There is still a bountiful of beautifully crafted fine leather vintage goods, namely men’s wallets still available on ebay. Fine is indeed becoming a rare word nowadays to describe craftsmanship of items, in itself fast disappearing unless one intends to pay top dollar for brands like Hermes or be content with comparatively roughly made logo’d  mass produced items.

If you remember brands like Rumpp , you’ll know what fine leather craftsmanship really is. Craftsmanship can also be appreciated in older US made Amity, Rolfs and Bosca wallets.

Ive come up with a simple plan for buying vintage wallets on ebay. Always buy unused, period. Look for  New old stock (NOS) , New in box NIB, never used wallets. My favourite brand is Rumpp. I think they were the Hermes of American leather makers and they made items in various kinds of leather, even exotic ones which are always marked on the item.

Buying the item is half the story as looking after vintage leather is a totally different ball game. When you first get your item, you have to be extra careful as the leather is very likely to be brittle and will crack if mishandled. Unused items will still likely look top notch. The metal fittings will look a bit aged but that’s ok.

The most important thing your vintage wallet now needs in moisture. You will notice how dry and parched the leather is, given that it has sat somewhere for close to 30 years or more, in some cases.  I used hand moisturiser such as Cetaphil and liberally coat both surfaces of every segment of leather, gently rubbing it in. Take care not to overstretch the leather at any stage. Give the leather another layer of moisturiser once the first application has soaked in. I then use a heavier coating of conditioner such as Meguiars leather care (found in auto care retailers) to seal the moisture in. Then slowly flex the leather to bring it back to useable condition.

Metal fittings can always be refurbished by using Brasso or Silvo polish. Do take care not to get it on the leather itself as the chemical leaves nasty stains.. Once this is done, use and enjoy, and people who notice your wallet will be wondering where you got such a fine beautifully made item from.