Are these shell cordovan?

[judgeschreber]

Hi all, this is my first post, but I've been following the forums for some time, trying to put together a decent wardrobe despite not having a lot of disposable income--styleforum's been a fantastic resource.

I recently bought a pair of vintage Hanover shell longwings for a great price, and I'm now determined to expand my shell collection

I'm on the fence about these ones. They are Johnston and Murphy, but they're older, made in USA. The creases are a lighter color and the folds say shell to me, but the photos are a bit blurry and the last photo might show micro-creasing, but I'm having trouble figuring it out.

Anyone care to weigh in? Thanks!

 

[MyOtherLife]

Not shell.
Welcome to Styleforum.

 

[89826]

Different view here; I say they are shell.

 

[sportin_life]

Hard to say based on the pics b/c they aren't the best, but don't look like shell to me b/c of creasing on last picture and the way shoe polish is sitting on the shoe.

 

[MyOtherLife]



Hard to say based on the pics b/c they aren't the best, but don't look like shell to me b/c of creasing on last picture and the way shoe polish is sitting on the shoe.

Agreed.
judgeschreber you want to look for micro-creasing. If it exists, it is not shell. Your photos are not clear enough so check.

 

[Gdot]

Not shell - creasing is too fine.

 

[stevent]

First photo doesn't look like shell, rest kinda do. If it's over eBay and advertised as shell you have some protection if they are not

 

[RIDER]

No, not shell....the old Hyde Park II in brown brush-off calf. Never were made in shell.

 

[judgeschreber]

Thanks for saving me from a bad purchase!

They were on ebay, and the original photos were even blurrier, so I asked the seller to email close-ups of the creases. None of them showed micro-creasing except maybe that last one I posted, so thanks for confirming it.

They weren't marked as shell. Given my limited budget, I'm trying to find shell shoes on ebay that aren't marked. The hanover longwings I bought were easy to identify, but these seemed borderline to me.

sportin_life: what do you mean by "the way shoe polish is sitting on the shoe"?

 

[taxgenius]



Not shell - creasing is too fine.

+1