Quality Sporrans for less money

[jhughes]

My latest "less money" sporran just arrived. Under $25 and including the strap. It's attributed to the estate of a Lt. of the RHR of Canada.

[kingandrew]

Jhughes,

Your sporran certainly has the appropriate military look. What a great deal for a quality item.

Andrew

[tripleblessed]

My question is, “If I’m wearing my sealskin sporran as I return entry to my home country USA would that be importing sealskin or wearing my clothing? Are they going to ask me at customs what my clothing is made of?” “I can tell them, ‘I was wearing a sporran when I exited the country and now I’m returning home again, still wearing a sporran.’” Do i have to tell them it’s the same sporran or that my other one is in my luggage?
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

On one trip to South Africa I was given a necklace made of elephant bone, a traditional item intended to imbue the wearer
with good fortune. At Hartsfield Airport here in Atlanta, customs told me I wasn't allowed to carry ivory and they were confiscating. Encountering quiet but firm resistance, they agreed to call someone more knowledgeable. After a twenty five minute wait, he arrived from another part of the airport. From about thirty feet away, he called out "That's bone, let him through.". He apologized for the delay, then asked if I was willing to give him a few more minutes, and he gathered agents around him and showed them how to spot the differences.

Point being that often it's the less skillful whose blunder gets you in trouble, so caution is appropriate. If you can find out when it was
made, and provide some reasonable assurance that it was made before 1972, you might have no issue. I know someone who has an entire sealskin taken by Aleut hunters in the 40s and brought back to the US. It's legal, but how do you prove it? Does yours have any information about manufacture? Is the manufacturer still in business? Perhaps provenance could be obtained.

And yes, you may be able to slip in with that cover story, or not. If they detect an issue and dig deeper, will they buy ignorance or error on your part, or will there be fines? I'd address all issues beforehand.

Enjoy the use of it.

[dbmcnicol]

Thank you to all who have contributed to this thread. We will be ordering hubby's kilt soon and I've already started looking at the accessories. Needless to say, with us being retired and on a fixed income, not everything will be at the high end and this thread has helped me see what to look for in a sporran.

[OC Richard]

I'm a regular Ebay vintage sporran watcher but I don't often buy things myself.

But I had to pick this one up! $76 with free post from a US seller.



It's one of the classic styles from what I call "the canon", called EW4/5 in the old catalogues.

It has the typical "Made In Scotland Real Leather" oval gold stamp on the back.

It has the high quality silverplate cantle which is stamped "Made In Scotland" on one side.

This cantle was called "G" in the old catalogues. I don't have any idea what the "G" stood for (if anything) but it's the cantle with the oversized boss in the middle. The boss is probably a separate threaded-on piece, I will see when the sporran arrives.

Here's the page of the old standard brochure showing this style, on the lower left, EW4/5



Here's another example, which showed up on Ebay years ago. This one has cone-shaped cups. Note that both of these have black leather cantle backings/gaskets rather than the more usual red, or green.

[Highland Logan]

I'm a regular Ebay vintage sporran watcher but I don't often buy things myself.

But I had to pick this one up! $76 with free post from a US seller.



It's one of the classic styles from what I call "the canon", called EW4/5 in the old catalogues.

It has the typical "Made In Scotland Real Leather" oval gold stamp on the back.

It has the high quality silverplate cantle which is stamped "Made In Scotland" on one side.

This cantle was called "G" in the old catalogues. I don't have any idea what the "G" stood for (if anything) but it's the cantle with the oversized boss in the middle. The boss is probably a separate threaded-on piece, I will see when the sporran arrives.

Here's the page of the old standard brochure showing this style, on the lower left, EW4/5



Here's another example, which showed up on Ebay years ago. This one has cone-shaped cups. Note that both of these have black leather cantle backings/gaskets rather than the more usual red, or green.

Nice... how many do you have now OCR?

Frank

[OC Richard]

Nice... how many do you have now OCR?

Not many! Because I sell off anything I'm not getting much use out of.

I've got now

1) brown leather for Day Dress

2) black Hunting sporran with silver cantle for the Pipe Band

3) Edwardian goat-hair with Celtic Dragon cantle for Evening Dress

4) Black Watch horsehair for re-enacting

5) Black Watch brown leather for re-enacting

As you see, each sporran fills a need for me.

This new one not so much! I already have the goat-hair one for Evening Dress. Who knows I might end up selling the EW4/5 if I don't wear it much.

[OC Richard]

My latest "less money" sporran just arrived. Under $25 and including the strap. It's attributed to the estate of a Lt. of the RHR of Canada.

If RHR it would have had this badge, as you probably know (a vintage one here)



and as worn (here, in WWII)

[MacGuffin]

I'm a regular Ebay vintage sporran watcher but I don't often buy things myself.

But I had to pick this one up! $76 with free post from a US seller.



It's one of the classic styles from what I call "the canon", called EW4/5 in the old catalogues.

It has the typical "Made In Scotland Real Leather" oval gold stamp on the back.

It has the high quality silverplate cantle which is stamped "Made In Scotland" on one side.

This cantle was called "G" in the old catalogues. I don't have any idea what the "G" stood for (if anything) but it's the cantle with the oversized boss in the middle. The boss is probably a separate threaded-on piece, I will see when the sporran arrives.

Here's the page of the old standard brochure showing this style, on the lower left, EW4/5



Here's another example, which showed up on Ebay years ago. This one has cone-shaped cups. Note that both of these have black leather cantle backings/gaskets rather than the more usual red, or green.

Wonderful sporran!
I remember that one on ebay a week or two ago.

[MacGuffin]

Its always great idea to check out eBay for sporrans.
Got a barely used black leather day wear sporran for around 25 bucks last month.