Wallet

A wallet has long ceased to be exclusively a “bag for money”. Today, it stores bank cards, photographs of loved ones and much more. It can be for women, men and even children.

A wallet (often called a “wallet”) is a flat, straight-shaped accessory. The word itself comes from the Old Church Slavonic “purse”. In ancient times, this was the name given to a soft bag with a clasp (usually in the form of a button or lace). If earlier products made of thick fabric were common, then leather, suede and synthetic materials are used to sew modern models.

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Story

Scientists suggest that the first bags for storing money appeared in 640-630 BC in Lydia (the territory of modern Turkey). The inhabitants of this ancient state actively minted gold and silver coins. People used such primitive money storage facilities for a long time - until the beginning of the Renaissance.

Thus, in the 17th century, the so-called “miser’s wallet” came into use. It was difficult to open it because of the special clasp, and therefore the desire to spend money arose much less often.

At that time there were a lot of beggars on the streets, and rich Europeans gave them small change. But taking coins out of one’s own wallet for this purpose was considered a bad sign: people believed that such a gesture would scare away money. Therefore, change for alms was kept in a bag specially designed for this purpose, which was decorated with all kinds of inscriptions. They even came up with a name for it - “purse of mercy.” Interestingly, similar begging bags were used until the beginning of the twentieth century. They were forgotten only after 1917.

In medieval European states, omoniers were common - special, fairly capacious bags for money. They were kept on the belt and used to hide not only coins, but also jewelry, valuable personal items, and documents from prying eyes.

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In Ancient Rus', the first money bags were used in Novgorod back in the 9th century. Then they were sewn from fabric or leather. Such a wallet was tied at the top with a special cord, so money was not lost.

Kinds

Today there are many types of wallets. They vary in size, material of manufacture and purpose. The design is also varied. So, among the most popular models we highlight the following options:

1. A classic wallet with one or two clasps and several compartments. You can store paper money, coins and plastic cards in them.
2. Breast wallet, or pocket wallet, in which you can put unfolded banknotes. The men's version of the wallet is often in modest colors. In the female version, a similar model is brighter in color, sometimes decorated with rhinestones, brooches and other elements.
3. Bi-fold wallet. A wallet slightly smaller in size than the previous one. To place banknotes in it, they need to be rolled up.This wallet is convenient for storing cards.
4. Tri-fold wallet - a model with a vertical compartment for storing cards, folding in three. It is not recommended to store a large number of banknotes at the same time in such a wallet, since they will have to be rolled more than once.
5. Bill clip. This is not a wallet, but rather an alternative to it. You will need a clip if your pockets are small and your wallet won’t fit in them. This is a simple design made of durable steel. Naturally, it does not have compartments for coins and cards.
6. Coin box. The name of this wallet speaks for itself: it is small in size and designed to store coins.

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Today, magnets, zippers, buttons, and elastic bands are used as fasteners. The classic wallet, where the metal parts slam shut like two halves of a book, is also popular.