Quality Sporrans for less money

[Troglodyte]

Oh? Hmmmmm… right now it’s at £80 plus shipping and about 2 days left in the auction. Looks like it is missing the middle tassel, that would be pretty tough to replace wouldn’t it.. What do you think a fair, price would be for it?

Without seeing under the flap, it is impossible to be sure there once was a middle tassel, and that it is now missing.

The shield motif in the centre looks original to manufacture, and the third tassel may have been left off so as to give the shield full display - as it could be part of personal arms.

Replacing a missing tassel of a piece of this age is not too much of a problem, as there are several suppliers specialising in antique restoration leathers, one of which is in Scotland and holds a Royal Warrant - ie, they supply The Palace. Finding suitable leather is fairly easy, but colour-matching may be a bit more tricky, and may require a trial and error session with dyes.

The most difficult thing will be mathing the construction and style of the existing tassels, but the braiding and rolling can be done acceptably well with a moderate amount of practice and patience.

In other words, if you are thinking of bidding, do not be put off by the lack of a third tassel - this is an excellent vintage sporran that ought to appeal to all collectors. I think the final price might surprise you...

[wcsgorilla]

Without seeing under the flap, it is impossible to be sure there once was a middle tassel, and that it is now missing.

The shield motif in the centre looks original to manufacture, and the third tassel may have been left off so as to give the shield full display - as it could be part of personal arms.

Replacing a missing tassel of a piece of this age is not too much of a problem, as there are several suppliers specialising in antique restoration leathers, one of which is in Scotland and holds a Royal Warrant - ie, they supply The Palace. Finding suitable leather is fairly easy, but colour-matching may be a bit more tricky, and may require a trial and error session with dyes.

The most difficult thing will be mathing the construction and style of the existing tassels, but the braiding and rolling can be done acceptably well with a moderate amount of practice and patience.

In other words, if you are thinking of bidding, do not be put off by the lack of a third tassel - this is an excellent vintage sporran that ought to appeal to all collectors. I think the final price might surprise you...

Good information, but immaterial now. The price is now at £155+ so it’s gone way outta my budget.

[OC Richard]

The price is now at £155+

As soon as this popped up on Ebay I figured it would be one of those "grab your popcorn" sporran auctions, which I rarely bother bidding on.

The question is how high will it go?

Due to the rarity of this sporran, and deep pockets, my guess is that it ends up around £400.

[OC Richard]

The shield motif in the centre looks original to manufacture, and the third tassel may have been left off so as to give the shield full display - as it could be part of personal arms.

Yes I figure that tassel arrangement is original for the reason you mention.

It would look odd having a tassel covering up that shield.

[wcsgorilla]

As soon as this popped up on Ebay I figured it would be one of those "grab your popcorn" sporran auctions, which I rarely bother bidding on.

The question is how high will it go?

Due to the rarity of this sporran, and deep pockets, my guess is that it ends up around £400.

It’s already way outta my budget. I consider myself lucky to have gotten one of the ones y’all were talking about and one other one. But I think my wife would have a cow if I was to drop 4 or 5 hundred $ on another one..

[wcsgorilla]

Yes I figure that tassel arrangement is original for the reason you mention.

It would look odd having a tassel covering up that shield.

Now that you say that, I can see how it would look weird with one covering up the shield.

[OC Richard]

It’s already way outta my budget. I consider myself lucky to have gotten one of the ones y’all were talking about and one other one. But I think my wife would have a cow if I was to drop 4 or 5 hundred $ on another one..

Yes the same with my wife!

I'm lucky to have got, over the years, a number of fine vintage sporrans in the $30 to $50 range.

I'm mainly after the cantles, so if it's a nice vintage cantle on a thrashed sporran I'm often the only bidder.

[figheadair]

Now at £206 with 9 hours to go.

[Troglodyte]

It’s already way outta my budget. I consider myself lucky to have gotten one of the ones y’all were talking about and one other one. But I think my wife would have a cow if I was to drop 4 or 5 hundred $ on another one..

You're not alone, chum..!

I once heard someone say that his main worry is that, if he died suddenly, his wife would sell his things for what he told her they cost!

Like you, sporran-buying in this league is a spectator sport for me. But I hope the lucky winner is someone on Xmarks and shares pictures of their prize.

[RGM1]

I keep a file of purchase receipts that I keep with my outfits and plan to write up a plan for disposal. That way there are reasonable expectations on resale price. Sadly being a senior citizen, this kind of planning is appropriate.