FN and D&N sporrans

[pancelticpiper]

Most pipers are familiar with the hallmarked silver used throughout much of the 20th century, by a number of different pipemakers, silver maker's mark FN, in the 60s changing to D&N.

FN Frederick Narborough, Birmingham

D&N Dalman & Narborough, Birmingham

They had a few different patterns: thistle, runic (Celtic knot & bosses) and zoomoprhic (so-called "dragon" more properly each-uisge or sea-beast).

Sometimes the bosses would be repousse (hammered out from the back, to make raised/3D) and sometimes the thistles too.

They made identical mounts in solid German Silver (nickel silver or cupro-nickel) sometimes silverplated, sometimes not. These of course didn't bear silver hallmarks.

Less often they made identical mounts in brass, mostly seen on Kintail pipes.

In any case many pipers may not know that FN/D&N also made silver and nickel silver buckles and sporran cantles.

Here are four; note that they sometimes combined patterns, seen here zoomorphic & runic, and runic & repousse thistle.

[pancelticpiper]

Note that this hallmarked Sterling Silver FN cantle has a hinge mechanism not unlike 18th century sporrans. It has the date letter for 1967.

Due to the leather bag being suspended, it can be soft supple leather rather than the stiff leather usually encountered nowadays.

[Pip01]

Ah... pancelticpiper... and yet another... Master Stroke!!... for
our on-going... edification... in The Piping Game... :-)

Many Thanks!!

[Lochie]

Very, very cool stuff.
I have a lovely Hardie pipe from 1960 with the FN stamp on the silver.
it never occurred to me that I might be able to track down a sporran with a matching cantle...
The hunt is now on....

[pancelticpiper]

Yes and not only sporran cantles but also buckles. Here's a collage I put together of some FN or D&N work including a buckle.

Note the buckle combines thistle with the "bosses" from the Runic.

I don't know if they make bagpipe mounts mixed like that, Runic/zoomorphic, thistle/Runic, etc.