In Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather, there is a reference to a “shovel purse”: “The owner of a voice like that kept his money in a shovel purse and always counted his change carefully.”
Just what is a “shovel purse”? I haven’t been able to find anything useful on the web.
I’ve always assumed he means one of these. A semi-rigid leather clam-shell design which forms a sort of scoop in one half when opened, allowing you to sort through and select the coins you want.
They are (or have been) associated with a certain type of fussy, “old-womanish” man, but apparently they’ve become a popular accessory in Italy since the introduction of the Euro. The Italians not previously having had any coins worth bothering with, they needed something to help get to grips with them.
