“One suitcase, two gentlemen. Hopefully Colmar doesn’t want to leave,” Horst Lichter shouts happily as Veronika and Ralf Ziegler enter the expert room. The couple from Neu Zauche dragged a heavy chest with them to “Bares für Rares”.
But it may be a valuable piece that was stored in the Zieglers’ basement. Because while cleaning, the wife discovered a label from Louis Vuitton. However, Veronika Ziegler admits, she probably cleaned it a little too thoroughly and wiped away the linen. “It was all spotty.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Horst Lichter interjects, “I’m afraid something bad will happen.” Expert Colmar Schulte-Goltz confirms the assumption: “They actually erased the history of the chest.” At the same time, the expert is lenient: “It can happen to anyone at some point.”
The suitcase is a special invention by Louis Vuitton and has been on the market since 1858. The example here was made in 1878, explains the expert. “And the original fabric was still in there,” Lichter digs into the wound again. “I don’t want to dwell on it, but it’s gone.”
The Zieglers would like 500 to 700 euros for the old piece. “It’s very, very hard in this situation,” says Schulte-Goltz, introducing his expertise. He values the piece at 2,900 to 3,100 euros. Horst Lichter now wants to know what the suitcase would be worth if the original material was still preserved. The answer is painful for the sellers: upwards of 16,000 euros could be achieved.
In the dealer’s room, Roman Runkel is certain: “I’ve never seen such an old suitcase before.” Wolfgang Pauritsch starts immediately with 1000 euros. In a duel with Daniel Meyer, he increases the price to 2,400 euros. Then Julian Schmitz-Avila intervenes and grabs the suitcase for 2,500 euros. A proud price considering the Zieglers’ desired price. On the other hand: Far from the possible 16,000 euros. Nevertheless, the couple are satisfied: “We came here with zero expectations. So: everything is good!”
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