Vintage Wallets From the ’60s and ’70s
Until recently, vintage wallets technology seemed to have peaked in the ’80s, with RFID shielding to protect against digital pickpocketing. But does anything really beat these vintage nylon and velcro marvels?
Originally called billfolds, wallets first appeared around the 1600s corresponding with the invention of paper money and sewing pockets into clothes. At the time, men typically carried them with them while going out on the town. Later, as liberated flapper culture made it more socially acceptable for women to primp and smoke, they began to carry sleek clutch purses, or minaudieres, which had separate compartments for change and cigarettes.
Timeless Elegance: Exploring the Allure of Vintage Wallets
Tokyo-based North No Name specializes in reproductions of old-school leather goods, and these WWII souvenir wallets are no exception. They are modeled after the types of trucker-style wallets that would have been picked up by American servicemen while stationed abroad, with their own unique twist: they feature rock star artwork and logos. Sammy Hagar and Van Halen get multiple designs, while hard-rock artists like Kiss, Judas Priest, and Motley Crue also turn up. Dee Snider in particular, whose normally handsome face is rendered as absolute carnival mirror fuel on one wallet, seems to be a popular choice.