What to do with 100 year old fox fur
Hey guys, I'm in need of a bit of advice here.
So my grandma brought me some sewing stuff from her place yesterday (because she knows I love to sew) and among these items I found, to my great surprise, an entire silver fox pelt. The pelt is intact, it has no cuts or damage to it, the fur is soft and warm, the tail is stuffed to give it volume, it still has the face and paws (with some claws still in there!!) and the whole thing is kind of like a tube?? So like, it wasn't opened at the stomach, the whole thing is seamless. My grandma told me that it was her mother that gave it to her, and she estimates the pelt is between 100 and 150 years old. But now I have this beautiful pelt and no clue what to do with it!!!! I have a few questions, which I'll list below and I'd be grateful to anyone who can help!
1. Is there any way to tell how old the pelt is?
2. How do I care for this thing? It's been in a plastic bag for probably a few decades now and it sort of smells old. Is there a way to remove the smell? Is it more fragile because of it's age? Is it normal that the leather seems thin or stiffer in certain places?
3. I am considering using the fur to make something with. What garments is fox fur best used for in a way that will keep me warm in winter? I want to use the fur in a practical way (since winters are very cold here) and not as a fashion statement.
4. It seems a shame to cut into such a beautiful and old pelt. What can I do with it while keeping it intact? (Please note that I don't want to wear it in public, since the view of a whole pelt with legs and face still attached can be disturbing to many people)
5. With it's age and apparent quality (at least to the untrained eye), would i be better off donating this pelt to a museum? It was presumably caught and prepared by someone in my family who caught the fox locally, so perhaps it could have historical or cultural value?
Once again, even if you can only answer one of these questions that's already very helpful and thank you to everyone who has any insight into this situation!
