odd vintage sporran mashup on Ebay

**OC Richard** · 11th October 12, 04:11 AM

A lovely old "day" sporran, from its appearance from the 1920s-1930s, with the cantle of a hair sporran shoved on top... I wonder how much this has damaged the day sporran

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERB-ANTIQ...item3f1d7bee6c

**David Thorpe** · 11th October 12, 04:14 AM

Interesting. My first thought is that it has the makings of two very nice sporrans. Fortunately, it is beyond my current budget.

**PEEDYC** · 11th October 12, 04:15 AM

and someone has bid on it too ..................... It doesn't look as though it can open the way the cantle has been jammed on.

**Laird_M** · 11th October 12, 04:20 AM

Both nice pieces, but I suspect the attachment of the cantle will have very badly scarred the leather.

**Tobus** · 11th October 12, 04:44 AM

LOL. Wow, it's not like the cantle on top even fits or looks right, either. There's a gap between the top of the flap and the cantle. The pieces do look like they'd be very nice as separate items. But it's hard to take the thing seriously with them put together like that.

**Chas** · 11th October 12, 05:40 AM

It is strange, isn't it. The cantle apart, do we think that the front flap is just for show and that the real sporran is the small pocket in the back. Or that they both function. Or that they are two sporrans that have been put together and then a cantle added.

Regards

Chas

**OC Richard** · 11th October 12, 05:48 AM

Yes somebody took a vintage sporran sort of like one of these

and stuck on the cantle taken off of a hair sporran like one of these

**Tobus** · 11th October 12, 05:56 AM

Good questions. At first I thought this was a regular flap closure sporran with a cantle crudely jammed on top. But the more I look at it, that flap is stitched across at the top. And when I see the back side, I see no evidence that the flap comes over the top. So it's possible that the flap was just a front decorative piece, and it was never intended to open from the top (with all access being from the rear pocket opening). Either that, or it would have originally had a square functional opening cantle mounted on top. It's hard to say.

But it's pretty easy to see that whatever the original configuration, this cantle doesn't go with it! And since it seems that this cantle is non-functional (i.e. non-opening), the only access now is through the rear pocket.

**artificer** · 11th October 12, 06:11 AM

I am completely flabbergasted, and yet strangely curious.

The cantle obviously doesn't match the front body of the sporran with it's leather flap. At the same time, the rear of the bag appears to be from a horse hair sporran.

Look at the cut edge of the fur (especially noticeable in the upper right hand corner). Detail Below

There are a few things that puzzle me about this.
1) there is no gusset for the original bag. Of course this means that nothing much could have been put in it.
2) the edge is very crudely cut and stitched. Not what I'd expect given the nicely detailed back of the piece.
3) you can make out the brown of the tassels just above the rear pockets and the brown of the front flap at the top of the the strap keeper - but they're at odds with the nice oxblood of the bag back.
4) the ungainly gap and cut off of the actual sporran body inside the cantle

If I had my guess, we're looking at the parts from at least 3 sporrans: a horsehair sporran BODY BACK; a different sporran cantle; a day sporran's FLAP and tassles; and the fur. The reason I don't think the fur is from the original bag is that the tassels would be on the front panel (the fur itself) and have no need to pierce the back of the bag. Also, the rolled gusset is missing.

I could be way out in left field, but those are my thoughts. Anyone?

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