WW1 World War One Canadian Day Sporran

[Tobus]

The issome waxy powdery substance on the leather surface, that will have to be washed off, then heartily buffed with oil.

That white powdery substance is mildew*, and is a stubborn annoyance on sporrans or any leather item that gets stored for long periods of time. As a collector of historic militaria, I see it on every belt, rifle sling, ammo pouch, holster, bayonet frog, sporran, etc. Even some of my sporrans that were made new have developed it over time. It can be cleaned off easily enough with warm water and saddle soap (and an old toothbrush), but it will develop again if the item is stored in a closet or box. I wish I knew a good way to kill it permanently and prevent it from ever developing again, but alas, I don't. At least, not while preserving the patina and character of the items.

*Sometimes, old military sporrans can have the remains of "blanco" on the leather, and it could be that. But looking at your sporran photos, and assuming it's a WPG reproduction, it doesn't look like one that was blancoed. Especially with the other signs of mildew I see in the photos. I could be wrong.