On the Horns of a Dilemma!

[KD Burke]

Recently, in the dingy back room of a brothel in Kowloon (….or was it a UK based internet merchant? Details are hazy.) in a miasma of opium smoke and unwashed bodyguards I encountered a man with an extraordinary item for sale. After protracted negotiations involving blood diamonds, ex-Soviet military arms, and the DNA of one of the Gray aliens from Area 51 (….perhaps it was a PayPal transaction? The minutiae escape me now.) a courier was dispatched via Nairobi, Valencia, Reykjavik, and Montreal (….okay, okay! Royal Mail and US Postal Service! Why this interrogation?) and I now find myself in possession of an MOD sporran with a functional brass cantle!

The cantle, aside from a bit of patina on one corner appears to be pristine. All the snaps are intact. There are no major scratches, dings, or blemishes.

More surprisingly, the bag, though old, dirty and very, very dry, is in very good shape as well. Aside from four very small (and apparently deliberately created) holes on the back side, the leather has no splits or cracks. While I am admittedly no expert on leather, it appears to me that with a bit of saddlesoap, neatsfoot oil, and TLC, the bag could be restored to its former glory.

Based on markings in the bag, I believe the sporran was made in 1958. Two names are written inside, which would seem to indicate it was issued at least twice. One man included a four digit number (a service number perhaps?) which might serve to prove provenance to someone with the talent, time, and inclination to investigate.

My dilemma is that I don’t particularly want an MOD Sporran! I bought it for the cantle, which I intended to repurpose toward a distinctly non-MOD pattern sporran that I have in mind; however I feel that if I proceed with my plan I will be destroying a bit of history!

I suppose, the first step is to determine whether the bag is truly salvageable. Then? I’m not sure.

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts!

[Chas]

Are we talking about auction number: 280734653373? Seller: 08jaci?

My answer depends on your answer.

Regards

Chas

[KD Burke]

Are we talking about auction number: 280734653373? Seller: 08jaci?

My answer depends on your answer.

Regards

Chas

I'm afraid not. I found this at an antiques retailer, not at auction.

[OC Richard]

Out of respect to history, perhaps you could very carefully detach the original pouch and put it in storage, and put a new (18th century style?) pouch on.

But, really, the "historical value" of those 1953 MOD "Culloden" sporrans isn't all that important, in my opinion. They were mass produced and were worn by all ranks of all kilted Scottish regiments, up into the 1960s.

I had a slightly similar thing: I bought a vintage military sgian dubh and when it arrived I discovered that it had a lovely personal inscription dated 1940 engraved on the sheath. Not wanting to damage the sheath, when I wear this sgian I put in in a different sheath.

[Chas]

Oh, that's good. I have recently been out bid on eBay for a similar item. I was just about to curse your nether regions with a plague of locusts, but I've called them off now.

If I had won my auction I was thinking about two or maybe three new bags.
Goatskin possibly - definitely an exotic fur.
A brown bag covered all over in intricate Celtic tooling and maybe
A black bag in a 'hunter' style.

If I understand the construction correctly the bag is removable so the brass can be polished. So it should not be difficult to have a couple of bags for different occasions.

Regards

Chas

[Paul Henry]

congratulations on your purchase, whatever you do with it, I would just say , please don't use Neatsfoot oil on the leather if you are planing to use it against fabric, the oil will mark the cloth and will almost impossible to remove and it will consequently attract more dirt to the oily bit, if you must use oil, be very mean with it, allow it dry for as long as you can and re-polish with clean rags unti there isn't a slightest trace of oil.
Would love to see a picture in any case!

[English Bloke]

I'll go with OC. Use what you need but try and preserve what you can.

The 4 numbers incidentally will likely be the last 4 digits of the soldier's regimental number. Common practice to mark kit in such a way, especially when lots of chaps in the Regiment have the same surname like Smith etc.

[artificer]

The good news is that the bag is removable without damage. It should have snaps sewn into the bag where it meets studs that are soldered/cast onto the inner face of the cantle.

You can simply unsnap the bag, give it the care it needs, and swap it out as needed for other bags.

I have an ex-MoD cantle that should (theoretically) be on it's way to me know.
I'm planning to make several bags for it. A black cowhide daybag, a black ray-skin bag for more formal events, and a tooled pigskin bag for a more Jacobite look.

[English Bloke]

...The good news is that the bag is removable without damage...

There's your answer.

[Downunder Kilt]

If it is the sporran I am thinking of, the bag is in remarkably good shape and should be able to be restored with out too much trouble. The main problem I have found are the snap fasteners (which often rust out) or the stiching which can rot. I have found replacement fasteners at haberdashery shops,
"Sullivans metal snap fasterners 18mm item 10720" or "Birch metal snap fasteners 18mm item 012506", both nickel plated.

The bags on these sporrans were made so the leather is ruff side out, (so they could apply the white blancoe) so any application of a leather conditioner may clump on the shag of the leather if applied too thickly. As Artificer has said the bags can be snapped off and on in a minute so the same cantle can be used for a variety of bags.

All the best with your project