subject: History of Wallets [print this page] History of Wallets History of Wallets
"A father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet where his money used to be."
A wallet is ubiquitous - it is everywhere! Although almost every man today carries a mobile phone on his person, almost every man for generations has carried a wallet. This small , pocket-sized leather (or fabrics) case, used to hold cash , credit cards, visiting cards, personal information like identification documents (license of driver, club membership), photographs of loved ones, and assorted paraphernalia has a fascinating history worth telling.
For a extensive time, the term "wallet", derived from Proto-Germanic roots, has been used in a equivalent, but at the same time slight contrastive context, as it is used today. Although it quiet referred to a container to carry goods, a wallet carried much more than the money and cards it carries nowadays. In old Greek mythology, the hero Perseus beheaded the monster Medusa whose extremely sight could turn people to stone. To keep away from having to look at the decapitated head, Perseus placed it in a sack called kibisis. This, and the sack used by the Greek messenger god Hermes to carry documents, have been translated as "wallet".
AY Campbell, a Theocratic scholar tried to discover how the wallet was used in past Greek society. He found out that the wallet was used by a poor man to stock his provisions, including food. Although it could be used to directly eat out of, mostly it is referred to being "replenished as a store", not in the manner of a lunch basket but more as a survival pack. With the advent of the Renaissance in the 14th century, metals or coins came increasingly to be used as a way of exchange. Hence, the wallet used to carry them evolved from a pack of provisions to packs to carry valuable items.
In the Elizabethan Age, during the 16th century, a wallet of merchant was described as "a leathern pouch or wallet in which he carried his cash, his book of accounts, and small articles of daily necessity". In the 19th century, wallets were used to carry dried nourishment, money, some treasures or things that the owner would not like exposed. In America, one who carried his wallet on his belt was considered to be semi-civilized. Contradictory to accepted norms today, carrying wallets in pockets was considered uncultivated. In Spain, a wallet was used to carry items used for smoking.
The invention of credit cards inspired the progression of the present-day wallet with numerous slots. Wallets remained almost unchanged throughout the 20th century, with the exclusion of the Velcro wallet which was introduced in the 1970s. The All-ett billfold wallet, that reduced the bulkiness of its predecessors by half, was invented in 1995. In the 21st century, wallets have evolved in numerous ways including numerous shapes, sizes and color, commonly for reason of style rather than work. Earlier used exclusively by men while women carried purses, numerous women nowadays also carry wallets as they are smaller and often, more serviceable . Some women carry purses with wallets tucked inside of them.
