As people who hang around Pipe Bands probably has noticed, an amazingly large number of pipe bands wear the same type of sporran, a black leather "hunting" sporran with chrome Evening sporran top stuck on. My supposition is that when all the bands went to the Black Argyll Jacket & Ghillies look back in the 1980s they reckoned that Day sporrans weren't dressy enough and Evening sporrans were too dressy. And besides, Hunting sporrans don't have any tassels to fall off!

Anyhow here's the most common style of what I call "Pipe Band sporran", a lovely example made by L&M Highland Outfitters in Nova Scotia Canada



Now unfortunately our band decided to go cheap and buy the Pakistani version, which I detest. Note the huge domelike bosses etc



So at that time I bought, on the cheap on Ebay, an ex-hire sporran of roughly similar style made by Gaelic Themes. I aint wearing a Pakistani sporran! And I've worn it now since 2007 in the band.

Well last week my eye, on Ebay, was caught by a lovely sporran of similar style made by Nicoll Bros, Bankfoot, Scotland. I put in a pretty big bid and won it. It's arrived and it's lovely as I knew it would be. For those that don't know, Nicoll Bros was one of Scotland's oldest sporranmakers, having been around since the 1840s as I recall, and a long-time sporranmaker for the military. "The real deal" in other words.

Here it is, with the Gaelic Themes sporran for comparison.



The sporran on the left is stamped "Gaelic Themes Scotland" and "Made in Scotland" on the leather on the back. The sporran on the right is stamped "Nicoll Bros Bankfoot" on the leather on the back, and stamped "Nicoll Bros Scotland" on the side of the cantle.

Note the different proportions: the Gaelic Themes sporran is 6 7/8" wide at its widest point and 8 3/4" tall (174mm x 223mm) while the Nicoll Bros sporran is 7" wide and 8 3/8" tall (182mm x 213mm). Both cantles are identical in width 6 1/8" (155mm).

It's cool to see these "variations on a theme". I'll wear the Nicoll Bros sporran now in the band and sell the Gaelic Themes one to a bandmate who wants to ditch his Pakistani sporran.