A delightful vintage 1950s/1960s ‘Kelly’type lizard leather handbag.Craftsman made in London by a prestigious maker. In excellent vintage condition with a lovely soft strong flexible handle.Made of real lizard leather with a clean suede interior,3 inside pockets including a zip pocket.

WITH TWO ORIGINAL RARE COLLECTIBLE EXTRAS.

1)Original double sided mirror as good as new.

2)AND the original very rare tiny pillbox with lizard leather embellishment on one side,with its clip fastening working perfectly and with a crisp and clean removable interior sectional compartment which seems unused.The metal side of the pillbox is slightly tarnished (see photos )but this dainty pillbox is still a very rare item in amazingly clean condition and very sought after to show at vintage retro events like Goodwood Revival .

This bag is the ‘Swallow’ model-made in London by Lightstone Hubbard.They were the other major handbag maker of 1940s to 1970s,alongside Mappin & Webb.Sold by Ricemans of Canterbury.

The material and craftsmanship of this bag is top notch.The brass frame and fastener is by Elbief ,the snap fastener works perfectly and is beautifully embellished,and please note the raised bars of the frame which run parallel to the opening.They have decorative brass finials and are partially wrapped in lizard leather.See photos.

The carrying strap is lizard leather at the top and smooth leather underneath and is in amazingly good condition,soft and flexible,not bent at all and with only a couple of tiny scuffs which are not structural and are only seen on close inspection.

The suede interior is in good clean condition with no biro marks and the only interior fault is that on the inside of the zip compartment part of the satin lining has separated from the suede lining -but this isn’t a structural fault because the suede lining is intact.And this defect isn’t visible in wear or use.See photos.

Overall this bag is in remarkably good condition and a very wearable and useable handbag for all occasions both everyday and special. It’s particularly good for reenactment events where you can show off the little pillbox.

This handbag is made of real lizard leather but don’t worry,it’s an ethical buy.We can enjoy the elegant subtle beauty of the daintily patterned Water Monitor Lizard leather without feeling any guilt.

Yes,it’s an ethical purchase because the lizards were hunted 60-70 years ago,the trade in these bags no longer exists and there are no manufacturers of this style of bag.

So purchasing a vintage lizard handbag like this -which hasn’t been a product of animal suffering during most people’s lifetime -won’t cause any future animal suffering because new versions of the item aren’t available.

In fact by buying vintage exotic leather items we are respecting the beauty of the animals which were hunted many years ago and also helping the survival of lizards and other reptiles today.Because by using bags like these,we are encouraging people to buy vintage rather than purchasing new items.Buying vintage reptile leather items will decrease and discourage the trade in new reptile items.

I’m gradually selling my collection of vintage handbags and this is one of my two favourites.

From a smoke free pet free home and will be sent carefully packed and in a protective cloth bag.