If you are looking for an answer with an exact figure on it then you are in the wrong place and your question is not specific enough. You should be using your search engine, google, Bing, yahoo or whatever and posing a more specific question such as “blue mink fur coat knee length with hood”. Then open a few pages from various sellers and make a comparison of prices for the given time period. Make the same search again after a few weeks and you will see that numbers have changed. Here we will discuss the Mink fur coat worth and its value.
If, however you are interested in learning what are the key factors, both extrinsic and intrinsic, that determine the value of a mink fur coat and how you can make the best deal for your buck, then you are in the right place.
How Much is a Mink Fur coat Worth? Importance, Value & Price
First, mink fur is an excellent choice of a fur type. It is classy, elegant, durable and warm. It is not by chance the most popular fur in the world. One of the few instances that the mass knows better.
Auction Commodity
Having taken this out of the way, there are several other factors that determine the price of a mink fur coat at any given time. Mink pelts as most fur pelts are auctioned in fur auction houses in North America, Scandinavian countries and in Hong Kong. The auction price depends on the demand and on the supply. After the year 2000 the number of fur pelts production is on the rise and this has created a drop-in price compared to the years before. The demand is determined by the fashion trends. If fur fashion houses decide that they want fur in their collections and more specifically mink fur, them the demand will rise, and the mink pelts will be auctioned at higher prices.
Weather
The weather plays a key role on demand and pricing of a mink fur coat and of fur in general. Fur coats are sold globally. Prolonged and harsh winters will rise the demand and prices.
Timing
Following the principle of low demand, off season buying is a smart tactic if you want to get your favorite mink fur coat at a better deal. Beware that size and design availability will not be the same as in the high season.
Apart from the extrinsic factors that were analyzed above, there are intrinsic factors that determine the value of a mink coat.
Hair Quality
Not all mink pelts are the same. High quality pelts have thick, fully grown underfur and uniformity in look and color. Bald areas, scuffs, areas with trimmed guard hair depreciate the quality. The fullest pelts are obtained during the winter season. There are always the summer pelts which are of inferior quality since the hair is not fully grown but they have the advantage that they can be used for warmer climates or during warmer seasons such as spring and autumn.
low quality summer mink skins
high quality mink skins
Sex
Male mink skins are larger in size, but their fur is coarser. Female mink skins are smaller and more supple and are valued higher. You should ask the vendor about the gender of the pelts and always palpate the texture of the fur.
Fur skin dressing
The quality of the dressing process is of ultimate importance. A well-dressed skin produces soft mink coats that drape well and last longer. Poorly dressed skins dry up easily and become brittle, not to mention that the hair start to shed at an early stage of the coat’s lifespan. A quality mink fur coat should feel butter soft when folded. Several manufacturers do not sew the lining at the bottom sweep of their coats so that you can see the workmanship and feel with your fingertips the quality of the pelt from the inside.
Color
There are certain colors that are rarer and more valued higher than others. Blue iris, sapphire and black cross mink are the most expensive ones.
Sapphire mink fur coat
Black cross mink fur coat
Special Brands
Blackglama and Black Velvet are branded mink skins which are considered of high quality. Their main characteristic is the rich under fur and minimal length difference between the under fur and the guard hair , resulting in a more uniform look.
Sewing Technique
The most common techniques are skin to skin, pelts across or horizontally. The former two techniques require less manufacturing time than the let-out technique which involves cutting the skin into thin stripes and stitching them back together. The skin to skin technique requires pelts that are bigger in size in order to make a coat look as seamless as possible and thus skin to skin coats are more expensive than the ones made with the pelts stitched horizontally. Of course, the most expensive ones are the fully let out mink coats. As a general principle the stitches between pelts must be unanimous and no hair should protrude between them.
skin to skin
pelts across
fully let out
Designer Tag
As with all clothing a label from a famous designer will certainly raise the price of a monk coat and will add some value if you ever decide to resell it.
Size & Length
Unlike regular clothing, furs become more expensive when they come in bigger sizes or lengths. Each mink pelt has a significant cost and the more needed for making a coat the higher its price.
Country of Origin
Furriers wages vary a lot from country to country and this has an impact to the final price of each fur. Of course, buying from a country that wages are ultra-low may mean a compromise in workmanship. Fur making is an art that literally requires more than a decade of experience to master and an underpaid fur maker is either not skilled or unhappy. A good fur coat must always be a product of skill and love. According to the author’s opinion, the best country to purchase a mink coat is Greece, where there is a more than 200-year-old tradition in fur making and the wages are reasonable.
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