Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[davidVC]

Information on Bostonian logos would be useful. I just picked up some Bostonian PTH and could recognize it by some of the stitching and the arrangement of the size and style lettering. The insole had a VERY faint log that included "IAN" that helped lead me to conclude it was Bostonian. It was certainly a different logo than seen on @MattRiv shoes seen earlier.

I don't have much info on Bostonian logos. I have a couple old Bostonian catalogs but they are from the 1960s. The color on @MattRiv PTBs looks great.

 

[smfdoc]

Time for some shell long wing Florsheims from 1990. These are 97626 and were the replacement for the 93605.

 

[vijayagopalp]

Hello members need your expert insights, I recently purchased Hanover L B Sheppard Shell LWBs from eBay, they are gorgeous pair of shoes and have full leather heels with v-cleats. Which I have not seen on Hanover shells, I have 3 Hanover shells and they all have rubber heels. Help me to find the age of these shoes...pictures

 

[MattRiv]

Hello members need your expert insights, I recently purchased Hanover L B Sheppard Shell LWBs from eBay, they are gorgeous pair of shoes and have full leather heels with v-cleats. Which I have not seen on Hanover shells, I have 3 Hanover shells and they all have rubber heels. Help me to find the age of these shoes...pictures

No idea on the age, but those shoes are beautiful.

 

[smfdoc]

Time to break out the Florsheim Imperial Long wings this week. These USA made shoes, style 93604, are just super quality and can be found on Ebay for around $100 in good condition.

 

[MattRiv]

Picked up a pair of vintage Florsheim Imperial Kenmoor country grain LWBs from eBay for $75. They were delivered today and I can't believe the shape that they are in.

Here are some pics after a quick clean up.

Really excited about these. Marked 93602.

 

[smfdoc]



Picked up a pair of vintage Florsheim Imperial Kenmoor country grain LWBs from eBay for $75. They were delivered today and I can't believe the shape that they are in.

Here are some pics after a quick clean up.

Really excited about these. Marked 93602.

Those are really nice. I keep looking for the same country grain in my size and I just find the occasional black. What a really nice buy. Give a fit and comfort report after you have them out for the day.

 

[Allen Dreadmon]

I just took delivery of a NOS pair of 93605's (Florsheim #8 LWB). They are absolutely gorgeous and my first pair of vintage Florsheim's. I haven't had a chance to photograph them yet, but I will surely post some pics here when I do!

 

[smfdoc]

I just took delivery of a NOS pair of 93605's (Florsheim #8 LWB). They are absolutely gorgeous and my first pair of vintage Florsheim's. I haven't had a chance to photograph them yet, but I will surely post some pics here when I do!

Well....we're waiting.

 

[MattRiv]

Those are really nice. I keep looking for the same country grain in my size and I just find the occasional black. What a really nice buy. Give a fit and comfort report after you have them out for the day.

They are awesome. They weren't even broken in by the previous owner, so these will be all my own. The construction is incredible, on par with Alden. The interior leather is not glove soft as my 93605s, but very similar to what AE is using. The last works extremely well with my foot and runs a bit tighter than the 93605, but that might change as they break in.

 

[Allen Dreadmon]

Well....we're waiting.

9C. Procured from ebay. I paid shipping (twice) and taxes but they were still a steal (OK, not so much a steal, but damn worth it!).

 

[smfdoc]

Quote:
Those are beautiful shoes and you are right to be thrilled. I checked out the additional pictures on the Ebay listing and they were made in January 1981. These fine shoes serve as a benchmark to show, with the exception of a few companies, how far quality has slipped in the last 35 years. Unless you are 20, these shoes will last longer than you will.

 

[Allen Dreadmon]

Thank you @smfdoc. The date code is AB. Does that not mean January '82?

 

[smfdoc]

Thank you @smfdoc. The date code is AB. Does that not mean January '82?

The months start at A for January, and so on. The years start with A for 0, such as 1980. So AB would be January and a year that ends in 1. Your v cleat is inset into the heel, which occurred in 1973. So the AB could not be for 1971. Florsheim made the 93605 from 1960 to 1988. So the only "1" year available for your shoes is 1981. After 1988 they changed the style number to 97626 and added the designation "Royal" to the shoe.

 

[Allen Dreadmon]

^^ thanks for the clarification!