Care & Feeding of Canadian WWI Sporran?

[kilted253]

Hello All!

First post, and seeking some advice on the following...I was on holiday with the family the past week and stopped into a shop on the Central California coast that had a wide assortment of antiques from various estates. One of those lots was a significant amount of WWI Canadian Highlander garb.

The jacket and kilt were quite tatty (and I'll swear the kilt is lightweight as well), so I knew I'd be passing on them. There was also a full plaid (or fly, I didn't check its size) which seemed only mildly moth-eaten. Some great socks as well, that I should have bought...but nevermind that. I knew I'd be spending my money on the large sporran below as soon as I saw it. We haggled to a great price... I couldnae pass.

What you see in the picture below is (from the top):
- Pre-WWI Sporran. Likely from the 91st Regiment Canadian Highlanders, as they supplied the officers and pipers to the 173rd when it was formed. (This lot was from a single estate)
- Buckle with applied crest for the 173rd.
- Sgian Dubh which looks like it was used to stab a bear... ;)
- Big-*** Sporran from the 173rd Battalion.

I'm looking for the following help:

- RANK/IDENTITY: Are you an expert on Canadian Highlanders? If so, do you know the rank/role of the wearer? Looking at pictures of the 91st and then the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders it looks like the pipers wear something quite different to this....

- CLEANING/CARE: How do I preserve these 100 year old sporran? The big one had some hair which was shed when I got it, but seems mostly tight. With a soft leather pouch behind it, what is the best way to clean and care for it? (I'll assume the same care guidelines go for the smaller sporran as well)

- VALUE/PRESERVATION: I blew my spending money on this stuff and really don't have any clue of its value (other than I know I got a good deal on a good vintage sporran) - however it seems that there is a market for Highlander militaria...I didn't plan on selling it, but if the big sporran had some crazy value that would permit me to buy a new full trad outfit and nice new sporran, I'd certainly think about it. How rare/valuable is this? I'm lending to a friend who is performing a wedding this week, how gently should I tell him to handle it?

- SPEND MORE MONEY?: Lastly, there were a few items from the same gentleman which I didn't purchase as they were all overpriced (e.g. $75ish dollars on a very worn lightweight kilt which only would have fit me when I was 12 years old)...however, since I took all the good stuff, I am considering making an offer for the rest of the kit. It's really just tattered uniforms, tattered kilts, a nice pair of argyll kilt socks, a decent fly plaid, and a picture of the gentleman who owned the kit. Is there any significant value in this stuff that I could use to talk the wife into letting me phone the dude and make an offer? I regret not picking up the socks and plaid - they were nice.