Choosing a Wallet is Serious Business

A Tampa Bay Times columnist gave a humorous description of his shopping experience for a new wallet. He claims that choosing a wallet is serious business for a man. Here's what he said about it:

This is an item that men hold closer to them than anything else - literally. Ask any man and he knows exactly where his wallet is at all times

Some of his interesting insights into things to consider when picking a wallet include:

Bulk: Trifold, bifold or no fold. The more folds the more bulk.

Function: What's going to be put in the wallet and how often are you going to access it? cash, credit cards, pictures, license, receipts?

Color/Style Leather? Nylon with velcro? As the columnist noted, opening a velcro wallet at some important business lunch isn't going to make a good impression.

Finally, the article ended with several lines from the Seinfeld episode in which George tries to justify to Jerry the importance of a thick wallet. This was in Episode 168 - The Reverse Peephole (a.k.a. The Man Fur). Here are a few of the lines:

JERRY: Maybe cheapness is a sense. You know it is better without this big wallet. It's more comfortable.

GEORGE: It doesn't matter if it's more comfortable. It's wrong.

JERRY: Why?

(George pulling out his wallet.)

GEORGE: Because important things go in a case. You got a skull for your brain, a plastic sleeve for your comb, and a wallet for your money.

What To Do When Your Wallet Is Stolen

This thread at Fatwallet forums has some good tips if you ever have your wallet stolen. There is one important thing that was mentioned that should be done by everyone, and that is to make sure nothing in your wallet has your social security number. Many of the old insurance cards use to have the SS number as an ID number. However, this has changed in the last few years.

It's probably a good idea to have a listing of what's in your wallet (credit cards, ATM cards, etc.). That way, you'll know who to call when the wallet is gone. It was mentioned that you shouldn't have to close your credit card accounts. You can just ask them to re-issue you a card with a new number.

Finally, an important fact was mentioned that should help relieve fears of identity theft. Common thieves on average are not too bright. Many will simply remove the cash and dump the wallet in the trash.

Looking for a Thin Leather Wallet?

Here's a unifold type of wallet design from Frontpocketwallet.com. It claims to be the thinnest leather wallet in the world. I'm not sure about that, but its unique design does reduce thickness. It took me awhile to understand the design. There's no folding. That's why I call it a unifold as opposed to the typical bi-fold or tri-fold designs. It seems it's made by stitching together 5 square pieces of leather on each of their two adjacent sides.

I would prefer something like this over a typical money clip wallet. There's no metal clip that could be a hassle at airports.

Slim Wallet Comparison

I wonder how this is skinny wallet compares to the nobulges wallet that I discussed in a previous post? The nobulges wallet is made of a thinner material than leather. Also it seems to form a larger square. If you have lots of credit cards, this might make nobulges a more slender wallet. However, if you want a leather wallet, the Front Pocket Wallet would be better.

History of the Front Pocket Wallet

The history behind this wallet is interesting. I found this article about the guy who invented the wallet and founded the company. The idea of this wallet came to him as a friend was fumbling through his pocket for money. He built a simple prototype and patented it. Then he trademarked it as the Original Front Pocket Wallet and began to manufacture it. First he marketed locally, then he expanded to the web. To further market it, he developed the Captain Williams brand which was based on his first name and the fact he use to be a military officer.

Wallet Patents

I did some research on his patents. The first patent was issued in 1991 and describes his Original Front Pocket Wallet. I'm surprised he waited so long before starting to sell it on the web in 2002. The abstract sums up the idea well:

A wallet suitable for front pocket storage having a plurality of square sheets and binding along two adjoining edges. The pockets have two edges open or unbound. Currency and cards may be organized in the individual pockets. The plurality of square sheets and binding are made of pliable or flexible material so that the wallet may easily fit within a man's front pant pocket.

Later in the patent description, some of the advantages of the design are explained:

... wallet does not have to be folded to be inserted in the front pocket of the pants, the wallet does not create any unsightly bulges or increase the wear of the pants due to the constant deformation of shape of pants.

His second wallet-related patent was issued just recently in 2004. The patent has the title Tethered Wallet and seems to describe the Caribbean Wallets that he sells on his site. Here's the patent abstract:

A wallet includes a pocket portion defining a front panel, a rear panel, a bottom, side edges, an open top, and a flap portion that extends from the rear panel for folding over the open top to engage the front panel. The wallet comprises male and female fasteners for engaging the flap portion with the front panel. The wallet includes a tether that extends from the rear panel of the pocket portion. The tether includes a plurality of fasteners, spaced from one another for folding the tether upon itself to define loops of different sizes, i.e. different configurations for various attachments.

The current prices listed on the Frontpocketwallet.com website are $34.95 for the Front Pocket Wallets and $14.95 for the Caribbean Wallets. I haven't found any selling on ebay.