Kilt-Mart sporran

**Bugbear** · 24th November 09, 12:23 AM

Oh, ok, it is the L and M sporran. There's so many sporrans at the STM, I wasn't sure which was which.

I hadn't heard much about KiltMart sense they joined the forum as an advertizer. It's kind of a local store.

**Tiny** · 24th November 09, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by The Deil's Chiel

Part of the unseen cost involved in purchasing a cheap Asian imported sporran or kilt is the effect it has on Scotland's economy. Nicoll Brothers, a Scottish sporran maker who had been around since the 1830's was forced to close their doors a couple of years ago due to the fact that the plague of cheap Asian imported sporrans has had a devastating impact on the demand for high-quality, Scottish manufactured goods. The more people buy this foreign crap, the more high quality Scottish owned businesses will suffer, until there are eventually none left, then everyone will have to settle for shoddily-made counterfeits.

As a testament to the enduring quality of true Scottish made goods, I would offer the following example:

Note the silver-mounted sporran worn by the lad on the left in the front row of this circa 1900 photograph:

It's the same one shown being worn by his great nephew 100 years later in this photo:

I will eventually buy a high end sporran, however right now I'm in no position to spend that kind of money. In regards to the high end sporran I get later I am more likely to commission a custom piece made by a local leather worker instead of buying a sporran from Scotland. By hiring a leather worker to make my sporran I can have a true custom piece of art that is exactly what I want and no one will have the same sporran. Also by using a local leather worker I support my local economy.

**Chas** · 24th November 09, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by The Deil's Chiel

As a testament to the enduring quality of true Scottish made goods, I would offer the following example:

Note the silver-mounted sporran worn by the lad on the left in the front row of this circa 1900 photograph:

It's the same one shown being worn by his great nephew 100 years later in this photo:

Sorry, these are not the same sporrans.

The rivets on the targes are different.
The tassels are different.
The length of the tassels are different.
The tassel bells are different.

Regards

Chas

**kakkui_1037** · 7th January 10, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by The Deil's Chiel

Hopefully you didn't pay much more than $30 for that cheap Pakistani made knockoff, as they are going for about that price all over ebay (mores the pity!). For about £79.00 you can get the genuine original that yours is a poor quality counterfeit of made in Edinburgh Scotland by Wm. Scott & Son from Marchbrae

(urls/photos removed)

"If it isn't Scottish, it's crrrrrrrrap!!!!"

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but why does your post sound like an advertisement, complete with links to the store?

In regards to your follow-up comment about traditional Scottish sporran makers going out of business, thats how business works. The customer decides a reasonable price for what they want and they'll choose whomever fits -- and if the company wants to stay in business, they either try harder to innovate, find ways to lower their cost, or form some sort of business monopoly. If they don't, or choose not to try any of that then the market swallows them up.

As he said, he spent $23 and got it reasonably quickly (besides the email mix-up). Right now is not the ideal time to be spending $230 or even $150 on sporrans FOR MOST people, and if people can afford those prices, that's great for them that they are somehow unaffected by the economy.

Your post seems not like an insult to the company he shopped at, but more of an insult to the poster. Personally I'd take the $23 sporran and save $200. My great great grandson can get his own sporran.

**thescot** · 7th January 10, 01:20 PM

Whether the two princes are actually wearing the same sporran or not--I have trouble believing that the tassels shrunk that much--the fact is, it could be the same. I'm sure the quality is that good.

But then, who cares? Well, some do and some don't. Some only purchase bespoke clothing while others do Walmart only. It really is a matter of choice, priorities and the weight of one's purse.

I like good stuff, but I haven't gone the $250 route on a sporran . . .yet. (I tried to commission one from Janet Eagleton, but she is having some difficulty with her mum, so I didn't hear back.) However, I do have a really nice casual elk hide Rob Roy style I bought at the Stone Mountain Games 10 years ago that cost about $100 back then. (What was I thinkin'?)

It's all a matter of what you want. Businesses come and go, styles change, and there is every reason to expect that. C'est la vie, c'est la guerre. One should consider that buying a product from anywhere--Scotland, Pakistan, or the US--means you aren't buying it from elsewhere--Scotland, Pakistan, or the US. So if I buy something from Scotland, I 'm "depriving" a Pakistani or American of his income in some way.

Not really. I'm just making a choice. I like Scottish made products--high quality (usually) and good style--but I'm not tied to it either. I'd just as soon have a quality leather product from CavScout as anyone else, in fact, I'd rather since I know him, like him, and he makes really fine stuff.

But you know--I have one of those $23 sporrans just like Tiny's, and I like it, too.

**Tobus** · 7th January 10, 01:50 PM

Whether the two princes are actually wearing the same sporran or not--I have trouble believing that the tassels shrunk that much--the fact is, it could be the same.

It's possible that the tassels got replaced with new ones, and it is indeed the same sporran.

Tassels are usually going to be the first thing to go on any leather item. They get worn or dry out (because they don't get oiled or cared for like the rest of the piece), they get pulled on or caught on things over time, etc.

**thescot** · 7th January 10, 01:59 PM

[QUOTE=Tobus;839971]It's possible that the tassels got replaced with new ones, and it is indeed the same sporran.

. . .QUOTE]

Whew. Glad that's settled.

**Tobus** · 7th January 10, 02:37 PM

I'm helpful that way.

*edited to add:

I just want to clarify my statement. It may have been misinterpreted. What I mean is that it's possible that it's the same sporran with replacement (shorter) tassels. I wasn't saying that it was definitely the same sporran.

**ForresterModern** · 7th January 10, 06:14 PM

I get the feeling that it is the same sporran with shorter tassels, possibly becasue one or more of them may have been damaged over the years, and in repairing one by making it shorter with the same piece of original leather, the leatherworker decided it would look better if they all were still the same length, and shortened the remaining ones to match. Or maybe the prince (Charles of today) saw the pictures of it on his relative, liked it so much that he had a nearly identical one made for himself. I bet the former is more likely.

**St. Amish** · 7th January 10, 08:34 PM

There is also the possibility that it is indeed the same sporran, but that the tassels were shortened to modernize the appearance of an heirloom.

I am leaning toward the belief that the two princes are wearing the same sporran in any case. The rivets are in the exact same positions, with the exact same irregularities in pattern. If one is a copy of the other, the forger had an insane sense of detail.