Just how 'Rare' are Creeds 'Vaulted' Fragrances ?

[JohnnyCakes]

Worth every penny, actually. An extremely rare specimen. Maybe even underpriced, by serious collectors' standards.

agreed. a BNIB, unopened, huge 500ml of Cuir de Russie?

even if all you do is sell 50ml decants, you will sell each of those at $500. do the math...


i own Cuir de Russie. i love Cuir de Russie. i am scared of Cuir de Russie.

 

[Tradition]

I used to have a flacon of Creed Cuir de Russie that I bought for $600, but for me it is no match to Vintage Chanel Cuir de Russie. It is intimidating as has been mentioned above, well made but is not made in the original style of Cuir de Russie fragrances.
The only reason it is listed at such a high price is because of Creed hype and it's rarity. For such price, one can lay their hands on Guerlain's Cuir de Russie.

Vintage Tabarome, Bois du Portugal and Baie de Genievre are extremely well made but I don't see the mastery in them like the older Lanvin, Chanel and Caron fragrances.

Had the likes of Ernst Beaux, Guy Robert and Vincent Roubert created Creed perfumes, it would have been a different story....

 

[JohnnyCakes]

Vintage Tabarome, Bois du Portugal and Baie de Genievre are extremely well made but I don't see the mastery in them like the older Lanvin, Chanel and Caron fragrances.

then you aren’t looking hard enough.

the only reason people value vintage Caron and Lanvin is because of the manufactured praise about them. most haven’t smelled the actual fragrances. if/when they do, they’ll realize how subpar they are. esp compared to something like Tabarôme, Angelique Encens, or Bois de Santal - whose quality of ingredients are several levels higher.

 

[DoctorM81]

agreed. a BNIB, unopened, huge 500ml of Cuir de Russie?

even if all you do is sell 50ml decants, you will sell each of those at $500. do the math...

Maybe. But I recall a couple of UK vendors seriously struggling to shift 50ml's of VT in official Creed atomisers at £300 ($400) on ebay not very long ago.

Maybe prices have appreciated even further since then, but it's still a hugely expensive punt...

 

[Possum-Pie]

I've done the decant and sell thing with rare/expensive frags on Ebay many times. Sometimes, I get what I ask, quickly, and am happy. Other times I can't sell any. It's hard to figure what causes some to sell and others not. Sometimes, even if something smells great and can't be found anymore, there just aren't many people willing to pay. Amouage Tribute always seems to sell fast. JAR fragrances, even though very hard to find almost never sell at the price I paid for the original juice. I disagree strongly that many Ebay listings are fakes. People like me who have 100% positive feedback since 1998 are extremely honest. Of course I'd not buy a flacon of a discontinued Creed for $2000 from someone with no feedback living in Ukraine, but I'd buy it without any hesitation from someone in the USA with lots of feedback. Ebay is weighted to the buyer. FOR ANY reason, you can say it is not what you thought and Paypal will refund without question. Sellers are ripped off FAR more than buyers.

 

[DoctorM81]

Just how currently Rare are the 'vaulted' Creeds?...

...Which leads me to wonder, currently and within the last few weeks there is from what i have seen - every Vaulted Creed for sale somewhere or in some form or another.

I have heard it said a few times they are a ' while stocks last ' .... Do you think this is true ?
Will they simply just diminish over time?

Some have been discontinued for quite some time and they are still being found for sale... ?...

Interesting to look back on this old thread some 5-6 years down the line, and considering events both at the house of Creed and across the fragrance industry more widely in the interim...

From where I'm standing, it looks as if most/all of those 'vaulted' scents did indeed disappear entirely. While a few still appeared to be commonly available at the time this thread was first created (2017), I'd suggest that situation would have changed quite quickly thereafter.

While I own a few of the older discontinued Creed scents, I also walked away from opportunities to pick up several more at mid-2010's retail price points - not good decisions on my part, with hindsight.

I'm curious though as to how much (or not) interest in these older Creed scents has survived among the basenotes community given the direction of events over the past few years?

 

[StylinLA]

I'm curious though as to how much (or not) interest in these older Creed scents has survived among the basenotes community given the direction of events over the past few years?

The interest in them is probably highest among older Basenoters. I think there are always some collectors interested in older scents, but there isn't a deep interest at large in the older Creeds. I liked some of them, but they mostly had a very old fashioned style. I don't think a reissue of any of these would be very popular overall. Many were quite good if you like that kind of very traditional vibe.

I was fortunate to have sampled or owned a lot of them. When I started here in 2009, most everything they made was still available. My memory is that the discontinuation of "Vintage" Tabarome was the first time I heard their term vaulted. I had and have sold that and a few gray caps.

My only regret is not snatching a flacon of Vetiver 1948 when the writing was on the wall. That one was very "Mad Men" to me and wears very nicely on me.

 

[hednic]

While I own a few of the older discontinued Creed scents,

Which ones if you don't mind my asking?

 

[DoctorM81]

Which ones if you don't mind my asking?

Most notably Royal Scottish Lavender - that's probably the star of my Creed collection. I also own several of the lesser-regarded grey caps like Bois de Cedrat, Zeste Mandarin Pamplemousse and Chevrefuille Original. I passed up opportunities to add others like Santal Imperial and Baie de Genievre after they had been discontinued - decisions that haunt me to this day!

 

[hednic]

Most notably Royal Scottish Lavender - that's probably the star of my Creed collection. I also own several of the lesser-regarded grey caps like Bois de Cedrat, Zeste Mandarin Pamplemousse and Chevrefuille Original.

Those are all really good ones.

 

[slpfrsly]

I'm curious though as to how much (or not) interest in these older Creed scents has survived among the basenotes community given the direction of events over the past few years?

Despite the seething hack job done to Olivier Creed in that joke of a publication about the company, I imagine interest and appreciation for Creed's older fragrances will only increase over time. They were popular/successful for a reason, before Aventus, and enthusiasts clearly enjoy their fragrances enough to collect them. A lot depends on how they hold up over time (do they spoil, leak) but I can see them being highly sought after on the second hand market/in collections for years to come.

 

[DoctorM81]

Those are all really good ones.

Thanks hednic. I also had a 10ml travel atomiser filled with Selection Verte, however that is now all-but expended. I'd love to replenish my supply, but it's looking unlikely...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/27542064...Mb83sIsEe+HfLiNM/hUOdPug==|tkp:Bk9SR-Cb56iQYg

 

[mrcologneguy]

The cash value of discontinued Creeds will not be decreasing anytime soon. They’re among the most coveted collectibles in the field.

The only one that’s not aging well in my collection is Windsor I. I bought an atomizer of it for around $450 when it was first released. Nice, but it seems to be going slightly off.

My favorite discontinued Creeds include Vintage Tabarome, Citrus Bigarrade, Royal English Leather, and Feuilles Vertes — all holding up nicely with age. Hard to choose favorites, though. All the grey caps are fine fragrances.

Doubt the discontinued fragrances will ever be reissued in any kind of faithful, recognizable form. There’s a rerelease of Citrus Bigarrade, but the new note pyramid I’ve seen bears little resemblance to the original. The original is a simple and luxurious mix of citrus and ambergris. Heavenly. I strongly doubt that Creed’s new owners would spring for any super high-quality ingredients. They seem more interested in developing stuff like Aventus flankers. Can’t really blame them — purchased by private equity, the goal is shareholder return, not preservation of fine art. Those who are interested in fine art should snap up the vintage goods now. Otherwise, on to greener pastures.

There are other fragrance houses producing high-quality goods. Unfortunately, it’s harder to find them at bargain prices these days. Too many well-informed collectors, fewer retailers ditching collectibles at steeply discounted rates.

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

The cash value of discontinued Creeds will not be decreasing anytime soon. They’re among the most coveted collectibles in the field.

The only one that’s not aging well in my collection is Windsor I. I bought an atomizer of it for around $450 when it was first released. Nice, but it seems to be going slightly off.

My favorite discontinued Creeds include Vintage Tabarome, Citrus Bigarrade, Royal English Leather, and Feuilles Vertes — all holding up nicely with age. Hard to choose favorites, though. All the grey caps are fine fragrances.

Doubt the discontinued fragrances will ever be reissued in any kind of faithful, recognizable form. There’s a rerelease of Citrus Bigarrade, but the new note pyramid I’ve seen bears little resemblance to the original. The original is a simple and luxurious mix of citrus and ambergris. Heavenly. I strongly doubt that Creed’s new owners would spring for any super high-quality ingredients. They seem more interested in developing stuff like Aventus flankers. Can’t really blame them — purchased by private equity, the goal is shareholder return, not preservation of fine art. Those who are interested in fine art should snap up the vintage goods now. Otherwise, on to greener pastures.

There are other fragrance houses producing high-quality goods. Unfortunately, it’s harder to find them at bargain prices these days. Too many well-informed collectors, fewer retailers ditching collectibles at steeply discounted rates.

All of the Private Collection and EDT bottles will forever have premiums.

I like to imagine them as obsolete Guerlain fragrances that few individuals have ever heard of.

None of these classic should be remade since quality wouldn't even be the same as before.

 

[purecaramel]

Bring back baie de genievre!

One of the Gems for sure!

 

[UESNYC]

I can understand the collectible aspect of Creed, it is iconic due to amazing marketing. But, all i can think of was a business trip to Dubai in 2019 where the most obnoxious men with Russian hookers were covered head to toe in Creed and after that it makes me sick. I think its high class pimp cologne to be honest, now anyway.

 

[mrcologneguy]

I can understand the collectible aspect of Creed, it is iconic due to amazing marketing. But, all i can think of was a business trip to Dubai in 2019 where the most obnoxious men with Russian hookers were covered head to toe in Creed and after that it makes me sick. I think its high class pimp cologne to be honest, now anyway.

Fun story! Which Creed(s) were they wearing?

 

[davidcalgary29]

One of the Gems for sure!

I recently acquired a bottle of this. It is indeed very nice...but Chevrefeuille is even more interesting.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Doesn't Mudassir have a flacon for sale right now in the Marketplace (for a lot less)?

Thanks hednic. I also had a travel atomiser filled with Selection Verte, however that is all-but expended. I'd love to replenish my supply, but it's looking unlikely...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/27542064...Mb83sIsEe+HfLiNM/hUOdPug==|tkp:Bk9SR-Cb56iQYg

 

[tspencer]

Hrmph,

No one can have my Selection Verte flacon nor my 4 bottles of Midnight in Paris. They are mine. Not for sale, ever.