While this thread is all about the up and up (top quality, high prestige leather/HH), I found that the type of dull russet mass market steerhide/horsehide used on 50s-60s mall jackets to be very desirable. Here's what I think, the Horween CXL has been around for a long time (at least the chemical formula), but is there evidence that it was used as garment leather back in the days? i've had 40s motorcycle jacket in black that feels like Horween but it's hard to say. Instead, the majority of the vintage jackets around are of a flat/dull brick/russet color, with a finish. Blatt, Irvin Forster, Sears, Wards, and the military service shoes, all seem to use this kind of steer/horse. I personally like it very much, for it wrinkles nicely and while it's thick it pliable (won't bounce back), and that the top glaze rubs off and leaving an uneven, worn look that ELC manually creates. This kind is superior to CXL for garment also in that it is not so impregnated with wax as CXL, so that in cold weather, your body heat transduces through it and the outside doesn't feel cold, unlike the frozen wax on the CXL. I wonder if we can still source this kind of leather today? I believe so because at least WPG's repro service shoes still use it.