Pre-Owned Luxury Luggage & Travel: The Complete Guide
By The Old Fashioned Club Team
Keepall, Louis Vuitton trunks, Goyard Saint-Louis, Hermès travel bags: icons, materials, authentication and resale value of pre-owned luxury luggage. The OFC guide.
Luxury luggage is the historic cradle of the greatest houses: Louis Vuitton and Goyard began as trunk-makers, Hermès as a saddler. Buying a travel bag or a trunk second-hand means accessing that heritage — often on pieces that develop a beautiful patina and hold their value remarkably well. Here is our guide: icons, materials, authentication and the resale value of pre-owned luggage.
The trunk-making houses: a heritage of travel
The history of modern luxury begins with travel. Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854, revolutionised the trunk with a flat lid and a light, hard-wearing coated canvas; the Damier motif was born in 1888 and the Monogram in 1896. Goyard, heir to the house of Martin founded in 1853, champions its hand-painted Goyardine canvas. Hermès, a saddler since 1837, carried its leather know-how into exceptional travel bags. This DNA explains why luggage from these houses is built to last — and why it lends itself so well to the second-hand market.
The icons of luxury luggage
A handful of pieces shape desire on the second-hand market:
| Piece | House | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Keepall | Louis Vuitton | Soft travel bag (45/50/55/60), the weekend icon |
| Trunks | Louis Vuitton, Goyard | Collector's pieces, the pinnacle of trunk-making |
| Saint-Louis / Boeing | Goyard | Totes and travel bags in Goyardine |
| Leather travel bags | Hermès | The high end of travel in saddle leather |
| Vanity & beauty cases | Louis Vuitton, Dior | Small luggage, highly collected |
The Keepall remains the ideal entry point: sturdy, timeless and offered in several sizes, it patinas beautifully on the vachetta leather of the canvas models.
Materials: coated canvas, leather, vachetta
Luxury luggage rests on materials designed to withstand travel. Coated canvas (Monogram, Damier, Goyardine) is light, water-resistant and highly abrasion-resistant — it is what made the trunk-makers' fortunes. Louis Vuitton's vachetta leather, natural and untreated, patinas from pale beige to amber honey and is, incidentally, a marker of authenticity and age. Hermès's saddle leathers, nobler and more expensive, require regular care. On a second-hand piece, inspect the corners (wear zones), the handles, the vachetta and the zips.
How to authenticate a piece of luggage
The checkpoints vary by house. On Louis Vuitton: the regularity of the canvas (the Monogram must never be cut haphazardly across the seams), even yellow stitching, the quality of the vachetta, and the date/manufacturing code on older pieces. On Goyard: the regularity of the Goyardine chevron, crisp painting, and heat stamping. On Hermès: stitch-by-stitch saddle stitching, the blind stamp and the quality of the leather. On trunks, the original locks, hardware and nails are decisive.
No single criterion is enough. Every piece sold at Old Fashioned Club is authenticated by our experts and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Entrupy authentication (AI + microscopy) is used on many items and available on request.
Resale value and price ranges second-hand
As a rough guide, on the pre-owned market:
| Piece | Indicative range (second-hand) |
|---|---|
| Keepall 45/50 Monogram | €900 – €1,800 |
| Keepall Bandoulière 55 | €1,200 – €2,200 |
| Goyard Saint-Louis / Boeing | €1,100 – €2,600+ |
| Vintage Louis Vuitton trunk | €3,000 – €15,000+ |
These benchmarks depend on condition, size, the patina of the vachetta and rarity. Antique trunks in good condition and limited editions (collaborations, special colourways) can far exceed these ranges.
Shop the edit
Discover our pre-owned luxury travel bags and our suitcases, the iconic Louis Vuitton Keepall, as well as the trunk-making house Goyard at Old Fashioned Club.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best pre-owned luxury travel bag?
- The Louis Vuitton Keepall is the benchmark: sturdy, timeless, offered in several sizes (45 to 60) and in versions with or without a shoulder strap. For more elevated travel, Hermès leather travel bags and Goyard pieces (Boeing, Saint-Louis) are also highly sought after second-hand.
- Does luxury luggage hold its value?
- Yes, particularly coated-canvas pieces from the great trunk-makers (Louis Vuitton, Goyard) and antique trunks, which are collector's items. A well-cared-for piece with a beautifully patinated vachetta retains a solid value and can even appreciate for rare editions.
- What is the vachetta on a Louis Vuitton travel bag?
- Vachetta is the natural, untreated leather used on the handles, straps and reinforcements of canvas pieces. It patinas from pale beige to amber honey with time and exposure. Its tone and condition are at once a marker of authenticity, age and the quality of care.
- How do you authenticate a luxury trunk or travel bag?
- The criteria depend on the house: canvas regularity and stitching on Louis Vuitton, a crisp Goyardine chevron and heat stamp on Goyard, saddle stitching and a blind stamp on Hermès. On trunks, the original locks, hardware and nails are decisive. Authentication is always multi-criteria and best entrusted to experts.
- Can you travel with a vintage luxury trunk or bag?
- Soft travel bags such as the Keepall are perfectly suited to everyday and weekend use. Antique trunks, on the other hand, are often more collector's or decorative pieces than everyday luggage, given their weight and fragility. It all depends on condition and intended use.
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