Quality Sporrans for less money

[JPS]

It's not 100% of course, but I've seen enough Scottish-made and Pakistani-made sporrans that I can usually distinguish between the two. There are puzzlers sometimes!

Often it's little things that give Pakistani sporrans away, perhaps the shape and/or placement of the leather tab on the back for the strap to go through, or the shape of the "bells", or the quality of the casting of the cantle (the Pakistani ones are nearly always re-casts from Scottish originals and have less detail).

In any case that one "feels right" to me.

Now here's one that doesn't feel right to me https://www.ebay.com/itm/36340442559...ndition=4%7C10

It's getting bids so it must look good to at least two people!

But I think it's Pakistani. Why? On sporrans there's usually a piece of leather under the cantle, following the shape of the cantle, sort of a gasket/liner/washer. I wish I knew the proper term.

On top-quality sporrans this liner follows the outline of the cantle closely, and traditionally has been cut with pinking shears giving a zig-zag or toothed edge.

On this Ebay sporran the liner is thin and cheap-looking, perhaps vinyl.

Also there's the shape of the bells. Traditionally they're spherical, but quite often on Pakistani sporrans the bells are slightly elongated, with flattened sides.

I see what you're saying there, and I appreciate the help in spotting the signs. I like this sporran's simple design, and--I don't know--the patina and the little flaws make it kind of charming.

And I can see what you're talking about on that dress sporran, particularly when compared with this one, which has such a prominent...umm...gasket.

[OC Richard]

Just had another look at the plain brown/ginger leather one, I'm pretty sure it's legit.

Here's another lovely one.

The fur looks like pony, or perhaps bovine. Not seal anyhow, so legal to ship to the USA.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/18485877528...ndition=4%7C10

[JPS]

Just had another look at the plain brown/ginger leather one, I'm pretty sure it's legit.

Here's another lovely one.

The fur looks like pony, or perhaps bovine. Not seal anyhow, so legal to ship to the USA.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/18485877528...ndition=4%7C10

I've been giving that one some serious consideration. Not sure if it's plain enough to pull duty as a first, all-purpose day sporran for me, but the price is great, and it appears to be in excellent condition.

I wonder if those sides could be made to stop bulging out.

[KennethSime]

I've been giving that one some serious consideration. Not sure if it's plain enough to pull duty as a first, all-purpose day sporran for me, but the price is great, and it appears to be in excellent condition.

I wonder if those sides could be made to stop bulging out.

I bet the bulging sides are just the result of a bad picture. For the price, you can't go wrong mate. Looks like a W.E. Scott piece to me. Also available on Heather's Etsy page, where I've bought a few nice pieces.

[OC Richard]

Yes W E Scott & Son Edinburgh is a possibility for sure.

In the mid-1980s I worked at a Highland Outfitter who carried Scott sporrans, and they sent us a tri-fold brochure, black & white, that had photos of all their sporran styles with curious code letters.

Each of the six pages of the brochure was a group photo.

Here's the page that has that Ebay one, upper left, though this one has a seal front. I believe the Ebay sporran has a pony front, and would have been designated STM/P



Interestingly, later on we made contact with a couple other Scottish sporran makers, and they sent us the same tri-fold brochure! The brochure was only photos and code letters, no other text. Thus it could be used by any sporran maker, and was.

This led me to call those sporran styles "canon" styles, due to a number of different makers making sporrans that followed the models seen in the photos.

Indeed L&M Highland Outfitters in Canada made all those same styles, and many Pakistani firms are making them now too.

What didn't dawn on me until recently was that this trifold brochure was more recent than I had imagined.

Though most of the six pages show styles that had been around since the 1930s one page showed sporrans that couldn't have existed until after 1970, black leather hybrid "semi-dress" sporrans.

Later on, somebody made a colour version of that brochure. Here's the more-or-less corresponding page, note that the curious code letters have been retained. Some are obvious HS Hunting Sporran, RR Rob Roy. But what on earth does AZSF mean?

[JPS]

Kinloch Anderson also makes one that's pretty much identical to the EBay sporran we're discussing. Note the floral embossing on the front flap. It's a little darker, but I suspect the yard sporran needs a good wipedown with some leather conditioner, and it'll look a richer brown.

There really is a set of standard designs.

Annnd it's gone.

[McMurdo]

I just saw this one and thought I would pass it along

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393251191...MakeTrack=true