This is an antique sporran and close up of the badge from the matching crossbelt.  There's also a a matching kilt belt, but no sword. 

These were gifts given to a piper who played at a family funeral. The family didn't know anything about where they came from or anything else.

I'm sure there's a story to these and I don't know what it is!  

I'm told that the badge is from the Gibson clan, but the current badge has only the swan, not the elephant.  The badge reads "PANDITE COELESTES PORTAE".

The hair on the sporran doesn't seem to be horse hair, but is a from a long haired shaggy animal. The metal in the cantle and belt hardware are very springy and not badly tarnished for their years.  As to the metal in the badges - I'm not sure what it is.  I'll get more info on these.

Virtually nothing is known about these pieces. Any info would be appreciated. 

This delightful book promises to help you "learn the ancient celtic secrets that will allow you to... hold your crotchets to improve your performance".  Copyright 1993 C.F. Rogers.  Published by The Int'l Society to Abolish E Doublings.

A wonderfully irreverent book that might provide for Robert Burn's wish that we might each "see ourselves as others see us".

Every page is a hoot!

A booklet from R.G. Lawrie printed about 1971 or 1972 describing their full range of pipes, discussing the history of the firm and recent endorsement of their chanter by Hector MacFadyen.  According to this booklet, I have a set of P11's.

James Robertson wrote this  booklet on the piping trade.  It contains detailed descriptions of the material used to make bagpipes.  The woods are described as is Ivory, Imiitation Ivory, Nickel Silver, Reeds, and Bags (did you know the best came from Iceland?!?)  There is no year in the book, but it was published by W.R. Annan in Edinburgh and has the Roberston advertisement in the back.

In a bit of surprise, I recieved a note from Robert Thomson's son and he's allowed me to post it....

19 November 2005

Hi Steve,

The Strathtone reeds pictured on your website were made by my late
father Robert Thomson, a schoolmaster by profession, who made reeds
of all sorts ;practice chanter, drone and pipe reeds), chanters and
full sets of pipes plus mini-pipes from a thriving home part time
business run, after the war, from first 55 Cardinal's Walk,
Leicester, England and later, until he retired, from 39 Cardinal's Walk.

For a number of years my father supplied the Queen's Piper with reeds
and he supplied quite a number to the US and Canada possibly stemming
from the time shortly after WWII that there were several US and
Canadian air bases nearby. As a small child I loved visits from the
airmen who brought much desired demarara sugar and candies which we
could not get in the days of rationing.

A curiosity was his silveRTone reed. This was a practice chanter
reed made with a silver staple instead of copper because at one time
the copper price was higher than silver. Dad sold these at a premium
price ( 3 times as much as I recall) although the tone was precisely
the same. No doubt because of the premium price, these were very
popular for a time.

My father was born in West Kilbride, Ayrshire moving to England in
the later 20's. His father and grandfather, and possibly earlier
ancestors, were bagpipe makers. At one time my father was quite
famous in the piping community as an expert on pipes, as a noted
player and a competition judge. To our shame neither my brother nor
I carry on the tradition.

After my father passed away I gave his pipe making tools to the
Scottish Museum of National Antiquities in Edinburgh. Among them
were reamers and chasers made from Napoleonic era bayonets,

Best regards

Neil Thomson

Please note the capitalization of RT in the middle of silveRTone - It reminds me of the R.G.Lawrie "ReGaL" chanter

The lower shot is my attempt at showing the printing all the way around the containter. I did this by a combination of rolling, scanning, cutting and pasting.