SOLD Ok don’t laugh…Dress Shoes

[Kevin]

Dress shoes? Here on the Ruger Forum? Yep. Why? Because these are very special.

Florsheim Imperial Burgundy Shell Cordovan.

They are vintage, either from 1986 or 1996. Made in Chicago, and the Shell Cordovan leather is probably also from Chicago. The Horween leather factory. But I'm not certain on the leather origin.

So they are like a good vintage holster, which is why I'm offering them for sale here.

On eBay the Florsheim Imperial Shell Cordovan shoes are selling for $100 to $250 depending upon condition.

These shoes are in great shape. Original soles and the leather and lining is in great shape.

Size 11D. Unfortunately I'm a size 10.5EE. And you can't stretch shell cordovan.

But these will ship to your door for $150. With a set of cedar shoe trees.

More pictures available if you are interested. The color is deep and even. If you see light spots in the picture, it's from the sunshine.

They really are a great pair of shoes if you need dress shoes. But if nobody is interested, they are going on EBay, as much as I don't want to do that.

 

[krw]

Damn!! Not my size!!

 

[GasGuzzler]

I can probably wear them and I am not far away but where would I wear them?

 

[contender]

Shoes???????

 

[Kevin]

Shoes???????

now I said no laughing!

But seriously, it's the leather. The Shell Cordovan. It's horse rump. It takes 6 months to tan the hide into Shell cordovan.

Plus this pair of "Gentleman's Footwear," is made in Chicago.

Oh wait, I forgot, it's Contender. Ok, but only you can laugh at the shoes.

@GasGuzzler , you could be the dapper mechanic!

———————

Ok, look, if anyone is at all interested in these shoes, how about this:

$100 shipped to your door. Write a check to Contender for a donation to his Friends of the NRA pot. If that's ok with Contender?

 

[contender]

I couldn't resist! Besides I wasn't laughing at your sale offer,, but I wonder why folks need shoes??

Back to being serious.

Yes,, I would consider it an honor if you got a $100 donation to my FoNRA event. In fact,, if the potential buyer wishes,, they can make the check out to;
WNC FoNRA.

 

[tazbigdog]

I'm sorry, but when I retired, I am not wear fancy shoes or suits anymore.

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

Hey. If these were pre-2000 (Warren Buffet owned) Tony Lama boots...I'd be on them like stink on poo! ...

 

[Watertender]

Beautiful shoes but not my size. Contender gets his shoes at the farrier so I know they wouldn't be for him. I do like the donation idea though. If someone could wear them they are a classy pair of shoes

 

[Kevin]

Thanks for the comments. I'll marked this as sold and move it along to EBay.

@contender , If they sell, I'll go ahead and and stick with the donation. Ha! And in this way shoes will help!

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

I got a pair of genuine made-in-England Doc Martens as a gift many years ago and rarely wore them because... they are burgundy.

They must still be around somewhere and likely in great shape unless they got turned into a mouse motel. I never considered used shoes to be marketable. Maybe I should dig them out and put them on eBay

 

[TADD68]

Damn it anyways! I wear a 9D

 

[vito]

That's my size but I already have a pair of nice "dress" shoes. I retired 11 years ago and gave away 3 suits and all sorts of dressy clothes to Goodwill. I kept one suit and one pair of shoes to go with it. I gave away about 50 ties, but kept 3 or 4 for that one suit. In these 11 years I think I have put that suit and shoes on 4 times. Twice for formal weddings, twice for dressy funerals (yes, some funerals are casual, thank goodness). I find that 99%+ of the time I wear either jeans or shorts. Retired life is good!

 

[Johnny-Baseball]

I still own several pairs of Johnson & Murphy, Cole Haan and Allen Edmonds lace-ups and loafers - all highest line shoes. I wore such shoes daily for my 40+ years in the business world, but I haven't worn them since I retired 9 years ago (except for funerals and the occasional wedding). I keep them anyway, in their redwood shoe trees, and occasionally polish/brush them...just in case.

I paid anywhere from $275 up to $400 per pair for these shoes - expensive. But their build quality allowed me to re-sole them multiple times before the tops finally wore out. At $50-$75 per re-sole, I got good value from those shoes. And they were very sturdy - withstood everything except when I wore them on northern climes' salt-water soaked sidewalks.

I started out wearing Florsheim's Royal Imperial shoes. But Florsheim's quality declined (in the early 80s) and their tops began to crack/split waaaaay too soon.

A good-fitting pair of high-quality dress shoes always lasted me from 5 to 10 years. And by rotating them in my daily wardrobe, they retained their shape.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I'm sorry, but when I retired, I am not wear fancy shoes or suits anymore.

And when I retire, I will need fancy shoes. Just still a little too far in the future for this listing.

I got a pair of genuine made-in-England Doc Martens as a gift many years ago and rarely wore them because... they are burgundy.

They must still be around somewhere and likely in great shape unless they got turned into a mouse motel. I never considered used shoes to be marketable. Maybe I should dig them out and put them on eBay

I used to actually wear DM's as work shoes in the shop because they saved my back. But when the real England ones got so pricey and the $120 ones were junk, I switched and never looked back.

BTW, my wife has a pair of burgundy Dr. Martens. The color is called "Oxblood". She has some corduroy ones too. Maybe we should start a shoe topic. My wife and kids are shoe people. Like Imelda Marcos shoe people...

 

[Johnnu2]

Oxblood goes well with:
Navy Blue
Dark and Light Gray
(not brown IMHO)
suits and slacks........
I kept one pair of each when I retired.... will have to decide which to be buried in (I'll leave a note in the shoe trees). Unfortunately, have worn them to many funerals.

J.

 

[Randyzzz]

I'm a size 13. Pretty much anything looks ungainly on me. Then again, I really never have occasion, or even matching wardrobe, for shoes that nice.

 

[KIR]

OP mentioned Florsheim which used to be a quality shoe. I never had a pair, but I did find a pair that was close, if not similar in quality. They were French Shriners. A good looking dress shoe that was similar to the dress shoe I wore in the AF. When I first put on a pair it was like putting on a pair of slippers because the leather inside was so soft. Out grew those.
During the late 70's I was given a pair of "fruit boots" as they were called, like the Beatles used to wear. Zipper on the side, with a "double" heel that made one stand a little on tip-toe and a short shank, but still very comfortable. When those wore out, I went to a plain, basic dress dress boot, Wellington style. Very comfortable. After that, it seemed every day was "casual Friday" and wore "tennis shoes", but I may have been the only one who actually played.
A couple of years ago, I started looking for a Wellington style dress boot, but I did not want a "cowboy" boot. I found one made by Florsheim, only after I got them and took them to a shoe repairman, to have him put on "double heels and soles" so they would last longer, he said that he could not do it as the heel and sole already on there were not nailed on, but glued on. I guess it was Florsheim's way of saving money. However, they still look great, soft leather inside and very comfortable, even after wearing them all day.
Almost forgot to mention, I have always disliked having to tie shoe laces and revere the man who invented Velcro straps. They are on my tennis shoes and my dressier shoes I get freebie once a year from the V.A.

 

[burner]

Shoes?? What shoes... I wear size 48 Birkenstocks year round.. Sockless in the summer and socks in the winter.. OK if it's raining I'll put on a pair of Crocs. And I have a pair of Red Wings for hunting... Dats all folks...

 

[Kevin]

As far as I know, Florsheim used to be made in America, but the newer Florsheim shoes are now made in China. I'm not sure if they make any shoes in the US anymore or not.