Quote Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome View Post
Here is a brass cantled sporran from the early 1700s we have in our museum collection:




There are more photos here.....
http://scottishtartans.org/sporrans.htm
Matt,
Thank you for the images and the link to the rest of the STA pix.
If I may pick your brain for a few moments...

Is the face of the cantle cast? The slightly organic nature of the outline and surface texture make me think yes, but then it's 300 years old and could just be that way from centuries of wear and tear.

If you have a good guess (or a micrometer ), what is the thickness of the material? It seems to be a LOT thicker than most other brass cantles I've seen.

Also, exactly how does the piece stay closed? I see the two 'teeth' on the back, do they lock over the top? I'm also confused a bit by what appear to be the two buttons on the back plate.

The design is really lovely, BTW.

Thanks again.