Does anyone recognize this style of sporran cantle?

[Steve Ashton]

This photo was sent to me by a guy who purchased the sporran from an antique shop in RI.

I'm no horsehair sporran expert.

[figheadair]

Steve,

It looks like a typical German (Nickle) Silver sporran that were produced c1880-1930.

[Steve Ashton]

That was my first guess too.

If the cantle were removed from the bag, could there be hallmarks on a German made cantle?

[figheadair]

That was my first guess too.

If the cantle were removed from the bag, could there be hallmarks on a German made cantle?

OC Richard may know more but as far as I'm aware, German Silver was not hallmarked because it is not a precious metal.

[kingandrew]

"German silver" is the name of the alloy, which is not silver, but a silvery-looking mix of nickel with other metals. It is made in many countries, not just in Germany.

I love the style of this mantle. I wish there was a more interesting variety of cantles in use today.

Andrew

[OC Richard]

It's called German Silver because it was developed in Germany

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_silver

British pipemakers have long used it and most just call it "nickel" which of course is incorrect, or sometimes "nickel silver".

Cupro-nickel is more like it, there's no silver content, and it's mostly copper.

Anyhow it was the standard metal for "Highland ornaments" throughout the Victorian period and up until after WWII when they started making things from a base metal then chrome, nickel, or Rhodium plated.

In the old days German Silver "Highland ornaments" would be sold either plain solid German Silver, or silver-plated.

And of course they wouldn't have silver hallmarks.

However sometimes makers would stamp their German Silver things, not like actual silver hallmarks but just the firm, or sometimes MADE IN SCOTLAND or MADE IN BRITAIN. These stamps would always be in a visible place, not hidden inside.

Anyhow that's a cool cantle shape. There seemed to be an infinite variety of those in the old days!

EDIT: I've looked through a few hundred old portraits and that basic cantle shape, with the centre dipping further down, was quite common, and there are endless variations of it to be seen.

However I've not been able to find an exact match to the shape of yours. Here are some that are more or less similar.





(second from right)



But it looks like there's leather coming up and wrapping around the top of the cantle? What's that about?