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Vintage Spade Sole Shoes

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I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,927
Location
Sydney Australia
Not often do you get to tick one off your vintage shoe Bucket List.

1930s Johnston and Murphy Hand Made spades made for the venerable Rogers Peet firm in NYC.

America's greatest hand made off the rack shoe. RIP.





Thanks to vintage shoe Maestro isshinryu 101 for securing me those beauties in my favourite size 11D.

Love Treatment Regime so far:

1. Generous applications of Cadillac conditioner
2. Generous rubbing in of Collonil1909/Diamant medium brown
3. Finished with Angelus mahogany wax.
4. Buffed shine rather than spit shine

Tragedy is that this is their last day like this. The suicide heels will be replaced and a topy added to protect the barely worn sole.

Should be good for another 75 years!
 

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
Interested to see this mystery pair.

I am certain they have been "picture posted" here before, some Frank Brothers....I can dig them out and take some pictures again, but I am sure our mutual friend, "Cookie" knows what they look like. !!!

Oh please, PM me your mailing address, I would like to mail a few things to you.

Thanks!
 

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
Not often do you get to tick one off your vintage shoe Bucket List.

1930s Johnston and Murphy Hand Made spades made for the venerable Rogers Peet firm in NYC.

America's greatest hand made off the rack shoe. RIP.





Thanks to vintage shoe Maestro isshinryu 101 for securing me those beauties in my favourite size 11D.

Love Treatment Regime so far:

1. Generous applications of Cadillac conditioner
2. Generous rubbing in of Collonil1909/Diamant medium brown
3. Finished with Angelus mahogany wax.
4. Buffed shine rather than spit shine

Tragedy is that this is their last day like this. The suicide heels will be replaced and a topy added to protect the barely worn sole.

Should be good for another 75 years!

Just to let you know, we have some stock pile of vintage heels, NOS complete heels and some top plate heels for replacements, in case you ever want to have heels replaced with something that is actually "vintage". If you ever need some just let us know, we'd just send them to you!
 

Isshinryu101

One Too Many
Messages
1,328
Location
New Jersey
Just to let you know, we have some stock pile of vintage heels, NOS complete heels and some top plate heels for replacements, in case you ever want to have heels replaced with something that is actually "vintage". If you ever need some just let us know, we'd just send them to you!

Fantastic! Perfect items to stock up on. The metal plates are actually still manufactured and sold to this day (I had my cobbler order me a box). However, those heels are a different story. The true 30's & 40's heels are ultra cool and necessary to keeping a pair "True Vintage".
 

Isshinryu101

One Too Many
Messages
1,328
Location
New Jersey
I am certain they have been "picture posted" here before, some Frank Brothers....I can dig them out and take some pictures again, but I am sure our mutual friend, "Cookie" knows what they look like. !!!

Oh please, PM me your mailing address, I would like to mail a few things to you.

Thanks!

Very kind of you!

Just sent the address.
 

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
 
Last edited:

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/3885797578_photobucket_251583__zps428dfa93.jpg.html] [/URL]

These are all pictures taken not so good, but at the time what I could do with a stinking cell phone! LOL!

You note, seven eyelets for the laces....so maybe 1940? Maybe older? Hard to say but these are in very nice shape...have only one issue on one shoe...some very light crease area down near the welt on one shoe.....you don't see it when the shoes are worn...and no damage to continue on the area, as it is well soaked and conditioned to such a point..you'd have to bake these shoes in a oven for a week to dry up the deep level of conditioner....Daniel soaked these shoes completely under water (but no water just Cadillac) for four days in a rubber maid tub, had I think 12 bottles of Cadillac dumped in the tub...he soaked these and two other pairs all the same time...then further applied Cadillac to them for another several days, doping them up about every 2 hours....while watching TV! LOL! They had so much conditioner, you could "squeeze" it out of the leather...then he just let them sit out to dry for a while...put the shoe trees in them....and started to polish them. They are super soft. One of his favorite shoes.
 
Last edited:

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/3885797578_photobucket_252867__zpsdc59cacc.jpg.html] [/URL]
[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/3885797578_photobucket_252903__zps2ea5588a.jpg.html] [/URL]

These footjoys have a "soft" spade sole...they are NOS but started life as a pair of Golf Shoes. I had the Cobbler replace the Golf soles with real nice leather soles and heels that have a top plate of half leather and half compound similar to the picture of the heels on the Franks above...but everything was imported from Italy leather wise....as for the source of the quality available to our Cobbler for soles, he gets harder "bent oak" soles from Italy. (some people think it means they are wood...lol)!
 
Last edited:

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/3885797578_photobucket_251583__zps428dfa93.jpg.html] [/URL]

These are all pictures taken not so good, but at the time what I could do with a stinking cell phone! LOL!

You note, seven eyelets for the laces....so maybe 1940? Maybe older? Hard to say but these are in very nice shape...have only one issue on one shoe...some very light crease area down near the welt on one shoe.....you don't see it when the shoes are worn...and no damage to continue on the area, as it is well soaked and conditioned to such a point..you'd have to bake these shoes in a oven for a week to dry up the deep level of conditioner....Daniel soaked these shoes completely under water (but no water just Cadillac) for four days in a rubber maid tub, had I think 12 bottles of Cadillac dumped in the tub...he soaked these and two other pairs all the same time...then further applied Cadillac to them for another several days, doping them up about every 2 hours....while watching TV! LOL! They had so much conditioner, you could "squeeze" it out of the leather...then he just let them sit out to dry for a while...put the shoe trees in them....and started to polish them. They are super soft. One of his favorite shoes.


Well now...these are heading off to a new home! I know the new owner will just love them....
 

Isshinryu101

One Too Many
Messages
1,328
Location
New Jersey
[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/3885797578_photobucket_251583__zps428dfa93.jpg.html] [/URL]

These are all pictures taken not so good, but at the time what I could do with a stinking cell phone! LOL!

You note, seven eyelets for the laces....so maybe 1940? Maybe older? Hard to say but these are in very nice shape...have only one issue on one shoe...some very light crease area down near the welt on one shoe.....you don't see it when the shoes are worn...and no damage to continue on the area, as it is well soaked and conditioned to such a point..you'd have to bake these shoes in a oven for a week to dry up the deep level of conditioner....Daniel soaked these shoes completely under water (but no water just Cadillac) for four days in a rubber maid tub, had I think 12 bottles of Cadillac dumped in the tub...he soaked these and two other pairs all the same time...then further applied Cadillac to them for another several days, doping them up about every 2 hours....while watching TV! LOL! They had so much conditioner, you could "squeeze" it out of the leather...then he just let them sit out to dry for a while...put the shoe trees in them....and started to polish them. They are super soft. One of his favorite shoes.


They are post 40's with that grained leather. Most likely late 50's to early 60's. They were actually made by Johnston & Murphy & rebranded for Frank Bros.
 

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