Quality Sporrans for less money

[DCampbell16B]

I think that is a woman's purse, with some tassels stuck on the front. I think my mother had one with a closure like that, and the inside looks like one my grandmother had.

But it is vintage...

[OC Richard]

I think that is a woman's purse, with some tassels stuck on the front. I think my mother had one with a closure like that, and the inside looks like one my grandmother had.

But it is vintage...

It sure opens and fastens like a purse, the mystery is that the top appears to be the exact size and shape as the unique Argylls badger sporran top, which AFAIK wasn't used on any other kind of sporran. Add to that the unique Argylls badger sporran tassel cones, which AFAIK weren't used on any other sporran military or civilian. But I've not seen an Argylls badger sporran that opened that way. The only thing that would clarify matters if an Argylls badger sporran were to be seen with that opening top.

In any case here's a Scottish-made (Manacraft) Evening sporran, apparently seal, for 30 pounds, a great deal for those outwith the USA.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39737066350...Bk9SR6LTq4DhZg

The cantle is one of those designs that D&N made both in hand-chased Sterling and German silver, and cast in various metals and platings. It combines their "runic" and "zoomorphic" patterns. Combing patterns, for some reason, was something they did do on their cantles but didn't do on their bagpipe mountings.

[OC Richard]

Seal sporran, here in the USA, stamped Broadsword Made In Scotland.

Not our $30 bargains, but still under $100. https://www.ebay.com/itm/16804859792...Bk9SR4DkhL_vZg

[OC Richard]

I've seen a lot of bizarre ex-military aftermarket Frankensporran mashups but this takes the cake.

(I deleted my breakdown of it, see the post below.)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/32693596101...Bk9SR4Luqr_vZg

[OC Richard]

I realised that I've collected enough photos of bizarre Ebay military aftermarket-mashup sporrans to make a decent collage.

To make a game out of it, can you identify which military sporran each of these monstrosities started life as? (Regiment, rank, and time-period.)

And what mods have been done to each?

(Hint: One of these things is not like the others.)

[TheVintageLibertine]

Seal sporran, here in the USA, stamped Broadsword Made In Scotland.

Not our $30 bargains, but still under $100. https://www.ebay.com/itm/16804859792...Bk9SR4DkhL_vZg

I’ve never heard of that company and google is no use because “broadsword” is too common of a word. Anyone know anything about “Broadsword”?

[Troglodyte]

I’ve never heard of that company and google is no use because “broadsword” is too common of a word. Anyone know anything about “Broadsword”?

There seems to be little information to be found about the background of the Broadsword brand, but used (and sometimes still unused) sporrans are frequently up for sale - they are not rare (only uncommon) here in Scotland.

They seem to have been made by Nicoll Bros in Bankfoot, Scotland, who used their usual cutting patterns, templates, etc, and to their expected standard, but were made stamped with the Broadsword name (instead of their own) on the strap-tab at the rear. The brand seems to have been around from sometime in the 1990s but lasted only for a few years - if the sporran marking is anything to go by. I have seen none for sale new for a long time. I suspect the Broadsword name was used by Nicolls themselves around the time they ceased production about 20 years ago, but I have no firm evidence of this.

Nicolls also made 'white label' sporrans for independent retailers, and without their own branding (which was usually the gold lettering oval impressed stamp), which carried a large fancy 'Made in Scotland' blind impression.

Broadsword sporrans are decent quality in terms of construction and materials, and are far superior to the foreign-made sporrans of the same styles. Used prices are normally fairly low, and are generally worth buying.

[bookish]

I bought a black seal Broadsword Sporran from Ministry of Tartan last year. It's fairly nice. I think that I'd like to have the cantle and tassel chain/bells (what's the proper term?) replaced at some point. However, I bought it because the cantle was interesting in that it has a zoomorphic serpent design, so it stood out among the cantles I see on the market right now.

[TheVintageLibertine]

Thanks for the information about “Broadsword” sporrans. I am familiar with Nicoll Brothers.

[ShaunMaxwell]

However, I bought it because the cantle was interesting in that it has a zoomorphic serpent design, so it stood out among the cantles I see on the market right now.

Bookish:

I'd be interested in seeing a photo of the cantle... Some years ago, I bought a moth-eaten sealskin sporran for a pittance because I was intrigued by the cantle. Turned out to be sterling, so I took it to a jeweler and had the cantle removed. Here's what it looked like once I got it cleaned up:



Had it re-bagged and here's how it turned out:



Is your cantle similar?

Cheers,

SM