Quality Sporrans for less money

[KennethSime]

I was chatting with a friend in another forum about buying second-hand sporrans, and I realized something interesting - I don't think I've ever seen a hunting sporran come up on the second-hand market. Beyond my selfish reasons, I wonder - why that is?

I have two thoughts.
1) Hunting sporrans must be less popular.
2) Because hunting sporrans are so versatile, most folks only ever buy one. When it comes time to thin the herd, so to speak, they hold on to their one hunting sporran where they might get rid of a duplicate day or dress sporran.

I wonder, Richard, if you might have some insight into the popularity of hunting sporrans over the years? Or perhaps another explanation.

[figheadair]

I was chatting with a friend in another forum about buying second-hand sporrans, and I realized something interesting - I don't think I've ever seen a hunting sporran come up on the second-hand market. Beyond my selfish reasons, I wonder - why that is?

They may not come up on the likes of eBay etc., but old ones do come up at auction from time-to-time. I obtained my Andersons' c.1930 one that way.

Sporran - Anderson's c1930 Front & Back-sm.jpg

[OC Richard]

I don't think I've ever seen a hunting sporran come up on the second-hand market. Beyond my selfish reasons, I wonder - why that is?

I have two thoughts.
1) Hunting sporrans must be less popular.
2) Because hunting sporrans are so versatile, most folks only ever buy one. When it comes time to thin the herd, so to speak, they hold on to their one hunting sporran where they might get rid of a duplicate day or dress sporran.

Interesting!

I've picked up a couple Hunting sporrans on Ebay over the years, but you're right, they're not seen nearly as often as other styles.

I think that from the 1930s to the 1960s or so they were relatively more popular than they have been recently.

But they've always been just one of many styles, always greatly outnumbered by the ordinary leather Day styles and seal Evening styles.

That's the traditional Hunting sporran in brown. Around, what, the 1970s they started making them in black and sticking a silver Evening Dress cantle on top, and by the 1990s these had become by far the most common sporran worn by Pipe Bands. At a major contest in Scotland you literally could see a dozen consecutive bands wearing them.

So that sort of Hunting sporran is therefore one of the most widely made and sold sporrans over the last quarter-century (on Glasgow Green you'll see between three and five thousand being worn simultaneously) however most are owned by Pipe Bands and if they came up for sale it would be as a lot, through one of the many forums for Pipe Band equipment.

Most pipers, if they indeed own a sporran, will own that sort, and might never own or wear another kind.

[OC Richard]

Here's a nice example of the long-standard EW1 sporran, in seal, for very little money.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/23436580589...temCondition=4

I've heard of people in the USA ordering such and them slipping through Customs. I suppose if such as risk is to be taken it would be good to have as little money as possible tied up in the venture! Personally I stick to USA sellers for seal sporrans, though they're not nearly as common as with UK sellers.

In any case here's the EW1 in an old catalogue, bottom right:

[OC Richard]

I just picked up a nice semi-vintage brown leather Day sporran on Ebay for under $40 (including tax & shipping).

It has the gold oval Made In Scotland Real Leather stamp, and might be by W E Scott Edinburgh.

I didn't grab the auction photo, but here's the exact style:

[JPS]

I just picked up a nice semi-vintage brown leather Day sporran on Ebay for under $40 (including tax & shipping).

It has the gold oval Made In Scotland Real Leather stamp, and might be by W E Scott Edinburgh.

I didn't grab the auction photo, but here's the exact style:

You got that one! Hope it's as nice in person as it looked in the listing.

[OC Richard]

Yes it is, it looks as if it's never been worn. And I'm intrigued by the stamp, like the usual gold oval MADE IN SCOTLAND REAL LEATHER stamp but just saying MADE IN SCOTLAND. It's stamped both on the back of the sporran and also on the leather strap. I can't recall seeing that gold oval stamp on the leather belt, but then again vintage sporrans rarely come with their original strap.



Not a super bargain, but here's a vintage lovely brown leather Day sporran on Etsy

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1153711...search_click=1

It's a standard pattern that goes back to at least 1930. This one is possibly from the 1960s or 1970s. The interesting thing is that in addition to the standard MADE IN SCOTLAND REAL LEATHER stamp it has a TARTAN GIFT SHOPS EDINBURGH stamp.



I have a 1950s-early 1960s catalogue from The Tartan Gift Shop, 96 Princes Street Edinburgh.



It only shows one example of a Day sporran, one without the Celtic knotwork stamp. In this XMarks thread a guy posted that he worked there in 1983 but that it was later sold to Hector Russell.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...talogue-76486/

I Googled 96 Princes Street and today it is indeed Hector Russel, the windows plastered with Closing Down Sale, Relocating signs!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/96...3!4d-3.1990939

In any case that sporran was probably made by W E Scott & Son Edinburgh.

[OC Richard]

Here's what appears to be a quality made in Scotland sporran in good nick for under $30 including post.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26553653611...ndition=4%7C10

Yes it's missing its tassels but it's quite wearable as it is.

[Tomo]

I Googled 96 Princes Street and today it is indeed Hector Russel, the windows plastered with Closing Down Sale, Relocating signs!

The street view on google maps is from 2019. I think they are long gone from Princes St. I didn't notice them at the weekend, although I did walk past their place on the High Street, which looks to be mainly full of tourist tat these days.