Quality Sporrans for less money

[JPS]

Just had another look at the plain brown/ginger leather one, I'm pretty sure it's legit.

Here's another lovely one.

The fur looks like pony, or perhaps bovine. Not seal anyhow, so legal to ship to the USA.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/18485877528...ndition=4%7C10

I've been giving that one some serious consideration. Not sure if it's plain enough to pull duty as a first, all-purpose day sporran for me, but the price is great, and it appears to be in excellent condition.

I wonder if those sides could be made to stop bulging out.

[KennethSime]

I've been giving that one some serious consideration. Not sure if it's plain enough to pull duty as a first, all-purpose day sporran for me, but the price is great, and it appears to be in excellent condition.

I wonder if those sides could be made to stop bulging out.

I bet the bulging sides are just the result of a bad picture. For the price, you can't go wrong mate. Looks like a W.E. Scott piece to me. Also available on Heather's Etsy page, where I've bought a few nice pieces.

[OC Richard]

Yes W E Scott & Son Edinburgh is a possibility for sure.

In the mid-1980s I worked at a Highland Outfitter who carried Scott sporrans, and they sent us a tri-fold brochure, black & white, that had photos of all their sporran styles with curious code letters.

Each of the six pages of the brochure was a group photo.

Here's the page that has that Ebay one, upper left, though this one has a seal front. I believe the Ebay sporran has a pony front, and would have been designated STM/P



Interestingly, later on we made contact with a couple other Scottish sporran makers, and they sent us the same tri-fold brochure! The brochure was only photos and code letters, no other text. Thus it could be used by any sporran maker, and was.

This led me to call those sporran styles "canon" styles, due to a number of different makers making sporrans that followed the models seen in the photos.

Indeed L&M Highland Outfitters in Canada made all those same styles, and many Pakistani firms are making them now too.

What didn't dawn on me until recently was that this trifold brochure was more recent than I had imagined.

Though most of the six pages show styles that had been around since the 1930s one page showed sporrans that couldn't have existed until after 1970, black leather hybrid "semi-dress" sporrans.

Later on, somebody made a colour version of that brochure. Here's the more-or-less corresponding page, note that the curious code letters have been retained. Some are obvious HS Hunting Sporran, RR Rob Roy. But what on earth does AZSF mean?

[JPS]

Kinloch Anderson also makes one that's pretty much identical to the EBay sporran we're discussing. Note the floral embossing on the front flap. It's a little darker, but I suspect the yard sporran needs a good wipedown with some leather conditioner, and it'll look a richer brown.

There really is a set of standard designs.

Annnd it's gone.

[McMurdo]

I just saw this one and thought I would pass it along

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393251191...MakeTrack=true

[OC Richard]

I just saw this one and thought I would pass it along

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393251191...MakeTrack=true

Thanks!

That was exactly my first sporran, got from The Scottish Shopper (Seattle) in 1975.

It was probably made by W E Scott (Edinburgh) and as I recall cost $15.

Now this one below isn't my cup of tea, but I always have an eye out for Nicoll Brothers (Bankfoot) sporrans:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17479396610...ndition=4%7C10

Here's a seal Evening one, I have a Nicoll Bros hunting sporran with that same cantle, which I think I've only seen with their sporrans

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCOTTISH-GE...p2056016.l4276

[JPS]

Any thoughts on this sporran? It's made in Scotland and includes a strap. It's listed as new, and while it is clearly used, it does seem to be in good condition.

The strange thing to me is the tassels, which look like they're made of something other than leather. Anybody seen one like this before? I recognize also this could be my eyes playing tricks on me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Adult-Tradi...-/193843009767

[FossilHunter]

Any thoughts on this sporran? It's made in Scotland and includes a strap. It's listed as new, and while it is clearly used, it does seem to be in good condition.

The strange thing to me is the tassels, which look like they're made of something other than leather. Anybody seen one like this before? I recognize also this could be my eyes playing tricks on me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Adult-Tradi...-/193843009767

I’ve seen that style before and I’m certain the tassels are leather. Probably just a different texture.

I’d go for it if you like it.

[JPS]

I’ve seen that style before and I’m certain the tassels are leather. Probably just a different texture.

I’d go for it if you like it.

Thanks for the confirmation. These eyes ain't as good as they used to be.

Now that I look at it again, the one in that ebay link seems to look like "8SC" in the picture OC Richard posted above.

[OC Richard]

Good eye, yes that was one of those old standard designs.

About fake leather appearing on otherwise legit Scottish-made sporrans, I have seen it.

From a Scottish maker with a good reputation, a customer brought in a sporran where the tab stitched to the back (that holds the belt/strap) had pulled loose, and you could see that the back panel of the sporran was some kind of bonded leather, leather on the outside but cardboard-like stuff in the middle. Needless to say we were shocked.

Here's a very nice vintage sporran, seal, with an engraved silver (German silver?) cantle.

Nice that the seller gives measurements, which tell us it's a fullsize adult sporran.

It's the older style with a non-opening body, and pocket on back. Not my favourite design due to it not being very roomy. But it's an exquisite vintage sporran probably c1930-1950.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27483576556...ndition=4%7C10