My MIL recently moved into assisted living, and we’re in the midst of cleaning out her home to prepare it for sale. She had a fur coat (actually a jacket I guess since it’s hip length). She doesn’t want it anymore, and I’m not a proponent of furs, so I would never wear it. I don’t know anyone in the family who would wear it. I remembered that I also have another one (it was my grandmother’s) stuffed into the back of a closet. I think they’re both minks. It doesn’t feel right to just trash them. I also have no desire for mink teddy bears and so forth. Any suggestions?
I’d try a consignment shop.
Maybe ask extended family, just to confirm that they don’t want them. Then either try to sell in a consignment shop or online or donate them to a thrift shop.
My mother had me donate her fur coat and her car to a city shelter that helped the poor and homeless in her area in FL. They sell such items and use the proceeds for their work.
We sold my moms furs. No one in the family wanted them. I have one fur she gave me when I graduated from college that I can’t seem to part with even though it’s been worn like once. I can’t imagine ever wearing it, but I feel sentimental about it.
If you don’t want to wear it, but aren’t horrified at the idea of having it in the house, you could have it made into pillows or throws. I found out about this idea only after rejecting my husband’s grandmother’s mink stole. Those poor minks were already loooooong gone. His mother and her sisters might have wanted a bit of it as a reminder of grandma’s fondness for her 50’s era stole.
Secondhand store.
We ended up donating my grandmother’s mink stoles. No one in the family wanted them and even the consignment shops in my mother’s NYC neighborhood took a pass. They were very good quality and had really held up over time but even ten years ago not too many folks were in the market for something like that.
Lol, Romani. I now can’t get that Goodwill song out of my head. Grandpa’s coat.
RealReal sells furs.
D2 is wearing one of my fur coats now. It is one of those long mink coat. She told me it’s really cool.
I hear that furs are “in.” Especially vintage furs.
It was my first fur, so I guess it is vintage.
A family member living in NYC happily took an inherited fur and loves wearing it in the city
Donate them to your college drama/theater department’s costume shop. They will be appreciated, and you’ll have a chance to view them once again!
Thanks for all the suggestions. I had no idea that furs are “in” again. I’m very surprised at that. I’ll check out whether any consignment shops locally handle furs, and if not The RealReal sounds like it could be a good way to go.
Furs are arguably more ecologically sound. Fake furs, when “trashed,” spread their tiny synthetic fibers into the air, ground and water for a near-eternity.
In our town, old ladies are allowed to wear real fur once a year to church on Christmas. Other than that, be wary of someone throwing red paint on you. In general you can’t wear real fur these days.
I am glad I can still wear mine in my town. I just wore mine last week.
Please don’t do this unless you contact them and they say they want the fur. Trust me when I say…they do not have the storage capabilities for furs.
My mother had furs. I kept one…a really nice black seal long jacket. It’s really warm in the winter. But I don’t wear it that often. The others…I just gave them away. I tried to sell them…and no one would take them. So…there mink coats, another seal jacket, a Persian lamb…all just given away. I was happy to be able to find people to give them to.
Funny story…we were in Florida one year, and went to a little town just north of Orlando. Really neat Art Deco sort of town. There was a consignment store so I just had to go in. There was a HUGE circular rack totally filled with (overpriced) used fur coats. I’m sure the owners moved to Florida and just couldn’t leave their furs behind. But when they got there, they realized they were never going to wear them. I asked the owners if they sold well…and they politely said…NO. Many were just abandoned and donated to Goodwill. Some, the owners picked up. But sales…not very often. The owners set the prices…and many were in the $3000 range. They probably didn’t cost that much new…
There are companies that will make teddy bears out of them.