Count the slots before you count the colors. A card holder is only useful if it holds what you actually carry, and the numbers vary a lot here. The gray Saint Sulpice has four card slots and a middle compartment, and the Bordeaux four-slot holder is the same idea in a deeper shade. If you carry a few cards and a license, either is plenty.

The Saint Sulpice holders in black, white and blue are the classic trio, each about 4 inches wide by 3 inches high. The black and the blue have yellow leather inside, a small bright surprise when you open them, while the white has a white interior and looks very clean with a camel coat. The blue Saint Pierre card case is slimmer and taller, and it slides into a jacket pocket without a bulge. The Saint Sulpice also comes in green, red and yellow, and the black Saint Pierre is the slim tall one for a jacket pocket.

The pink Bourbon zip card holder is listed as pristine, no indication of wear, and it is the one I would put on a keychain with a loop of gold hardware. The black business card holder is the most practical: it includes the box, care booklet and cloth, and that kind of paperwork is worth asking for on any pre-owned piece. The Saint Marc, the Insert Louise and the orange business card holder round out the group.

Run a fingernail gently along the edges: they should feel smooth and even, with no cracking in the paint. Open each holder and check that the stitching at the slot corners is intact. What I would skip: a pale white holder if you carry it loose in a bag with dark denim and a pen, since color transfer is real.

Zips change how a wallet lives in your bag. The Matignon zip wallets are the tidy ones: the white PM is about 4 inches by 3 and works as a coin purse, while the red leather and Goyardine zip wallet, about 8 inches wide, holds notes flat and has a matching red interior. I would take the red one if you want a pop of color against a black coat.

The Senat zip pouches, in blue and in yellow, are flat clutch shapes about 11.5 inches wide, and each fits a tablet or a stack of papers. They are good inside a tote as an organizer or alone for dinner. The black Vendome cosmetic pouch is deeper, about 2.5 inches, so lipstick, a compact and a brush all fit. The yellow Conti pouch is squarer, about 9 inches each way.

The pink wallet pouch phone case has a snap closure and fits a large phone, cards and cash. That is my pick for a night out with no bag. The pink Saint Michel key ring holder and the Saint Lambert wallet are the small extras worth a look.

Test every zip along its full length and listen for snags, then press the snap or pull the drawstring a few times. A pre-owned piece should open smoothly. Ask for photos of the corners and the interior, and read the condition line for any mention of small abrasions, which is the kind of honest detail to look for.

I would decide how I carry first. A big bag takes a long wallet; a pocket or a jacket takes a card holder; no bag at all means the phone pouch.

Then I would read the condition line, look at the corners in the photos, and ask what comes with it, like papers, a box or a cloth. Look at the Y pattern up close, and confirm it is crisp and even.

Edmond Goyard signed his canvas in 1892, and I like to think a wallet that has already been carried for a while is just continuing that signature. Pick the color you would be happy to see every day. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Chanel Wallet Guide and Wallet Shopping, Edited.

If a smaller case suits you better than a full wallet, I rounded up a Gucci card holder for women in several shapes.