No one really knows how the word ?wallet? came into existence, or who invented the modern day wallet. The word "wallet" has been in use since the 14th century to mean a bag or a knapsack for carrying articles, and the word possibly derives from Proto-Germanic. The modern day wallet first made an appearance in the 1950s and continuous improvements have made the modern day wallet a compact yet handy storage item. Contrary to popular belief, wallets were not always made of leather, and manufacturers have continuously experimented with materials like PVC for manufacturing wallets.

Wallets are broadly classified into two categories based on their size, namely breast pocket wallets (popularly known as secretary wallets) and pocket wallets. Pocket wallets are smaller then secretary wallets and are designed to be carried in the back pocket of pants and jeans. Pocket wallets are usually made from leather and the term leather wallets has now become synonymous with pocket wallets. Interestingly, leather wallets have evolved to cater to developments in technology and the way money changes hands. Wallets were originally designed to store large currency notes; in fact this was why secretary wallets were extremely popular a century ago. Modern day leather wallets however, are designed to store currency that is smaller in size. In addition, pocket wallets have also started sporting small coin compartments for storing loose change.

Modern wallets are also designed for storing business cards and credit cards. In fact, some secretary wallets are deigned to store credit cards only, such wallets are often referred to as card holders and are not considered wallets in the traditional sense of the word. Leather wallets are no longer made from just traditional leather, today leather wallets are made from a variety of animal leather like crocodile leather.

Leather wallets are a generally a composite of more than one material, the exterior is leather where as the inside of a leather wallet is usually made from PVC and other new age materials. Expensive leather wallets are usually made from more than one variety of leather. For example, a crocodile leather wallet will have a crocodile leather exterior and the inside of the leather wallet will be made from relatively cheaper animal leather.

Secretary wallets are usually twice the size of a pocket wallet and are designed to store larger documents in addition to currency and credit cards. Secretary wallets are designed to be carried in the breast pocket of jackets and suits, and are ideal for people that wish to store passports and other important documents. However, secretary wallets are not as easy to carry as pocket wallets. Secretary wallets are popular with people that wear jackets and suits on a daily basis, and like pocket wallets, secretary wallets are made from leather and other new age materials. Apart from wallets another popular way of carrying money is money clips. Money clips are large metallic clips that hold money in place, money clips are designed to be carried in the front pocket.

Secretary Wallets vs. Pocket Wallets

By and large, secretary wallets are ideally suited for executives as they allow storage of important documents like passports, it is also possible to store other items like access cards and business cards. Unlike pocket wallets, secretary wallets cannot be stored in the back pocket and are thus ideally suited for use with suits or have to be carried by hand at all times. In general, secretary wallets are used to store credit cards and important documents, but secretary wallets are not suited for everyday use. Pocket wallets can be used with any kind of clothing and this is why pocket wallets far outsell secretary wallets. In addition, pocket wallets also have space for storing credit cards but cannot store larger items like passports.

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For more information on wallets and to shop for wallets visit http://www.leather-wallets.com/