William Anderson Dress Sporran

[StevieR]

So, I have been searching for some time for a nice dress sporran. I could find nothing I liked and although I was prepared to pay a few quid nothing brand new appealed to me at all. In the last few days I have been fortunate enough to have completed a transaction with a very nice chap, for a vintage sporran that fits the bill nicely. It has a very plain, silver plated cantle (stamped with a small fleur de lys on the back) that needs re-plating - no big problem - is sealskin and the lettering on the back informs me that William Anderson and Sons Ltd., Military Outfitters, Edinburgh and Glasgow supplied it. The inside of the purse is nicely lined with chamois.

I understand the sporran may date from the 1950's and wondered if William Anderson was the precursor to Kinloch Anderson? Any information would be appreciated.

There is a small piece of fur missing from the side of the sporran. Not too bad looking. Do I leave it or attempt to make a repair (if so how - a bit of fur from under the cantle glued into place?).

Finally, I have a mind to (maybe) make some embellishments to the cantle. I very much like the Jacobite design of pierced hearts and engraved bullseyes, which might prove costly but could, I think, be done by a competent jeweller. Any thoughts or opinions?

Here is my new sporran:

IMG_0160.jpg
IMG_0161 2.jpg

. . . and an idea of what I mean by "hearts and bullseyes", pinched from another thread:

DSCF0143.jpg

[creagdhubh]

Very smart sporran, Stevie! Well done indeed. If it was my sporran, I would not attempt to repair it myself; rather, I'd have a reputable sporran maker take a look at it and see what they can do, or what their professional recommendations would be. As far as the cantle embellishments are concerned, I am quite fond of the pierced hearts and engraved bullseyes myself, so again, I'd speak with a reputable sporran maker (Artificer keeps coming to mind) to see what the costs would be to have this done properly and to your specifications. I will say, that I do like the cantle in its present form, yet I completely understand your desire to "paint the blank canvas" so to speak. I know you didn't mention the silver tassel bells (cones), but I would recommend leaving them as they are if you should decide to have the cantle altered.

[StevieR]

Very smart sporran, Steve! Well done indeed. If it was my sporran, I would not attempt to repair it myself; rather, I'd have a reputable sporran maker take a look at it and see what they can do, or what their professional recommendations would be. As far as the cantle embellishments are concerned, I am quite fond of the pierced hearts and engraved bullseyes myself, so again, I'd speak with a reputable sporran maker (Artificer keeps coming to mind) to see what the costs would be to have this done properly and to your specifications. I will say, that I do like the cantle in its present form, yet I completely understand your desire to "paint the blank canvas" so to speak. I know you didn't mention the silver tassel bells, but I would recommend leaving them as they are if you should decide to have the cantle altered.

Sage advice as always Kyle. Thankyou. . . and fear not, those lovely tassel bells are in fine condition and will be staying exactly where they are.

[creagdhubh]

Sage advice as always Kyle. Thankyou. . . and fear not, those lovely tassel bells are in fine condition and will be staying exactly where they are.

No worries. And best of luck with everything!

Cheers,

[Tim Little]

Finally, I have a mind to (maybe) make some embellishments to the cantle. I very much like the Jacobite design of pierced hearts and engraved bullseyes, which might prove costly but could, I think, be done by a competent jeweller. Any thoughts or opinions?

Here is my new sporran:

IMG_0160.jpg
IMG_0161 2.jpg

. . . and an idea of what I mean by "hearts and bullseyes", pinched from another thread:

DSCF0143.jpg

I also love that pierced-heart cantle and think it would be a perfect complement to your Anderson sporran.

[StevieR]

Well, well, well. Browsing an old thread of OC Richards - trad 'canon' of sporran styles - I think my sporran design appears in the 1936 Anderson catalogue. Evening sporran no. 6, grey sealskin, plain top, silver plated, £4 and 10 shillings (about £275 today)!

XMTS - what an outstanding resource!

[MacMillans son]

For the fur repair, an alternative to a sporran maker may be a taxidermist or someone who works with fur coats (restorations). As fur is not specific to sporrans, those who specialize in working with fur (like dead animals with holes in them) may be a closer and more appropriate source for the repair.

It is a nice, and simple, sporran perhaps leaving it as is for those much loved "Semi-dress" events may also be an option and spend the money on an original sporran with the holey heart cantle. I can imagine having one made may be a bit cost prohibitive, but it doesn't hurt to do some research.

You have a nice piece there, and hopefully scored it a price closer to the original vs. its inflation corrected one.

[MacGumerait]

StevieR , beautiful sporran and like others , I admire it's classic look , very nice score !

You may want to be cautious about having something that is plated be engraved , as it can result in flaking . Plating is not as forgiving as solid brass , solid silver , etc . Silver plate can be engraved but it depends on the quality of the plating . I would imagine the quality of plating on your cantle is very good given the origin and the age .

I would recommend asking Artificer about the idea of engraving a silver plated cantle, he has probably encountered it in the past . It is such a nice sporran and it would be a shame if an attempt to engrave it ended in messing up the cantle .

I am certainly not an expert in this field , but I have seen attempts of engraving plated metal end up good and bad .

Once again , great score !

Cheers , Mike

[artificer]

StevieR , beautiful sporran and like others , I admire it's classic look , very nice score !

You may want to be cautious about having something that is plated be engraved , as it can result in flaking . Plating is not as forgiving as solid brass , solid silver , etc . Silver plate can be engraved but it depends on the quality of the plating . I would imagine the quality of plating on your cantle is very good given the origin and the age .

I would recommend asking Artificer about the idea of engraving a silver plated cantle, he has probably encountered it in the past . It is such a nice sporran and it would be a shame if an attempt to engrave it ended in messing up the cantle .

I am certainly not an expert in this field , but I have seen attempts of engraving plated metal end up good and bad .

Once again , great score !

Cheers , Mike

Spot on, MacGumeralt- my thoughts exactly.

With a cantle of this nature being one piece, cutting or stamping is going to have to be achieved one of two ways, either completely disassembling the cantle to do the cutting and stamping, or the much more laborious (and therefore, expensive) shallow cutting for the piercing rather than a standard jeweler's saw, and the making of a special form to insert into the cantle to support the panel as it's embossed with the cup and ring (goddess' eyes).

With silver plate you're almost guaranteed to need it re-plated after this type of work, as you're cutting through the plating in some spots and stamping into it in others.

In my opinion I'd keep the lovely piece as is. You'll probably spend more on the reworking of it than you did on the whole piece.

BTW: why does it need re-plating as is? Is there corrosion that the pictures don't show? A little age showing on a piece like this certainly doesn't offend.

ith:

[StevieR]

Thanks for the advice guys. Lots for me to think about. I'm fortunate to have very good silversmith in the town where I live and I'm popping in for a chat tomorrow.

Scott, I don't think the pictures show very clearly, but certainly the silver plate on the front of the sporran has worn off in two largish patches.

As far as any work costing more than the price I paid - it will! My sporran set me back twenty five quid, including postage. As I mentioned, I couldn't find a new sporran I liked and my budget was around £200, so I've got a bit to play with. I've just got to decide if it's worth it?