Quality Sporrans for less money

**OC Richard** · 3rd August 22, 03:15 AM

Thanks!!

I knew I had seen those numbers-in-circles somewhere.

Thing is, I worked at a Highland Outfitter in the 1980s who were carrying W E Scott (Edinburgh) sporrans, but when those evinced a decline in quality switched to L&M (Nova Scotia) who were upholding high traditional standards of leather quality and workmanship.

So at that time I probably saw hundreds of L&M sporrans in the shop, but had forgot about the stamps they used.

Now I'll label the photo I took "L&M" and add it to my collection of photos of different maker's stamps.

Here's a more recent L&M stamp.

And another L&M stamp, I have no idea as to date.

**OC Richard** · 3rd August 22, 03:47 AM

Here's an ordinary civilian horsehair sporran being listed by the seller as a Scots Guards sporran.

It isn't, and I've told the seller so.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363920739506

The same seller, however, has also listed what appears to be a genuine Scots Guards sporran. (I would have thought he would look at the two, and think "one of these things is not like the other" but no.)

That civilian style, listed as CT (probably "cast top") in the old catalogues, has been the go-to sporran for civilian pipe bands wearing military-style Full Dress for at least a half-century.

**piperalpha** · 7th August 22, 11:57 AM

I'm surprised I got this for 15 pounds. With the import and shipping it came in around $80 Cdn. similar sporrans are $400.00 cdn plus shipping and tax. I honestly just bid on it because it was so cheap. Now I'm really happy I did.

**kilted2000** · 15th August 22, 10:52 AM

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27542289407...mis&media=COPY

Looks like a decent classic sporran. It's stamped Made in Scotland.

**OC Richard** · 16th August 22, 04:35 AM

Originally Posted by kilted2000

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27542289407...mis&media=COPY

Looks like a decent classic sporran. It's stamped Made in Scotland.

Yes, probably by W E Scott Edinburgh, though other makers did that exact pattern.

In my old catalogues that pattern is called BF. Some of those letter designations are obvious (HB=Highland Brigade, EW=Evening Wear) but some are cryptic to me, and BF is one of those.

Here are some BF sporrans, some have the sun-wheel/goddess-eye motif and some have the five-point motif.

That five-point thing varied, sometimes looking almost like a Tudor Rose.

As you can see the Achille's Heel of this design was the stitching coming loose where a strip of leather binding holds the flap to the back panel.

**OC Richard** · 19th August 22, 05:01 AM

Very nice brown leather Day sporran in apparently new condition.

No markings but it has the look of a quality Scottish-made sporran.

Around $70 including post to the USA.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11549901881...tion=10%7C3000

**Father Bill** · 19th August 22, 05:28 AM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

Very nice brown leather Day sporran in apparently new condition.

No markings but it has the look of a quality Scottish-made sporran.

Around $70 including post to the USA.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11549901881...tion=10%7C3000

Um, yes, but nothing 'semi-dress' about it as posted. These guys really know little about what they're posting or else they're patently dishonest.

**Jock Scot** · 19th August 22, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by Father Bill

Um, yes, but nothing 'semi-dress' about it as posted. -----------

Exactly so!

**OC Richard** · 1st September 22, 04:45 AM

Here's a Scottish-made (probably W E Scott Edinburgh) sporran in seemingly new condition.

Not super-cheap at $70 but still a fraction of what it would cost new.

This is one of those patterns which as far as I can tell was introduced around the time Kilt Hire started taking off.

Features of these including using black leather, and putting elements borrowed from Evening sporrans on leather Day sporrans.

For whatever reason this particular style, a traditional Hunting sporran done up in black, and with a chrome Evening cantle added, became the standard Pipe Band sporran worldwide. At big competitions you can see a dozen bands, one after another, all wearing this style. It's probably the most-copied sporran in Pakistan for that reason.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Scottish-Ce...p2056016.l4276

Here it is in a catalogue in the 1980s or 1990s HS/T/B (probably Hunting Sporran/Top/Black)

**OC Richard** · 1st September 22, 04:56 AM

Originally Posted by Father Bill

Um, yes, but nothing 'semi-dress' about it as posted. These guys really know little about what they're posting or else they're patently dishonest.

I think they just don't know.

I see things with odd descriptions all the time. The most common is people thinking that Highland civilian photos, kilts, sporrans, jackets, etc are military.

I wish I had a dollar for every time I saw a civilian thing listed as "Scottish military officer's __________ ".

(For some reason it's always "officer's". Seems that in the Scottish regiments there were 300 officers for every private.)

I also wish I had a dollar for every bagpipe I've seen listed as being "recovered from a WWI battlefield". From the sheer number of these, it must be difficult to walk across a WWI battlefield without stepping on a set of pipes.