Most, if not all vintage shoes have some wear. If you get extremely lucky, you might find a pair of dead stock shoes (shoes that have never been worn and have been stored in a stockroom for eons). But usually, shoes in such condition are extremely expensive and are hard to find.
When you look at a pair of shoes, take a look at the soles first if you can find any pictures. How much wear is there? Are there any cracks, and if there are any flaws, how easily can they be fixed? Re-soling usually costs from around 30 to 60 dollars, and replacing the heel-caps is generally 5 to 15 dollars. Does the flaw significantly interfere with the basic function of the shoe?
Usually, vintage shoes will run smaller than modern sizes, but sometimes they can run large. It is important to determine what the gender of the sizes is before even considering the size. A shoe marked a size “5″ could either be a womens’ size five, a boy’s size 5 (which can convert into a womens’ size 6.5 or 7), or a girls’ size 5 (converts into a womens’ size 6).
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