Bargain Hunt expert stunned to find vintage handbags made decades ago are still affordable
In an episode of BBC's Bargain Hunt, Caroline Hawley met with vintage and antique handbag collector Clare Dumbleton.
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Bargain Hunt expert Caroline Hawley was blown away when meeting bag collector Clare Dumbleton on the BBC show.
After seeing some of the bags Clare had brought, the BBC star had nothing but admiration.
She said: “I think you’ve got such a wonderful, eclectic mix of bags! What really draws you to them?”
Clare confessed she loves the history behind each one as they’ve all been owned by at least one other person in the past.
Caroline was curious to know whether or not Clare had ever found something interesting in any of the bags over the years.
She confessed: “I’ve found all kinds of things! I’ve found old tickets, I’ve also found an old glove in one.”
Holding up the item she once discovered, the Bargain Hunt star was blown away as she commented: “Ooh an old evening glove!”
However, there were two particular bags that Clare admitted were high up on her list of favourites.
She explained the two small bags, which were called Caro Nan, originated from America and were made between the 1950s to 1970s.
Clare added: “Two friends who got together, a female company, which is quite unusual at the time. Each one is individually made and hand-painted. They made them for different stalls in different areas.”
The collector explained that each of the Caro Nan bags should have a coin attached to it from the year they were made.
She continued: “They were actually used as seats by a lot of ladies!”
Caroline was shocked by the revolution as Clare stated they were used as picnic baskets but would then sit on them while watching their children play.
Curious, the BBC star questioned how hard the bags were to find, aware that they stopped being made decades ago.
She replied: “You can still find them, they’re quite reasonably priced. The maximum I’ve seen is about £80.”
Caroline added: “So really, they’re affordable. Certainly, if you compare them to designer handbags, they’re very affordable. I think they’re lovely, you can look at them for hours.”
Bargain Hunt is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
