Wallet
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[[Image:WalletMpegMan.jpg|thumb|A wallet with pockets for [[Banknote|notes]] and [[bank card|cards]], and a window to display an [[identification card]] ]]
[[Image:Crocrodile wallets.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Crocodile leather wallets from Thailand]]
A '''wallet''', or '''billfold''', is a small, flat case used to carry personal items such as [[cash]], [[credit cards]] and identification documents, such as a [[driver's license]]. Wallets are generally made of [[leather]] or [[textile|fabric]]s, and they are usually pocket-sized.
==History==
The word "wallet" has been in use since the first century A.D. to refer to a bag or a knapsack for carrying articles. The word may derive from [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]].<ref name="onlineetymology">{{ cite web | title=Online Etymology Dictionary entry for "wallet" | url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=wallet | accessdate=2007-09-06 }}</ref> The ancient Greek word ''kibisis'', used to describe the sack carried by the god [[Hermes]] and the sack in which the mythical hero [[Perseus]] carried the decapitated head of the monster [[Medusa]], has been typically translated as "wallet".<ref>{{ cite web | title=CTCWeb Glossary: K | url=http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/glossary/glossaryk.html | accessdate=2007-09-06 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | title=Appolodorus ''Library and Epitome'' (ed. Sir James George Frazer) | url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Apollod.+2.4.2 | accessdate=2007-09-06 }}</ref> Usage of the term "wallet" in its modern meaning of "billfold" in American English dates to 1834.<ref name="onlineetymology" />
Billfolds were developed after the introduction of [[Banknote|paper currency]] to the West in the 1600s. (The first paper currency was introduced in the New World by the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] in [[1690]].) Prior to the introduction of paper currency, [[purses]] (usually simple drawstring leather pouches) were used for storing [[coin]]s. Early wallets were made primarily of cow or horse leather and included a small pouch for printed [[Visiting card|calling cards]].
The modern bi-fold wallet with multiple "card slots" became standardized in the early 1950s with the introduction of the first [[credit card]]s. Some innovations include the introduction of the [[velcro]]-closure wallet in the 1970s.
==Varieties==
[[Image:Breast wallet.JPG|thumb|A breast or passage wallet]]
Wallets are usually designed to hold bills and credit cards and fit into a pocket (or [[handbag]]). Small cases for securing bills which do not have space for credit cards or identification cards may be classified as [[money clip]]s.
*Breast wallet (also called a "secretary wallet" or "passage wallet"<ref>[http://www.eaglecreek.com/accessories/wallets/ Passage wallet as different term for breast wallet]</ref>) are wallets in which the bills are not folded. They are intended for men's breast pocket in a jacket, or for a [[handbag]]. They are too large for storage in a pant pocket.
* Bi-fold wallet: a type of wallet in which the bills are folded over once. This has become the "standard" wallet. Credit cards and identication cards may be stored horizontally or vertically.
* Tri-fold wallet: a wallet with three folds, in which credit cards are generally stored vertically.
* Front pocket wallet (or money clip): a case with no currency compartment and very few pockets for cards. Usually bills are folded and held to the wallet with a metal clip.
Some wallets, particularly in Europe (where larger denominated coins are more prevalent) contain a coin purse compartment. Some wallets have built-in clasps or bands to keep them closed. As European bills ([[pound sterling|pound]]s, [[euro]]s) are larger than American bills in one dimension, they don't fit in some smaller American wallets.
==Features==
[[Image:Single fold wallet full Dec07.jpg|thumb|right| A standard wallet consisting of a single fold or Bi-fold]]
A wallet generally has one or more currency pockets; in some cases, there may also be a money clip. Wallets usually have one or more pockets for storing credit card or identification cards, which may be oriented vertically or horizontally.
Wallets may also have an identification pocket, which facilitates the display of a regularly-used piece of identification such as workplace ID or a bus pass, by housing it within a transparent "window". A wallet may also have photo pockets, which are designed to hold a collection of small personal photographs. A wallet may also have a small pouch for coins or keys.
Some wallets are attached to metal chains which are then clipped onto a belt, as a way of preventing loss or theft by [[pickpocket]]s. Some travellers replace wallets with [[money belt]]s, which are belts with a hidden money compartment.
[[Image:Wallet2.jpg|thumb|Other types of small bags can also serve as wallets, such as this golf tee bag which is used to hold credit cards and money]]
==Designers==
Most major designers including [[Gucci]], [[Louis Vuitton]] and [[Armani]] offer seasonal and perennial wallet collections of black and brown leather wallets. In the UK, wallets are made by Mulberry, Radley, [[Paul Smith (fashion designer)|Paul Smith]], [[Ted Baker]], [[Burberry]], [[Billabong (clothing)|Billabong]] and Aspinal of London. In the US, designers include [[Guess (clothing)|Guess]], Perry Ellis, Kenneth Cole and Fossil.
Major retailers usually sell a wide selection of men's wallets . Major retailers (such as the UK's [[John Lewis Partnership]] or [[Neiman Marcus]] in USA) usually offer branded wallets and house-name wallets. Specialist designers include Ben & Dafna, who create wallets made from [[duct tape]] in Camden Market; J Fold, that offer a large range of colourful leather wallets; Stewart-Stand, a New York design house that designs wallets made from woven stainless steel; and db clay a company based in Portland Oregon that creates unique wallets dubbed "pocket art".
==See also==
* [[Money clip]]
* [[CD Wallet]]
* [[Digital wallet]]
==References==
^ a b Online Etymology Dictionary entry for "wallet". Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
^ CTCWeb Glossary: K. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
^ Appolodorus Library and Epitome (ed. Sir James George Frazer). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
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