Disposing of vintage furs - any advice, please?

My dear mum loved fur coats and had several. When she died, because most charity shops would not take them, I ended up giving them to friends who had cats - evidently they used them as beds for their pets! There is a second hand shop in Totnes, Devon who used to have lots of real fur coats for sale. I think it is a case of searching to see whether anywhere is willing to take them. My daughter-in-law who is in her 30s, wears her real fur in the winter! They are SO warm and cosy, if you are not averse to wearing real fur.

Have them made into cushion covers, at least they will have a use.

An Am Dram Society is a good bet I think ixion as they often do period plays, do you have one locally?

PETA

www.peta.org.uk/action/donate-fur-peta/

flexagon it makes horrific reading doesn’t it?

PETA sounds the best place for them.

I would offer them to a local drama group as they are authentic. I used to wear one with jeans to university in the 70s. That's brought back memories.

I don’t usually watch PETA videos because they are far too distressing BUT I’ve just watched the way they treat the alpacas and I’m in tears…. I do already donate to a couple of charities but think this one is going to get a donation as well. Absolutely sickening how animals are treated around the world..???

Flexagon

PETA

www.peta.org.uk/action/donate-fur-peta/

Thank you for this helpful link.
My heart sank as I thought it was to be an 'anti-fur' platform - I know it's wrong, I know it's repulsive and of another era, so many thanks for your constructive help! Much appreciated?

Peta again

You are welcome, ixion. Yes, it was another era. A solution that your children will approve of, I hope.

Oxfam were willing to accept my mother's fur coats.

I think, but cannot be sure, that there’s a market for furs on the European continent. Perhaps Europeans are less concerned about how the animals are bred & die? I love my fur coats and from a warmth perspective would like to wear them but I’m sensitive to others’ feelings.

I worked in an exclusive furriers when I was young. With very high security for it’s day in the 1970s. It was closed down as others were not long after I left as animal rights protestors demanded it. I think Amateur dramatics societies would welcome them.

I disposed of my mother’s fur coat through Freecycle. Someone took it for amateur dramatics. Afterwards my son was quite annoyed as he’d planned to use it at Halloween!

You could put them in an auction and donate the money to an animal charity. My local auction house sells vintage furs.

My dog used to sleep on an old musquash, it mad3 her very happy

I tried to give my mother's fox fur to our local museum , they refused it .

A friend's son's Russian mother-in-law took my late Mum's musquash back home with her and I was very pleased to get rid of it. I don't know how successful you might be in finding a Russian outlet for yours.

When my husband sold his parents house, we took his late mother's furs to a furriers in North London, all the younger female members of the family regarded them as completely beyond the pale and often told her so whenever she wore them, she didn't care though, she was of her time! It seems furriers were few and far between, that was more than a dozen years ago, more so now I imagine. They told us they unpick existing furs to ship to Russia as the Russians have no such qualms about wearing animal skins.

You could always take them to The Argy ixion we don’t move with the times much there as you know, and Doodle would probably love to wear a fur coat on her trips down the docks ( gets a bit parky there late at night.)

A big, sincere thanks to everyone who made the time to offer their suggestions, which were much appreciated!

I have started by contacting a local Am. Dram society and am waiting on a response. Failing that, it will be approaching our nearby Oxfam shop, which specialises in 'Vintage Clothing' (and where, sadly, most of it seems to replicate what I like to wear and/or still have in my wardrobe?‍♀️).

Then, I have in mind our go-to animal sanctuary, and, ultimately, an email to PETA (just trying here to avoid some eye-watering postage charges!).

I was mighty impressed with the PETA link from Flexagon, for which special thanks. I was pleased to see that it recognises the problems of 'other people's' furs and aims to 'take these off the streets'. In fact, not vilifying us at all.
I have learned much.

I haven’t read through to see if you have disposed of them yet. However if not. I’d be happy to buy them to turn into seat cover for my profoundly disabled grandson’s wheelchair. Fur can stop sweating and keep warm, depending on time of year.
Cheers

I had my mother's old fur coat and fur stole made into 2 lovely teddy bears. I couldn't throw or give them away because they had meant so much to my mother and it would have made the animals being killed for the fur even more needless. I love them, they sit on my bedroom window sill and I think of my parents every time I look at them.

My father spent the whole of his working life (from 14 years of age until 65 yrs) working as a fur nailer. Fortunately, he retired back in 1966 before the attitude regarding fur coats came into being.
TBH we all hated fur coats - for some years my Mum did outwork as a finisher and liner for these. Hard,heavy work - like all outwork, badly paid. As a small child I used to be stood on the table having these extremely heavy coats put on me to ensure lining was hanging straight.
I did have a lovely small fur stole my dad made for me when I was a teenager - that eventually ended up in the dressing up box for my g.children and then finally onto a charity shop/.