Wallets, or the difficulty of acquiring them [Matthew's Journal]

For a looong time (like, since about 1997), I've had one wallet. It did exactly what I wanted, and fitted in my pocket. Occasionally I'd think about replacing it, but could never find one with the same features. Sadly, a third party has managed to break it irretrievably, so I need to replace it. Ideally reasonably soon, since the current substitute has a couple of major UI bugs.

Rant first: why does no-where let you buy wallets by desired feature? I'm not interested in the branding on my wallet, I'm interested in its functionality. AFAICT, there isn't even a web-site that lets you do this, never mind a real shop - places selling wallets seem to just heap them up higgledy-piggledy, and leave you to rummage in vain.

Secondly, does anyone know where I might get a decent replacement? I'd show you pictures of the old one, but we don't own a digital camera. Its key features were:
i) bi-fold wallet (i.e it folds in half)
ii) two rear banknote sections
iii) at least 8 credit-card sleeves (the old one had a middle section, with 4 sleeves on each side, so you could pull cards out readily, as they all pulled out in the upwards direction, rather than having a flap you had to flip up, and pull cards down out of, like say this one, which I suspect would be troublesome in use)
iv) coin purse in the same orientation as the rest of the wallet (it was zipped, which I think was better than press-studded, but maybe I could cope with the latter) - this means you can faff with notes and coins at the same time without the coins falling out
v) could be poppered close (although I managed without when that functionality failed, so maybe this isn't so important)
vi) fits in my pocket
vii) black leather (though I'd take one that matched all the above if it didn't match this!)

ETA: this one is laid out similarly to how the card-holder in my old one was. I think it has only 1 notes section, though.

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If/when you do find one with that list of features, please post where!

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John Lewis?

Mine does the flappy thing above, but all the cards pull upwards. I think it matches your requirements.

I tried their website, but didn't find anything suitable.

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AFAICT, there isn't even a web-site that lets you do this, never mind a real shop

Oo, business opportunity.

Wallets with that spec as good as don't exist. I found one in a random market in Portugal a decade ago, and spent several years looking for a replacement when that started to fail.

1ngi eventually got one for me, but it doesn't exactly meet your requirements as it only has six sensible credit card slots. (It doesn't have a press-stud close, either.)

I think wallets with coin pouches are the big problem: the majority fashion seems to be that storing coins is the job of your pocket, and wallets are for storing paper and plastic. I too have a wallet with a coin pouch, which is only very slightly non-optimal; I got it at Strawberry Fair many years ago at a stall which has never been seen there since, and I too have no idea where I'll look for another good one when this one packs up.

Storing coins (directly) in your pocket is hopeless, because they wear a hole in the pocket. I have a separate coin pouch, which I keep in my trouser pocket when I'm carrying a (flat, and therefore necessarily coinless) wallet in my jacket pocket, which seems quite a neat solution. I also have a folding wallet with an in-built coin pouch for times when I'm not wearing a jacket. Moving the money backwards and forwards is a bit boring though.

An alternative would be to keep the coins in the round file, but that seems a bit drastic.

I have exactly the same problem! My requirements for a wallet are pretty much identical to yours, and they are not easy to find, it seems. I don't require two banknote sections, but is nice to find one that does. I always stress about finding a new wallet.

My last wallet died last month. I finally found a good replacment for it in Debenhams, but it wasn't cheap. It was branded (subtly) with a posh brand (that I didn't care about at all) but this made it EXPENSIVE. However, it was the only wallet they had that I could use as a wallet.

I struck lucky, the last time I needed one I got one from debenhams that basically matched your criteria (it's a popper coin pocket instead of a zip; there's no seal to keep it closed).

They seem to have one vaguely similar here:
http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10001_64406_818433_-1

Although the brand name of the one I have is 'Hyphen'. I can't tell if the one on that site has enough card slots - mine has a similar number immediately visible, but it's really a 2.5 fold, so one can make it three times as long as it started, but I've never needed to. It works quite well and keeps my cards hidden when I'm just using the wallet to get cash out.

That looks like the exact one I have. There are three 'proper' card slots, and one either side of the flap with windows. There's also a little receipt-type thing not big enough for a card. The coin part has another card pocket on the front of it, but you have to open the coin press stud to get at it. I use it for a book of stamps. The flap can be easily flicked out of the way when you need to get at the cards.

The leather shop in Cambridge (opposite-ish Bravissimo) sells wallets of many types. I don't recall if they had what you want because I wanted the coin purse to be on the other side to the main note/card part and got one in attractive purple leather not black but they might well. Of course Cambridge is not where you are :-(

Last time I replaced mine (and my spec is pretty close to M's but with less card space), they didn't have anything suitable but the bag shop in the Grafton Centre did. I've had it the other way round though - seems pretty random and you just have to try every local department store, luggage store or leather shop until you find something.

Sounds like my trek to find a wallet which contained two zippable coin pouches. I found one in the end, mind you.

When I had to buy a wallet last year I found a good one in M&S, no coin pouch though. I think the previous one came from M&S too, though it was probably bought around the time of the second Thatcher government.

Finding a decent purse/wallet is the bane of my life. Whenever I see anything that looks half way decent, I'll have a look and see if it's what I want in order to have a spare (I tend to take a second wallet when I go abroad to save swapping different currencies over!).

There are assorted shots of my current one here http://www.flickr.com/photos/97278983@N00/3194768646/

It's 4" x 3.5" and anything up to 1.5" thick when there's a lot of coinage or receipts in there. It only has 6 actual slots for CCs, but I have more than 8 cards in there.

I found and bought another similar one at a shop in Worcester, next door to juggzy's hairdresser, but lost it last summer on the way home from the bus stop! That one was £8, this one was about twice that from the Royal Show a few years ago.

Duct tape wallet! http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/duct_tape_wallet.html

More seriously, if leather isn't a total priority, recruit somoene with sewing skills (and a heavy duty machine) to produce a fabric one for you to these specifications using something like denim or canvas?

Next time you're in Cambridge, check the tiny little leather goods shop on Sussex St (on the right, just before the semi-circular section starts, as you're heading away from Sidney St).

I can't guarantee they'll have what you want, but they do have a very eclectic range ...

I wonder if having something bespoke is the answer? I went to the Crafts Council but the only person doing wallets is this one:

http://www.mattfothergill.com/front/product.aspx?intPID=32

More hits for 'leather'.

Going to a crafts fair would give you the opportunity to talk to craftspeople, and you might well find someone willing to make exactly what you want.

This is kind of the opposite of my own desires for a wallet. Which is to be approximate one zipped pocket big enough to hold c 8 cards and get them in and out, and no bigger. I fold notes and put them on one side of the cards, and coins just fit in the rest of the space: though admittedly my current one has a second zipped pouch on the outside that the coins go in. Basically the two really important factors are that it be small and that it doesn't fall to bits. Which sadly my current one is beginning to do.

I always have this same problem.

My current wallet fits most of your requirements and seems to be from M&S, so you could give there a go.

I sympathise; I, too, have long had problems finding suitable wallets.

I can sympathise with the difficulty of finding a decent wallet.

I spotted mine in St Nick's market and bought it immeadiately at it was the only one I'd seen even close to what I wanted.

/side rant

What's with the trend in the past couple of years for shops to give you a receipt on a piece of paper large enough to print "War and Peace" on?

/side rant off

I think rummaging around markets might be a good choice, because marketeers' customers are typically big on practicality.

I found one (which I use) that meets most of your requirements at Stratford-upon-Avon market.

It folds in half.

It has one rear banknote section but does have an inner one which is zippered. I don't use the latter.

It has two lift up credit card flaps, each has four credit card slots on which you pull the card upwards to get it out and a further four underneath attached to the main part of the wallet, for a total of 16. Behind the credit card flaps are a see-through mesh for things like ID or bus pass.

It doesn't have a coin purse. I explicitly didn't get a wallet with one of those as I don't like them.

It has a small press stud on a short strap for closure, rather than press studs on the wallet halves themselves.

It fits in a standard jeans / trousers rear pocket.

It is black leather.

It was a real bugger to find anything with that type of spec. The most difficult thing seems to be sufficient credit card slots that work.

If it goes missing I'll know who to chase.

I very much sympathise. My current wallet is distinctly suboptimal, my previous one which I much preferred having eventually fallen apart (so that it leaked coins). Coin pouches in wallets do seem to be few and far between for some insane reason - but that Debenhams one linked by a previous commenter seems reasonable, if a bit pricey.

I sympathise. I hunted around for a while before finding my current wallet (and matching separate card wallet) in a random department store in Leiden.

I don't think I would dare buy a wallet off the internet, I am far far too picky and need to feel how it opens and shuts and fits in my pocket.

For many years I've had a very fine calfskin wallet that satisfied all but (iv) and (v); I bought it in John Lewis. Since I wanted a feature-set identical to yours but for the negation of those two requirements, I was delighted.

Unfortunately, that was the branch in Oxford Street, which is pretty gigantic and offers a lot of choice, but might be hard for you to visit.

Matthew,try contacting www.Launer.com for the leather wallet you're looking for. They do offer bespoke wallet service for nearly the same price as their regular items.

Good luck in your search and keep us posted!

There's a leather shop in the centre of Cambridge that does a wide range of wallets. It is small, and appears to mostly sell leather bags, but has wallets hidden near the rear.

From memory, I think it is off Sidney Street
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=cambridge&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=15.425044,46.582031&ie=UTF8&ll=52.206521,0.120718&spn=0.000244,0.000711&t=h&z=21

Douglas

Matthew's Journal

Wallets, or the difficulty of acquiring them

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