Is This An Edward Vii Sporran?

[TomBanwell]

You describe the fur as reddish. From the looking at the photo, my first inclination was that of beaver. By the late 1800's it was nearly extinct in Europe from what I understand and was a much sought prize in the US of A. The other possibility is that of muskrat. The two differ in that beaver has a much longer outer fur (known as guard hairs) which is about 2-3 inches long and a very dense underfur of only about an inch. The muskrat outer fur is about 1-2 inches, depending again on where the sample is taken, the underfur is only about 1/2 inch and not quite as thick as beaver. If either fur is left in the sun too long, it will bleach to almost blond (this takes years) and the ends of the hairs will curl, almost like velcro ends, this is called sunburn and can be done in just a few weeks of exposure to the sun, even by the animal while still on it's carcass. Hope this helps more than it confuses. MJ

The length of the fur varies quite a bit, even on this small piece. The underfur ranges from ½" to 1½" long, and the outer fur ranges from 1" to 2" long. There is no curling evident. The out fur is quite blond. Most of the underfur is fairly uniform in color (reddish blond), but in one sectiion the tips are a distinct brown. Thanks,