Quality Sporrans for less money

**OC Richard** · 19th November 22, 04:54 PM

Here are two lovely vintage sporrans, each of which began low, but have now zoomed far beyond our price range here.

The first is the style called EW2 or EW4. Presumably one designation refers to the style with the higher-quality five-piece silver-plated cantle, and the other designation to the lower-quality two-piece nickel (or chrome) plated cantle.

Since both look identical in catalogue photos, who can say which is which! But this is the higher-quality silver-plated one, quite nice.

EDIT: this sporran closed for a quite reasonable $200 this morning.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/35439668020...tion=10%7C3000

The other sporran which has gone quite above our usual price range is this beautiful RG Lawrie Hunting sporran with brass top.

It has the Patent opening top, and is stamped with the W E Scott 1953 Patent number, so probably was made within a few years after that date.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26599436457...tion=10%7C3000

Sadly the Ebay auction photos are blurry, but I can see that the cantle is an old friend, though usually seen in nickel. I think this is the first time I've seen that cantle in brass.

**Brian Rose** · 19th November 22, 07:49 PM

The seller speculates that the fur is rabbit. I’m thinking it looks more like “the fur that shall not be named”. It looks a bit too coarse for rabbit.

**OC Richard** · 20th November 22, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by Brian Rose

The seller speculates that the fur is rabbit. I’m thinking it looks more like “the fur that shall not be named”.

Yes it's the fur of the sea-Voldemort.

But if the seller puts "rabbit fur" on the Customs Declaration so much the better.

**DCampbell16B** · 27th November 22, 02:25 PM

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11560366556...Bk9SR-DBwq-XYQ

Looks hand engraved

**piperalpha** · 27th November 22, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by DCampbell16B

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11560366556...Bk9SR-DBwq-XYQ

Looks hand engraved

it looks vintage. I would get the measurements before bidding. It looks like a youths’ sporran.

**JPS** · 28th November 22, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by piperalpha

it looks vintage. I would get the measurements before bidding. It looks like a youths’ sporran.

My thought, as well. It's popped up in my feed several times over the last few months, but the proportions look small to me.

**OC Richard** · 30th November 22, 03:56 AM

Yes a child's or youth's size on that one.

Here's a classic plain "day" sporran in pigskin colour. In the old catalogues from the 20s and 30s "day" sporrans are often as not listed as being pigskin. Some models, with brass tops, are buckskin, some "hide" (cowhide).

Anyhow it's 10 pounds, the post to the USA is more than the sporran costs.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30471787562...tion=10%7C3000

Not my cup of tea, but a modern "semi dress" sporran, that is, a "day" sporran made in black with seal front and Evening Dress tassels. It's already in the USA. https://www.ebay.com/itm/20416410761...tion=10%7C3000

I'm a big Nicoll Brothers fan but this seal Evening sporran is just plain ugly IMHO.

It's using the stark-yet-gaudy chrome MOD cantle of the new truncated horsehair Other Ranks sporran introduced for the Highland regiments in the late 1960s, the replacement for the 1953 Coronation Dress "Culloden" brass-top white leather sporran.

I can't recall seeing this military cantle used on a civilian sporran before. Why, who can say.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27555805362...tion=10%7C3000

Below are the bobtailed generic hair sporrans introduced in the 1960s and I believe worn up to the creation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (who happily were given fullsize sporrans).

Same chrome cantle for all regiments, the body made in black or white hair, with several grommets on the back to accommodate the various required tassel arrangements, all tassels now having chrome cones.

The Black Watch example is stamped RG Lawrie 1968 and is the earliest example I've come across.

Clockwise from upper left Gordon Highlanders, Black Watch, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, Queens Own Highlanders.

**OC Richard** · 3rd December 22, 04:50 AM

Evening seal sporran, modern, probably by WE Scott & Son Edinburgh, for one pound.

At some point they stopped stamping the backs of their sporrans, putting on a sticker instead. These fall off sooner or latter leaving us with an unmarked sporran, save in this case for the maker's stamp on the snap/press button.

Not my cup of tea with the black leather targe.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27556391679...tion=10%7C3000

**OC Richard** · 15th December 22, 04:05 AM

Lovely vintage plain brown "day" sporran, seems certainly Scottish-made, only one bid, around $7.

Sporrans I've seen with that shape of tab often have a "Made In Scotland Pure Leather" oval gold stamp in the middle of the tab, which part is hidden in the photo of the sporran's back.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/37440730688...tion=10%7C3000

**TheVintageLibertine** · 23rd December 22, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by Brian Rose

The seller speculates that the fur is rabbit. I’m thinking it looks more like “the fur that shall not be named”. It looks a bit too coarse for rabbit.

Is it impolitic to ask what “the fur that shall not be named” is? I was recently online window shopping for sporrans, and noticed quite a few that said “not available to US customers” in the description.