wallet

A trifold wallet with pockets for notes and cards, and a window to display an identification card

A wallet, or billfold, is a small, flat case used to carry personal items such as cash, credit cards and identification documents, such as a driver's license. Wallets are generally made of leather or fabrics, and they are usually pocket-sized and are foldable.

History

The word "wallet" has been in use since the first century A.D. to refer to a bag or a knapsack for carrying articles. The word may derive from Proto-Germanic.^[1] The ancient Greek word kibisis, used to describe the sack carried by the god Hermes and the sack in which the mythical hero Perseus carried the decapitated head of the monster Medusa, has been typically translated as "wallet".^[2][3] Usage of the term "wallet" in its modern meaning of "flat case for carrying paper currency" in American English dates to 1834 but this meaning was one of many in the 19th century and early 20th century.^[1]

Aleutian Wallet for carrying tackle.

"Wallet" was originally a term for any sort of satchel, bag, pouch, or pocket that was used to a carry personal effects. In addition to money or currency, they would also be used for carrying dried meat, victuals, "treasures", and "things not to be exposed". It was considered "semi-civilized" in 19th century America to carry one's wallet on one's belt. Ironically, at this time, carrying goods or a wallet in one's pocket was considered uncivilized and uncommon.^[4]

In 19th century Spain, a wallet was a case for smoking paraphernalia: "Every man would carry a small sheaf of white paper in addition to a small leather wallet which would contain a flint and steel along with a small quantity of so-called yesca, being a dried vegetable fibre which a spark would instantly ignite."^[5]

The modern bi-fold wallet with multiple "card slots" became standardized in the early 1950s with the introduction of the first credit cards. Some innovations include the introduction of the velcro-closure wallet in the 1970s.

Varieties

A breast or passage wallet

Wallets are usually designed to hold banknotes and credit cards and fit into a pocket (or handbag). Small cases for securing banknotes which do not have space for credit cards or identification cards may be classified as money clips.

• Breast wallet (also called a "secretary wallet" or "passage wallet"^[6]): a wallet in which the banknotes are not folded. They are intended for men's breast pocket in a jacket, or for a handbag. They are too large for storage in a pant (trouser) pocket.
• Bi-fold wallet: a type of wallet in which the banknotes are folded over once. This has become the "standard" wallet. Credit cards and identification cards may be stored horizontally or vertically.
• Tri-fold wallet: a wallet with three folds, in which credit cards are generally stored vertically.
• Front pocket wallet (or money clip): a case with no currency compartment and very few pockets for cards. Usually banknotes are folded and held to the wallet with a metal clip.
• A chain wallet is a wallet secured to the pants by a chain. It was first popularized by bikers who wanted to keep from losing their wallet while riding a motorcycle. Its popularity had a resurgence in the early 1990's with the grunge fashion movement.

Some wallets, particularly in Europe (where larger denominated coins are more prevalent) contain a coin purse compartment. Some wallets have built-in clasps or bands to keep them closed. As European banknotes (pounds, euros) are larger than American banknotes in one dimension, they don't fit in some smaller American wallets.

Features

A standard wallet consisting of a single fold or Bi-fold

A wallet generally has one or more currency pockets; in some cases, there may also be a money clip. Wallets usually have one or more pockets for storing credit card or identification cards, which may be oriented vertically or horizontally.

Wallets may also have an identification pocket, which facilitates the display of a regularly-used piece of identification such as workplace ID or a bus pass, by housing it within a transparent "window". A wallet may also have photo pockets, which are designed to hold a collection of small personal photographs. A wallet may also have a small pouch for coins or keys.

Some wallets, called chain wallets are attached to metal chains which are then clipped onto a belt, as a way of preventing loss or theft by pickpockets. Some travellers replace wallets with money belts, which are belts with a hidden money compartment.

Other types of small bags can also serve as wallets, such as this golf tee bag which is used to hold credit cards and money

Designers

Most major designers including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Armani offer seasonal and perennial wallet collections of black and brown leather wallets. In the UK, wallets are made by Mulberry, Radley, Paul Smith, Ted Baker, Burberry, Alfred Dunhill of London, and Aspinal of London. In the US, designers include Guess, Perry Ellis, Coach, Hansengross, Kenneth Cole and Fossil.

Major retailers (such as the UK's John Lewis Partnership or Neiman Marcus in USA) usually sell a wide selection of men's wallets, including branded and house-name wallets. Specialist designers include Ben & Dafna, who create wallets made from duct tape in Camden Market; J Fold, that offer a large range of colourful leather wallets; Stewart-Stand, a New York design house that designs wallets made from woven stainless steel; and Braithwaite Wallets which seeks to design wallets in a way more in line with the term's original meaning.

See also

• Money clip
• CD Wallet
• Digital wallet

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Online Etymology Dictionary entry for "wallet"". http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=wallet. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. 
2. ^ "CTCWeb Glossary: K". http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/glossary/glossaryk.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. 
3. ^ "Appolodorus Library and Epitome (ed. Sir James George Frazer)". http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Apollod.+2.4.2. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. 
4. ^ Mason, Otis T., 1838-1908, The Beginnings of the Carrying Industry, American Anthropologist, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jan., 1889), pp. 21-46
5. ^ Cushing, Caroline Elizabeth Wilde, 1802-1832, Letter from Caroline Elizabeth Wilde Cushing, 1830, in Letters, Descriptive of Public Monuments, Scenery, and Manners in France and Spain, vol. 2. Newburyport, MA: E.W. Allen & Co., 1832, pp. 169-178.
6. ^ Passage wallet as different term for breast wallet