Vintage Fur Coat ID Series #9: Spotted Cats

• Posted on 15 March 2025
• By Rob Cahill
• Posted in Vintage Fur
• 0

Lynx is most recognizable for its soft, wispy, caramel coloured fur with muted spots, while bobcat is most recognizable for its bright white wispy belly fur with black spots.

These have been some of the most expensive furs on the market and at times the most expensive fur garments by far.  I recall being at the Montreal Fur Fair in the mid 1980s when Dennis Grosvenor (my father’s mentor) showed a Canada Lynx coat valued at $150,000.  Fast forward to 2018 when I was with North American Fur Auctions (NAFA), I was supplying bobcat to the highest of luxury brands in Europe, including Fendi, Valentino, and Yves Salomon.  I had the pleasure to visit the Fendi fur factory in Rome, with their Master Furrier, where he showed me a bobcat belly coat they had just finished.  Absolutely stunning with an equally stunning value of €300,000.

These fur coats were always premium, but not necessarily always costing hundreds of thousands.  Not very common in the vintage market, but they are available from time to time. You can still expect to find a fairly high price tag on vintage pieces. 

Another spotted cat that may be found on the vintage market is Ocelot (Leopardus Pardalis), which has a very short, wildly spotted patterned fur.  Common until the 1970s, and an excellent find that will also command a premium price.  Very rare even at the time would be a leopard skin coat, which could be found new until the early 1960s. We happen to have one, but it’s extremely rare to find leopard coats in the vintage fur market. 

While the populations of both Canada Lynx and Bobcat are abundant and “Least Concern” according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN Red List), they are listed on CITES - Appendix II, as “Look-alike” species to other endangered spotted cats that are on CITES Appendix I, such as the Leopard, snow leopard or Iberian Lynx.  The CITES II appendix II species require government certified documents to sell these items across international borders.  Therefore on the vintage market these garments can only be sold within the country they are found, as the required documents are usually long lost.

Since the 1970s, conservation measures and international trade monitoring have played a key role in protecting threatened species such as leopard and ocelot, and ensuring healthy populations of abundant species such as Canada Lynx and bobcat.

Wear your vintage furs with pride. Wearing vintage fur is a great way to show you care about honouring where these furs come from, their longevity, quality and authenticity.  In short, you believe in slow-fashion - items that last for generations rather than fast fashion where most clothing today lasts for months or at best a few years.

Enjoy your natural, warm and luxurious furs.