Quality Sporrans for less money

[OC Richard]

On Ebay now there are quite a few very nice seal Evening sporrans, illegal and risky for us here in the USA.

Here's a very nice vintage plain leather Day sporran, in the quite dark brown often seen with military sporrans.

It has the older-style stud fastening on the flap.

No stamp but obviously a quality vintage Scottish-made sporran, for $50 including shipping from Scotland.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/14408492347...ndition=4%7C10

A more recent version of the same sporran, in black, with press button fastening.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39325119132...ndition=4%7C10

[Brian Rose]

At the risk of losing my bid, I'll present-
https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/12...4#shipping-tab

Horsehair,made in Scotland. Since there's a number on the back and a size written on the sporran belt, perhaps it was ex-hire or pipe band stock. I'm sure OC Richard will have some input.

[JPS]

Here's a very nice vintage plain leather Day sporran, in the quite dark brown often seen with military sporrans.

It has the older-style stud fastening on the flap.

No stamp but obviously a quality vintage Scottish-made sporran, for $50 including shipping from Scotland.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/14408492347...ndition=4%7C10

Thanks, Richard. I snagged it this morning for £34, shipped.

[OC Richard]

Here's a cool thing, an almost complete Highland outfit by Forsyth.

Matching plain tweed kilt and jacket, matching Balmoral (with "Forsyth, Hatters" label) and lovely sporrans.

The sporrans are stated to be two sizes and indeed before I read the description my impression was of an adult sporran and a youth sporran.

The adult sporran is very nice indeed! And by itself might sell for the price of this whole ensemble.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/31358404187...ndition=4%7C10

[OC Richard]

At the risk of losing my bid, I'll present-
https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/12...4#shipping-tab

Horsehair,made in Scotland. Since there's a number on the back and a size written on the sporran belt, perhaps it was ex-hire or pipe band stock. I'm sure OC Richard will have some input.

I think you're right, either a hire firm or a pipe band. I think the latter more likely because that style is seldom (or ever?) hired.

It's a style that's been around for the entire 20th century and then some. The rim is created by spinning a sheet of metal on a lathe and shaping it with a tool, the same process that R G Lawrie long used for their bagpipe ferrules.

The metalwork (rim, cones, and badge) would have been solid "German silver" (cupro-nickel or Nickel Silver) up until around the 1950s or 1960s when they started using brass which was then nickel-plated.

It was the least expensive pipe band horsehair sporran and was widely used in civilian pipe bands from around the 1930s on. The various cast-top models cost more. Here it is, PS 6" Piper Sporran with full adult size 6" wide cantle. They also made this sporran in Youth's and Child's sizes. PS/CT is "piper sporran, cast top". There was another common cast top style, not shown here, with shamrocks rather than thistles.



Here's the complete lineup included the shamrock style



You could order any of those horsehair sporrans in black, white, or brown-grey hair, with various arrangements of long and short tassels, and with the metalwork in silver or gold colour.

Here for example is the "square top" done in brown hair with gold metalwork

[neloon]

Here's a cool thing, an almost complete Highland outfit by Forsyth.

Matching plain tweed kilt and jacket, matching Balmoral (with "Forsyth, Hatters" label) and lovely sporrans.

The sporrans are stated to be two sizes and indeed before I read the description my impression was of an adult sporran and a youth sporran.

The adult sporran is very nice indeed! And by itself might sell for the price of this whole ensemble.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/31358404187...ndition=4%7C10

Seems very odd. Obviously the sporrans are not part of a GIRL'S school uniform!

Alan

[Crazy Dave]

At the risk of losing my bid, I'll present-
https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/12...4#shipping-tab

Horsehair,made in Scotland. Since there's a number on the back and a size written on the sporran belt, perhaps it was ex-hire or pipe band stock. I'm sure OC Richard will have some input.

The action ended. Did you get it?

Dave

[Brian Rose]

The action ended. Did you get it?

Dave

I did not. I think the price it sold for was fair. $54.00 + shipping so perhaps a total of about $70.00. Someone got a good deal for an older horse hair sporran.
I really didn't have enough use for it to justify raising my bid. One of those things- if one can obtain it inexpensively enough- it's worth it. In the end,I couldn't justify it. My wife gave me a PC and waistcoat for Christmas. I still need to find an event to wear it to.
In my part of Michigan, there's a large Dutch influence. The Dutch have a reputation similar to Scots when it comes to money. I'm not Dutch,but it (the attitude) rubs off.

[Crazy Dave]

I did not. I think the price it sold for was fair. $54.00 + shipping so perhaps a total of about $70.00. Someone got a good deal for an older horse hair sporran.
I really didn't have enough use for it to justify raising my bid. One of those things- if one can obtain it inexpensively enough- it's worth it. In the end,I couldn't justify it. My wife gave me a PC and waistcoat for Christmas. I still need to find an event to wear it to.
In my part of Michigan, there's a large Dutch influence. The Dutch have a reputation similar to Scots when it comes to money. I'm not Dutch,but it (the attitude) rubs off.

I thought about putting in a bid, but got caught up in comforting my dog because of all the fireworks my neighbors were setting off. I buy regularly from that site and had seen it before you posted. $70 IMO is a deal, but I'm sure something else will come around. I suspect we have bid against each other in the past. I like the idea of the money going to help people.

Dave

[OC Richard]

Seems very odd. Obviously the sporrans are not part of a GIRL'S school uniform!

Alan

Yes I think it's a male outfit, perhaps for a youth.

In any case here's a nice L&M Highland Outfitters (Nova Scotia) sporran for $45 including shipping.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40296671564...ndition=4%7C10

And for $48 including shipping this nice leather Day sporran

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

The style was called AZSF in the late 20th century catalogues, and was offered (though only in brown) back to the 1930s.

Here's a collage giving an impression of the AZSF family



For around the same $48 price including shipping is this legit-looking black rabbit fur Evening sporran with the big-dome cantle called "G" in the old catalogues. No maker's stamp, but this doesn't look Pakistani to me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/22444241849...ndition=4%7C10

Here it is, lower right. For some reason, in the 1990s most of the Pipe Bands in Southern California wore this same style.