Unfortunately, I'd doubt the back-slang derivation from VIP, as spiv predates the use of VIP by about sixty years. According to my DICTIONARY OF THE UNDERWORLD it came into use in the 1890s and may have come from the dialect term spif(f) meaning "smart, clever, dandified".
Unfortunately, I'd doubt the back-slang derivation from VIP, as spiv predates the use of VIP by about sixty years. According to my DICTIONARY OF THE UNDERWORLD it came into use in the 1890s and may have come from the dialect term spif(f) meaning "smart, clever, dandified".