A £12 gift bought by a dad for his daughter’s first flat nearly 40 years ago has sold for more than 600 times that price at auction.
His bid to solve a storage issue unwittingly turned out to be a brilliant investment. He purchased an antique Louis Vuitton steamer trunk. It went under the hammer at Hansons London (July 30) and soared to £7,300. With buyer’s premium, the total paid by a UK buyer was £9,490.
The seller was so stunned as she watched the drama unfold live online, she couldn’t keep her mobile phone steady as she tried to capture the moment on video.
Melissa, 56, an estates officer from Middlesex, said: “It was definitely a wow moment! It was very surreal and nerve-racking to watch. I was trying to video the laptop screen for my husband who was working but it was difficult to concentrate on keeping the phone steady.
“It was a fantastic result. I’m really happy that the trunk’s journey is now going to continue and that it will be appreciated and looked after for many years to come. A big thank you to everyone at Hansons for all their help. Definitely an experience for the memory bank.”
Chris Kirkham, associate director of Hansons London, said: “We’re thrilled for Melissa. The trunk exceeded expectations and sold for an eye-popping amount. What a return on £12! Louis Vuitton is a name forever aligned with quality but this trunk is more than that. It is an historical object demonstrating Vuitton’s design ingenuity and the style of luxury luggage in the early 1900s.”
Melissa, the trunk’s careful owner for nearly 40 years, only parted with the family treasure to protect it from her cats. “We foster cats and I have to keep the trunk covered up all the time to stop them using it as scratching post.
“My dad bought the trunk in 1984from an old bric-a-brac/antiques shop in the village of St Margarets, near Twickenham in London where we used to live. He got a job up north but I didn’t want to go. He bought me the trunk as there was a lack of storage in my first flat.
“I put linen in it. I’ve always used it but over time I kept noticing the name Louis Vuitton crop up more and more on TV antiques shows. I realised it might be valuable. Last year I emailed TV’s Antiques Roadshow to get a valuation and they asked me to bring it to the show.
“I was quite surprised. Everyone who knows me was laughing because I don’t like having my picture taken, let alone being on telly. I went along to the event at Ham House in Richmond upon Thames and their expert valued it at £3,000-£5,000.”
“The trunk has been authenticated by Louis Vuitton,” said Melissa. “According to the serial number on the trunk, it was originally sold between 1909 and 1914. I’ve always looked after it but decided it was time for someone else to appreciate it.”
Louis Vuitton founded the French luxury fashion house of the same name in 1854. He was innovative with an eye for quality and detail. Consequently, in 1858, Vuitton introduced flat-topped trunks with Trianon canvas, making them lightweight, airtight and ideal for voyages and train travel.
Before Vuitton trunks emerged, rounded-top trunks were common but they were not ideal for stacking. Such was the success of Vuitton’s innovation other luggage makers imitated his design.
By 1885 the company had opened its first store in London’s Oxford Street. In 1888, due to more imitations, Vuitton created a Damier canvas pattern which bore the logo, ‘marque L. Vuitton déposée’ meaning ‘L. Vuitton registered trademark’.
In the ongoing battle to protect the brand, the LV logo took centre stage in a monogram canvas designed in 1896. As well as the logo, this iconic print features quatrefoils and flowers. It is the canvas displayed on the trunk which was auctioned, now immediately recognisable across the globe.
The Louis Vuitton steamer trunk, lot 101, sold on July 30 in the Hansons London Fine Art and Collectables Auction. To find out more, or to arrange a free valuation or consignment for the next sale, email [email protected].
