Men’s purses

Coin purses

Usually you will do your payments with a mixture of coins, bills and cards. Therefore you don‘t need a more or less large leather pouch like people in the Middle Ages did. Anyway you could not comfortably carry such a pouch in the pocket of your trouser or your jacket.

Normally you need coins for change or small payment amounts in cases where bills are not accepted. So for coins you will choose a flat leather purse which can be closed with a zip or a flap.

When paying with coins it is important to get a quick overview of all your coins you keep in your purse. Here may be filling purses very helpful. The flaps of these leather purses have a raised edge. Therefore, the content can be pushed into the open flap part, enabling a prompt insight.

Billfolds

Today bills commonly are the most important content of a purse, the crucial factor for shape, size and partitioning.

Decisive for the size of a billfold are the dimensions of the bank notes. The measures of the banknotes with the highest value, are for instance:

• 200 Euro - Note 153 x 82 mm
• 100 US Dollar - Note 155,81 x 66,42 mm
• 200 Schweizer Franken 151 x 70 mm

Notes with higher values – for instance 500 or 1000 euros – were larger, but were withdrawn from the market in recent years for better monetary transactions control.

The dimensions of the largest bills of major currencies today differ only slightly. Billfolds manufactured by Corf Bags are adapted to the size of the highest notes of the major currencies.

Usually, billfolds can be folded in the middle, so that their format gets reduced and they fit more easily into a trouser pocket. They mostly come with two or three compartments that allow sorting the notes by value or currency.

Seeking the smallest possible wallet, you should vote for a mini purse showing dimensions half as high as a normal billfold. Still the use of a mini purse requires that you fold all the bills lengthwise.

Very fast access to your bills also allows the clip wallet in which the shines are kept in a leather wall by a clip. This minimal version of a wallet is especially popular in the US and is therefore also known as dollar clip. Its disadvantage is that during the payment process the content of the clip wallet is visible for anyone standing near.

Normally wallets feature additional compartments for coins, cards or documents.

Card cases

Card holders are the today's form of a purse. Only its function as cash container is the same as the one of the original money pouch.

Today the use of bank cards has substituted the payment with cash.

Leather card cases are available in different formats. They range up to the size of a wallet with two sides each with 12 card slots in a staggered arrangement. In contrast to small size cases where the cards lie in adjacent compartments the staggered arrangement allows easy control and quick access.

Important for bank cards is a protection against the increasing data theft ("skimming") by trespasser. Today, card cases hence feature an additional RFID protection that prevents an unauthorised data upload.

Combination purses as all-rounder

Probably you are seeking a comfortable solution for your change as well as for bills and cards. Combination purses can serve as a compromise, that features according to their size and formation both a small compartment for coins and additional pockets for bills and cards.

The compartments for coins are more or less large and have, as a in the collection of Corf Bags small pockets for a chip or a parking coin. Card slots can be arranged in additional segments and may hold 6 to 12 cards depending on the format of the leather case. For banknotes usually one or two special compartments are available. Likewise, you will find in most cases a separate shed for an ID card or your vehicle registration certificate.

Combination purses are available with larger or smaller coin trays and more or less compartments for cards and notes. A disadvantage of all-rounder purses is that they get relatively thick if one uses all compartments.

The thickness of a coin is larger than that of a banknote or a card. Therefore, the number of coins affects how thick your purse is because the quantity of the change will vary intensely when doing a purchase.

Therefore you should consider if it is advantageous to use two purses: one for coins only and a second one for bills and cards.

Another solution could be to combine the change purse with a key case that usually features a larger volume.

Or do it as the British or the Americans who are known for carrying loose coins in the pocket of their jackets or trousers.

How do you carry your wallet?

Your choice will also depend on the way how you want to carry your wallet.

In the pocket of your trousers, jacket or shirt?

Normally men carry their wallet in a pocket of their trousers. For bigger sizes as a billfold they will use a pocket of their jacket.

Thus also your dress can influence your choice. A small card case will fit into the pocket of your shirt if you wear no jacket in summer.

Also for sports as biking, skiing or hiking you will prefer a slimmer wallet which is easy to carry in your dress.

Material

Wallets may be produced from different materials.

Wallets made of cow leather

Normally wallets are made from cowhide which guarantees a long durability even if you use your wallet every day. The quality of the finish and the color are important, so that the nice look is not affected by the friction when moving your wallet in your pocket.

There are also wallets made from buffalo leather which is very strong but also has a more irregular surface.

Wallets made of sheepskin or suede

Wallets made out of sheepskin are very smooth and have a nice touch. This also applies to suede leather. A disadvantage of these leather purses is that the surface can appear greasy after a certain time.

Wallets made of horse or exotic leather

Exclusive wallets are made from leather of horses, ostriches, alligators or snakes.

Horse leather is also called Cordovan. This leather is made of the back portion of the hides. It is very strong and develops a nice patina during use.

The natural structure is the reason why wallets of ostrich, alligator and snake leather are bought. For production and cutting it is important to follow the symmetrical picture of the skin. The skins of these animals can be used only if they have been raised in farms and the rules of the protection of species have been observed.

These wallets normally are very expensive and often they also have a leather lining.

Wallets made from fabric

Many manufacturers of luggage or sports shoes offer wallets made from the same material they use for their bags or sneakers. Also they print their logo on the wallet in order to increase their brand awareness.

Nylon is used to produce cheap wallets. Sometimes the fabric is combined with leather in order to improve the strength at the corners of the wallet.

Metal card cases

Metal cases offer a very good protection for your cards. Due to the metal cover your cards cannot be damaged or read out. Sometimes these cases also have a pocket for some bills or coins.

A disadvantage of these cases is the capacity because there is room only for a limited number of cards, bills and coins.

Technical details to consider when buying a wallet

Locks, secret pockets and the RFID protection are details which you should consider when you look for a wallet.

Locks

Wallets sometimes feature a strap which holds back and front parts together and prevents cards from slipping out.

The effect normally is limited. If at all press buttons may be used, but no magnetic parts because they might hamper the function of your cards.

Secret compartments

Some wallets of the Corf Bags collection feature secret compartments hidden below the lining so that the content remains invisible when you open your purse.

Such a compartment may also serve to remind you that this money is your iron reserve of which you do not want to dispose.

RFID protection

Your wallet must have an RFID protection (Radio Frequency Identification) which prevents that the cards in your case can be read out by third persons. Normally this protection exists as a protective foil in the back of your wallet.

When buying a wallet you should ask for a confirmation of such a protection.

Wallets as a statement

Same as your outfit the look of your wallet characterises your style.

If you carry a suit you will use a billfold or a bigger wallet. If you like to dress in a more relaxed and sporty way you will prefer a slim case which you can carry in the pocket of your shirt.

A wallet of ostrich or alligator demonstrates that you have a very exclusive taste. With a logo on your wallet you show your preference for a certain brand. This is the reason why many manufacturers try to increase the awareness for their brand using prints or metal logos on portemonnaies.

Please mind that a wallet is an item which you will use daily and for a very long time!

The development of the purse follows that of the means of payment: from pouches for coins to wallets and card cases

Originally, purses were leather pouches for coins that were closed with a strap. Often additional loops or straps were attached with which the leather pouch could be fixed to the belt.

Since coins are unsuitable for larger transactions, notes were issued in the Middle Ages, which in the form of paper money increasingly replaced coins as payment instrument. Banknotes today are printed and issued on behalf of the central banks of the countries. Smaller formats are usually chosen for smaller amounts and larger formats for higher ones. The emission of the notes by the national banks means that the format of the bills differ from currency to currency. European states eliminated these differences with the introduction of the Euro, but there are still differences between Euro bills and Swiss francs, the American dollar or other currencies.

Today, payments are increasingly being made with credit cards, which replace both coins and bills as exchange medium and can also be used for different currencies.

Our card cases made from finest leather are very estimated by men.