Quality Sporrans for less money

[OC Richard]

A UK seller has put up some Nicoll Bros Bankfoot sporrans currently going for under $40 each.

Looks like the seller took his photos at night in a fog with a 1970 Polaroid camera.

They are all, perhaps, rabbit fur but given the low quality of the photos who can say.

First a white Evening Dress sporran. I have a Nicoll Bros sporran with this same cantle, which I really like. You can see the Nicoll Bros Bankfoot stamp.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCOTTISH-SP...gAAOSwJHFZ47pa

Second is an Evening Dress sporran in the colour called "brown" in Britain but for us in the USA it might be described as "gray" or perhaps "taupe". It too has the Nicoll Bros Bankfoot stamp visible.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCOTTISH-SP....c100005.m1851

Last is a black Evening Dress sporran with white tassels and the "G" cantle, which I expect to be a high quality silver-plated cantle. This style of sporran became very popular with pipe bands around here around 20 years ago, and it looks great with a variety of tartans. I don't see a maker's stamp in the photo of the back, so we have to take the seller's word that it's a Nicoll Bros sporran.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCOTTISH-SP....c100005.m1851

Last but not least a leather & sealskin sporran with a stamp I've not seen before Stewart Christie & Co. Edinburgh. It also has the typical Made In Scotland Real Leather oval gold stamp. A very low Buy It Now, a fantastic sporran for a non-USA buyer.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stewart-Chr...4AAOSwO7hZ6QW5

Here's a closeup of the reverse showing the two stamps



I assume this is the same firm

https://www.stewartchristie.com/

Nowadays they only offer two sporrans, both quite plain, made by "MacKenzie Leathers".

https://www.stewartchristie.com/store/-c21613069

The sporran on Ebay, however, is a standard "canon" sporran and might have been made by W Scott & Son or any of a number of Scottish sporranmakers of the c1930-c1970 period.

[Moses]

This post is really a good way to illustrate some good choices on eBay but also when looking as I am for something I'm not too familiar with. I appreciate it OC Richard

[OC Richard]

This post is really a good way to illustrate some good choices on eBay but also when looking as I am for something I'm not too familiar with. I appreciate it OC Richard

Thanks!

As part of a general introduction to the standard "canon of sporran styles" (as I call it) which has existed since around WWII, I did a couple threads:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-styles-77256/

Here are all the photos I was able to find of these "canon" sporrans in the flesh:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...xamples-88489/

[Moses]

Thanks!

As part of a general introduction to the standard "canon of sporran styles" (as I call it) which has existed since around WWII, I did a couple threads:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-styles-77256/

Here are all the photos I was able to find of these "canon" sporrans in the flesh:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...xamples-88489/

I am constantly amazed at the wealth of information that everyone shares on this forum. I'm also very pleased to see that even those who sell things don't present information in a way that is a sales pitch everybody here seems so informative even if occasionally critical. I actually appreciate the critiques as well and I am sure some will come my way the more I post

[Moses]

Thanks!

As part of a general introduction to the standard "canon of sporran styles" (as I call it) which has existed since around WWII, I did a couple threads:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-styles-77256/

Here are all the photos I was able to find of these "canon" sporrans in the flesh:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...xamples-88489/

I wonder if there is any particular version that is considered better for certain evening wear situations? Is there a cantle or color or kind of fur or tassel scheme that is for evening but not formal wear or not?

[OC Richard]

I wonder if there is any particular version that is considered better for certain evening wear situations? Is there a cantle or color or kind of fur or tassel scheme that is for evening but not formal wear or not?

If you look back over the last 150+ years what stands out to me is that Highland Dress underwent a major transformation in the early 20th century.

For some reason in the period around WWI Highland Dress became more orderly, with two clearly-defined categories Evening Dress and Day (or Outdoor) Dress.

Each had a quite specific sort of shirt, necktie, jacket, sporran, hose, and shoes, and "it wouldn't do" to mix these things.

Traditional Highland Dress hasn't really changed, fundamentally, since, and precisely the same outfits entire which would have looked "correct" in 1920 would look proper today. (They loved to use that term, "correct", back then!)

Anyhow with sporrans there was a clear dichotomy between Evening and Day sporrans. Any Evening sporran would be deemed "correct" for Evening and any Day sporran "correct" for outdoor/daytime wear.

[Moses]

If you look back over the last 150+ years what stands out to me is that Highland Dress underwent a major transformation in the early 20th century.

For some reason in the period around WWI Highland Dress became more orderly, with two clearly-defined categories Evening Dress and Day (or Outdoor) Dress.

Each had a quite specific sort of shirt, necktie, jacket, sporran, hose, and shoes, and "it wouldn't do" to mix these things.

Traditional Highland Dress hasn't really changed, fundamentally, since, and precisely the same outfits entire which would have looked "correct" in 1920 would look proper today. (They loved to use that term, "correct", back then!)

Anyhow with sporrans there was a clear dichotomy between Evening and Day sporrans. Any Evening sporran would be deemed "correct" for Evening and any Day sporran "correct" for outdoor/daytime wear.

I am sorely in need of education in these matters. I am trying to be able to wear Traditional Highland Dress and am piecing it together as best I can. I very much long to wear Traditional wear but don't have the money to throw around and just hope for the best.

I need an Evening sporran next and while I don't want something "cheap" I do need to find something inexpensive but of at least some descent quality - hopefully by November 4 so I am in a bit of a hurry, lol.

[Moses]

A UK seller has put up some Nicoll Bros Bankfoot sporrans currently going for under $40 each.

Looks like the seller took his photos at night in a fog with a 1970 Polaroid camera.

They are all, perhaps, rabbit fur but given the low quality of the photos who can say.

......Last is a black Evening Dress sporran with white tassels and the "G" cantle, which I expect to be a high quality silver-plated cantle. This style of sporran became very popular with pipe bands around here around 20 years ago, and it looks great with a variety of tartans. I don't see a maker's stamp in the photo of the back, so we have to take the seller's word that it's a Nicoll Bros sporran.

.....

OC Richard I was wondering if you could shed some light on this one in particular please. I'm interested in knowing what about it makes you believe it may be a high quality with silver plated cantle?

[OC Richard]

Back over so many years when so many different sporran makers were using the same hardware, you would see how certain cantles came silver-plated, others came chrome-plated.

Occasionally you might see a cantle normally seen in silverplate in chrome, but it would be an exception.

The cantles usually seen in silverplate were the celtic knotwork & bosses cantle used on EW2, the "G" cantle, and the EW5 cantle with the ancient "bullseye" or "goddess eye" motif.

Usually the silverplate cantles had a "Made In Scotland" stamp on the side while the chrome-plated cantles did not.

Here are a couple photos from the tri-fold sheet used by a number of sporranmakers and retailers throughout the latter 20th century:






Here's a page from the Anderson 1936 catalogue showing the fairly recently-established Evening Dress sporrans in sealskin with (usually) a curved silver cantle. Little changed between the 1920s and throughout the rest of the 20th century.

[OC Richard]

Time for more quality Scottish-made sporrans for under $100.

Here's a wonderful Hunting sporran by Margaret Morrison of Scotland, no bids, $75, with a $100 BIN

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Hunti...p2056016.l4276

Another Margaret Morrison Hunting sporran from the same seller

https://www.ebay.com/itm/White-Hunti....c100752.m1982

This sporran doesn't show a stamp on the back but appears to be a quality made-in-Scotland sporran, from the same seller (in the USA which is a bonus in this case)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Greenland-d....c100752.m1982