy cars where the chrome is not stuck by rust rather than a wrecked car in its own juice. In a collective imagination, restoration is harmful. While if it is well conducted it allows to sublimate the objects of the past. And against all popular belief, restoration is essential for conservation by stopping degradation. Catering is a taboo subject. As if the unrestored object is pristine and pure, as if dust and dirt are more pure and genuine.

While dust degrades the pigments and oxidation further degrades the conservation of the object. As if the act of restoring it damaged his identity. Catering is a taboo subject. As if the unrestored object is pristine and pure, as if dust and dirt are more pure and genuine. While dust degrades the pigments and oxidation further degrades the conservation of the object. As if the act of restoring it damaged his identity. In museums each object has been restored to its original state.

We are not trying to have a replica more beautiful than the origin, or a new object brought up to date with the finishes or colors fashionable today.

For example, the  brushed finish  today is much more fashionable than the  gloss , but it will not do justice to these objects and their history, than to distort them and follow the fashion to be appreciated by a wider audience. public. The restoration consists in recovering the aesthetics of the object in the state in which it would have been if it had been kept in ideal conditions (away from dust, humidity ...) and leaving a heritage for future generations.

The most beautiful objects in the world have all been restored, whatever their era: 

• Restoration of all Tutankhamun masks (-1345 to -1327 BC). Discovered in 1922.

Egyptian Museum in Cairo

• Restoration of the statue of The Winged Victory of Samothrace - circa 190 BC.  

Louvre Museum 

• Restoration of the painting of The Virgin, the infant Jesus of Saint Anne by Leonard de Vinci (1452 to 1512). Painted in 1501.  

Louvre Museum

Which was offered to Louis XIV in 1686

before and after its restoration sponsorship of the LVMH group. 

Castle of Versailles

We restore our luxury Goyard, Moynat and Louis Vuitton trunks for museums and collectors in the same perspective, not to denature, to clean up weathering to preserve and transmit the history of French know-how to future generations:

• Rediscover the shiny brass finishes of yesteryear without brushing.

• Clean to regain the shine of the canvaswithout repainting it .

Louis Vuitton FULL aluminum explorer trunk . Discover the incredible work of conservation in our workshops of this mail trunk  from 1892 which is one of the most expensive in the world.

Louis Vuitton Zinc and brass mail trunk from 1889. Cleaning and restoration in our workshops. 

The fantasy of the object in perfect condition that has not undergone any restoration is indeed a legend. The restored trunks in perfect condition are more sought after and therefore negotiate better than those in their "juice". The myth which implies that a trunk in "its own juice" is rarer and more sought after by collectors is maintained by many dealers. For economic reasons alone, they do not restore their trunks and offer trunks in their "juice" by making the customer believe that they are more valuable because no one has touched them. Other merchants entrust the work to "handymen" who botch the work and destroy the heritage. Likewise, brasses are poorly restored out of ignorance of techniques and not for the sake of retaining some charm to aold trunk .

Catering is a profession in its own right, subtle, requiring training, knowledge and extremely specific skills that cannot be improvised. 

• What would the brushed Tutankhamun mask have looked like? 

• The victory of Samothrace shortbread? 

• The virgin, the infant Jesus of Saint Anne by Leonardo da Vinci repainted?