The Anson Calder Card Wallet Review

Based in New York Anson Calder are a brand whose top priority is innovative, contemporary leather and amazing craftsmanship. The one defining aspect of each of their leather items is the use of full-grain calfskin leather, specifically from France, using a tannery with routes to the 16th century. This gives Anson Calder a historic feel and presence to the brand which also dictates the price of its goods. 

The wallet we’re reviewing today is one of their more popular models – The Anson Calder Card Wallet. This wallet is aimed at the more minimalist man with a smaller capacity but a more all-round premium feel. The wallet also has a few tricks up its sleeves that we’ll mention later when it comes to the way you can access cash and cards.

‘We tested many types of leather from all over the world and ultimately chose a full-grain calfskin from a tannery in France that has been perfecting its craft since the 16th century. Because it is full-grain calfskin, it is naturally strong and resilient yet supple’. – Anson Calder

Look & Design

The Anson Calder Card Wallet is nothing short of beautiful in its design and takes a very stripped back approach with an emphasis on compact design and minimalism. This is a true, minimalist wallet and is best suited for people looking to either downsize their current everyday carry to one with less clutter, or continue on the route of minimalism with something a little different. 

The first thing I need to mention is the wallets materials. The Anson Calder wallet is made from calfskin leather. To me, the idea of having a wallet made from calfskin, baby cow, is quite off-putting, to say the least. It’s definitely not something I condone but for the sake of this review, I will provide some impartiality and do my best to describe the advantages and disadvantages of this type of leather. 

Calfskin leather is often highly desirable due to its high durability yet softness to the touch. I have to say I was very surprised by how soft the leather was and it does have a fantastic feel in the hand. This durability was also evident on initial unboxing as the wallet was tight or snug. This was due to the premium nature and strength of calfskin leather. The wallet essentially needs breaking in, like you would do with boots, to soften the leather and allow it to become more malleable over time. 

One nice thing about the Anson Calder card wallet is the nice variety of customization options available. Firstly, the wallet comes in a nice array of colors to choose from. This includes the standard very premium rustic colors such as black and brown but also extends to more vibrant colors including blue, red and orange. It was very nice of Anson Clader to provide a nice array of color options as it allows people to personalize and adapt their wallets to a style that fits them. 

Secondly, the wallet comes with an option to include a free monogram. This is a laser imprint of 3 characters of your choice onto the surface of the leather. It’s great that this option is free as most other companies charge a premium on a feature like this. But if you wish you can upgrade and pay extra to have the monogram in either gold or silver that will charge you an additional price between $10 – $30.

Functionality & Utility 

The functionality of the Anson Calder is very typical of a wallet of this size. But the wallet does attempt too innovative in some of the ways it tries to make card access easier. 

First of all, is the wallets capacity. Anson Calder suggests the wallet has a maximum capacity of up to 12 cards. When I first saw this I literally laughed out loud. There was no way this wallet could accommodate 12 cards. The wallet is just far too small. I managed to fit 6 cards in without any issue and another 2 at a squeeze. Perhaps 12 is possible once the leather of the Anson wallet is worn in more, but I just don’t see it honestly. In total the wallet has two card slots accessible from the top of the wallet and divided in the middle.

The wallet does exactly have a dedicated slot for cash storage but does provide an additional cutout in the leather, that, although leads to the same slot as your credit/debit cards, provides a different access point for your cash. This cash still needs to be folded and has a small capacity for around 2-3 bills depending on your country and the denomination. This type of slot is apparently patent-pending quick-access slots. 

Finally, the wallet doesn’t come with RFID Security as standard but is something you’re going to have to pay extra for. RFID Security won’t be necessary for everyone as the crime is very dependent on your country of origin and how wildly used contactless payment is. The extra cost is $15.00. If you want more information on whether RFID is worth it then click the link here. 

Price Tag

Wallet starts at $125.00 and can increase all the way up to $170.00 with a gold monogram and RFID Security. Let’s not beat around the bush with this one. It’s a highly expensive wallet. I usually shy away from reviewing wallets made by designer brands for this exact reason. Designer wallets come with large price tags and I’d be lying to you if I said you could buy a similar wallet to the Anson Calder card wallet for 95% less than this. Unfortunately, that’s not the point of a designer wallet. Brands sell and provide people with the option to discover a wallet such as the Anson Calder.

Final Verdict

The design is simple and classy is built to last with its materials and build quality and does a great job of functionality considering the side. The only reason I personally wouldn’t use this wallet is.because of the calfskin leather but if that is a nonissue to you, and the price tag doesn’t phase you, then I do recommend the Anson Calder Card Wallet.