I Got My Hands on Secrid's First Wallet: The BodyCard

How I Got the BodyCard Wallet

In September 2026, I had the absolute privilege of being invited to Secrid’s very own headquarters, located in The Hague in an old warehouse sitting alongside the Haagvliet canal. It was, to put it lightly, one hell of an experience, one that I have written about in a separate article (coming soon) covering what I did and what I learned about the brand.

But one of the biggest takeaways for me, as an avid collector, was that Secrid were kind enough to gift me their very first wallet, the whole topic of this article: the BodyCard. I plan on writing a full new article on my time at Secrid, and I will probably do an entire review of the BodyCard itself as well.

What the BodyCard Actually Is

First of all, I mentioned in my original article that the BodyCard was the precursor to the pop-up wallet, which, although correct in the chronological timeline of Secrid’s releases, it is fair to say the BodyCard is not actually a pop-up wallet at all. That said, what the BodyCard was is a mechanism unlike anything else I have seen on the market, even 30 years after its original release and 30 years since it was discontinued.

The idea is simple but honestly highly effective and way ahead of its time. In fact, this is something René said to me himself, citing that the wallet simply did not have a market back in the 1990s when cash and coin usage was still the dominant form of payment. It was the wallet’s inability to store coins or cash that really held it back, even though its small size and effortless card access were remarkable.

How does the BodyCard actually work?

Cards are placed inside the wallet. Think of it as an early hardshell wallet with cards stored inside a plastic shell for protection. As you can see in the image below, cards are automatically staggered when placed inside, with each card sitting slightly higher than the next and a 2mm gap between each one. Remind you of anything? This is the same basic idea as the Cardprotector, with cards shuffling out.

So how exactly do you access them? The top left corner of the wallet has a cutout exposing the top edge of your cards. The back plate is on a metal hinge, meaning it can be moved backwards and forwards. Holding the wallet in one hand, you can use a thumb or finger to shuffle through the cards to the one you want and simply grab and remove it.

One thing René told me was that his inspiration for the BodyCard was the action of fanning through a deck of playing cards, and honestly, it is exactly like that.

Why It Still Matters

It is hard not to admire the BodyCard, not just for its influence on what would become Secrid’s later designs, but for how far ahead of its time it was. Keep in mind this wallet was first designed in 1995 and released in 1997, far before anything remotely similar existed.

It is hard not to compare it to modern minimalist wallets like the Ridge, but to this day it remains potentially the earliest example of a minimalist wallet I have personally come across, and one with a unique method of card access that I have not seen since. Honestly, this wallet would not look out of place being released today.

Make a few quality of life tweaks, machine it from brushed aluminum, stick a money clip on the back and you are sorted. The angular design with its hard edges still holds up, and I cannot imagine this wallet would not be a success.

Final Thoughts

A big thank you to Secrid for gifting me this wallet. It is funny: I had all sorts of alerts set up on eBay hoping someone would eventually list one for sale, but I was starting to lose hope. Now I have it, and it was every bit as brilliant as I had hoped. I plan on doing a full review of the BodyCard, because why not, so if you are interested in that, even though it has not been on the market for over 30 years, stay tuned.