This binder, now for sale on eBay, is my grail. I have always wanted a binder made from this two hundred and thirty-year-old leather, which lay on the seabed for 187 years.
I have written about Reindeer ring organisers previously, here, and the actual binder which is for sale was featured on Philofaxy. There are some gorgeous photos of it in the Philofaxy post linked above. Find the seller, Harry, on his YouTube channel here
I have (with Harry’s permission) used his ebay listing description and photographs for the information below.
I would buy this binder in a shot were it not for the fact that I am downsizing at the moment, and keeping only the binders I use. Good luck to anyone that bids! This leather is almost impossible to find in binders these days.
Super rare organiser cut from 18th century Russian Reindeer Hides, a leather so rare that alligator is commonplace by comparison.
This binder is stamped inside “de Villiers” and “Made in England”, and I understand de Villiers used to have a small shop in Villiers Street alongside Charing Cross station in London. I have been told this model was a top item when sold with a retail price of $895. I have not been able to corroborate this. This organiser measures approximately 235mm x 200mm when closed. It has six black Krause 3 cm rings, 10 card pockets and two full length pockets and a flap on the inner left hand, and a flap and an expanding pocket with pen holder on the right hand side. The rings are compatible with Filofax A5 ring configuration and inserts.
The Russian hatch grain leather covering came from the wreck of a ship called the Metta Catharina, that sunk in a fierce storm off Plymouth Sound (UK) in 1786. The actual recipe for tanning Russian hatch grain leather seems to have been lost with the Russian Revolution, however the discovery of this ship off Plymouth Sound in 1973 rekindled interest in this leather, as the ships hold had rolls of the leather, and much of it was still perfectly usable, despite having been under the sea for over 200 years.Russian hatch was treated using birch oil which is a great preservative, and that combined with the leather being in tight rolls helped to keep it from rotting away. The Duchy of Cornwall gave permission for the leather to be raised from the wreck and sold, and over the years it has been used for a wide variety of special projects. It is now extremely rare, and London shoemaker George Cleverly still has a small supply as they offer wallets, watch straps and key rings made from the last of this leather.
The leather is good considering its age and given the relatively large areas of this very rare leather, but please be aware some of the corners are worn, please see detail photographs, the closure tab functions fine but is worn, there are some heavy rub marks on the back, (I have tried to photograph in a harsh light). the bottom and top edge of the spine is worn and inside some of the black finish on the binder closure is scratched off below the rings. The contents are new, not Filofax, and of no value. Please examine the photographs carefully, I have tried to show close ups so you can see the wear and tear and if you need any more please ask as this is a no returns item. Overall this is still a beautifully patinated, super rare binder, in good condition given its been used and given its age.
I did a guest post on this organiser on the Philofaxy blog (additional pictures there, and it attracted some useful comments. I notice there is also mention on the Janet Carr The Bugs Life blog of similar organisers. The pen is not included in this sale, it’s there to indicate size.
This organiser, comes with a few postage stamp pieces of this original leather, that a fellow leatherworker sent me, and it’s fascinating looking at the hand rollered hatching on the different samples, that are all similar but different, as the leather is believed to have been made by various village communities across Russia.
It is beyond gorgeous! Wow!
That’s impressively durable leather.