It's an misconception I've seen many times over the years in the Pipe Band world. I have no idea where it could have originated from.

It's about silver v gold coloured buttons and accoutrements in the Scottish military.

I've seen many times over the years civilian Pipe Bands dressed in pseudo-military costume where all the pipers have all their metalwork in silver but the Pipe Major has all his in gold.

Likewise I've seen and heard, many times, people describe the classic Black Watch sporran cantle in gilt as being for the Pipe Major and silver ones as being for the rest of the pipers.

A twist on this is people saying that the gilt things were 'officers' and the silver things were for the rest.

Well, it wasn't ever so, either in The Black Watch or any of the Highland regiments. The standard thing, in Victorian times, was for all the Regular Battalions to have their buttons and accoutrements in brass gold or gilt, but for the Volunteer or Territorial Battalions to have these things in silver or nickel. (The situation was actually more complex, for example dirks, sgians, and brooches, worn by senior NCOs and officers, varied from gilt to silver in the Regular battalions.)

In many of the regiments all the soldier's sporran hardware, from the private to the colonel, were brass/gilt however the pipers (all of the pipers including the Pipe Major) had silver sporran cantles and waistbelt and crossbelt fitments.

But in The Black Watch there was one and only one sporran cantle, gilt, which was worn by all NCOs, officers, and pipers. This was true from at least the mid-19th century up until the formation of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. It was this cantle, the Black Watch NCO/officer/piper one, which was adopted by all ranks of the RRS.

So, what do I see on Ebay today but this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPORRAN-Cant...item1c3f87cb79

and its companion listing of a similar cantle in gilt.

Of course the gilt one was worn by NCOs, officers, and pipers (including the Pipe Major) but this silver one was never worn by anybody in The Black Watch regular battalions.

The only such cantles I've personally seen (silver Black Watch cantles) were obviously made in Pakistan or India by people who evidently didn't know they were supposed to be gilt.

However it's true that, back in Victorian times and perhaps the early 20th century, one might expect such a cantle in a Black Watch Territorial or Volunteer Battalion, though I've not seen one.

Anyhow yet another incorrect and misleading description for y'all to be aware of on our friend Ebay.