A used briefcase can be the best purchase in leather, or a slow disappointment. Old bags that were well made and moderately cared for are often better than new ones at the same price. Old bags that sat in a damp basement or beside a radiator for thirty years are different objects wearing the same look.
Marcellino NY Briefcase Maker on YouTube: hand burnishing vegetable-tanned edges.
The inspection takes ten minutes and needs light, a free hand and some patience with the seller. I inspect every hide that comes into my shop before it gets cut, and a used bag deserves the same treatment.
Smell first
Mould is the first thing to rule out. Conservators at the Canadian Conservation Institute note that mould spores are always present in the air and grow only when conditions allow: relative humidity between 65 and 100 percent, warm temperatures and poor air circulation. The same note gives rough timelines, with mould appearing after about two days at 90 to 100 percent humidity, ten days at 80 percent and a hundred days at 70 percent.
That last figure explains a lot of bad bags. A closet at 70 percent humidity does not look dangerous, and a hundred days is a single humid season.
A musty smell in a closed bag is the warning. White or greenish bloom on the suede lining, on the stitching or under the flap is the proof. A seller who says the bag “just needs airing” has answered the question for you. The CCI note recommends a HEPA-filter vacuum for cleaning mould off leather, which tells you how seriously conservators take it.
Touch and flex
Dry rot comes next. A consumer guide from Hunker describes the signs: leather that looks lighter and greyer, cracks or tears, and a powder left on the fingers. It also suggests dampening a small area; if the damp patch looks darker than the dry surface, the leather may be suffering. Treat that as a hint, not a test.
The test that counts is mechanical:
- Bend the handle gently at its base, where the stress is highest. It should flex and spring back.
- Press along the fold lines at the corners and under the flap. Cracks that run through the grain are a structural problem; surface crazing that does not break the fibers is cosmetic.
- Run a fingertip along the edge. Fraying or flaking fibers mean the layers are separating.
- Check the underside of the flap and the gusset corners, where the leather has been folded thousands of times.
The conservation note on vegetable-tanned leather names the same weakness: sharp folds or creases should be padded to avoid cracking and eventual splitting. That wording comes from a forum post that reproduces the CCI note; the CCI original is linked in the sources below.
Red rot
Red rot is the one condition that cannot be repaired. A conservation overview on Wikipedia describes it as degradation of leather reacting with sulfur dioxide or other air pollutants, with early stages showing a pinkish color that darkens as the decay progresses, and says the damage cannot be reversed. I use Wikipedia here as a pointer, since I did not retrieve a primary conservation source on the point.
Leather that powders under the thumb, crumbles at an edge or feels like dry cork is past saving. No conditioner restores fibers that have already broken down. That goes for the leather, and for the money.
Hardware and locks
Metal tells its own story. CCI notes that buttons, clasps, buckles, rivets and nails often show signs of corrosion, and corroding metal stains the leather around it.
On a briefcase, three places repay attention:
- Locks. Turn the key or combination several times. A lock that sticks, or a combination that has drifted from its setting, may need a locksmith or a replacement.
- Buckles and tongues. Brass and nickel tolerate age, but a bent tongue or a cracked weld will fail under load.
- Handle attachments. Check where the handle meets the body. A handle sewn through the leather lasts; a handle held by a corroded bar or rivet is the first part to go.
Stitching and structure
Stitching carries the load, so give it a slow look.
Pull gently on the stress points: handle bases, strap loops and gusset corners. Look for threads that have flattened, sunk below the surface or turned chalky with age. A repairer can re-sew a few worn stitches, but a seam that has lost its holes is finished.
Check the lining too. Suede that has gone shiny or matted has seen heavy use. Torn pockets and peeling glue can be fixed. A lining glued down so tightly that you cannot see the back of the leather limits what any inspection can confirm.
What is worth repairing
Some faults are acceptable:
- Surface scratches and scuffs, which polish and conditioner soften.
- Faded color, which is a record of use, not damage.
- Worn handles or straps that a repairer can replace.
- A lock that needs rekeying.
Others are not:
- Mould that has penetrated the lining or the back of the leather.
- Cracks that run along the whole of a fold.
- Red rot, or leather that powders.
- Missing structure, where the case slumps and will not hold its shape.
The Canadian Conservation Institute adds one more that applies to any old leather: objects that have sagged and stiffened in a misshapen position are difficult, and often impossible, to reshape. A briefcase that has spent decades leaning on its side will not stand up again.
Questions for the seller
- Where has the bag been stored, and for how long?
- Is the smell the leather, or the room it came from?
- Has it been refinished, repainted or re-dyed? Fresh paint can hide a lot.
- Have any parts been replaced, such as the lock, the handle or the lining?
- Can the bag be opened fully and every compartment photographed?
To see what a well-made case looks like new, my notes on lining a case with suede or bridle and why solid brass hardware outlasts the leather show what to look for in the construction.
Sources
- Canadian Conservation Institute, Removing Mould from Leather (Notes 8/1)
- Canadian Conservation Institute, Care of Alum, Vegetable and Mineral-tanned Leather (Notes 8/2)
- BOCN forum, reproduction of CCI Notes 8/2
- Hunker, How to tell if leather has dry rot
- Wikipedia, Conservation and restoration of leather objects (pointer only)
- Marcellino NY Briefcase Maker, hand burnishing vegetable-tanned edges
