I visited
Glaser Designs studio in San Francisco today for the second time and spoke with Myron Glaser about Glaser Designs possibly offering antiqued versions of the leathers used for his cases
I'm happy to report that after our talks, and his experiments, he's found a way to do it, and I commissioned an absolutely incredible briefcase similar to the one pictured below using special antiqued leather he's developed. His method uses oils and no dyes and the results are stunning.
The quality of his bags is absolutely amazing (bombproof) and they are an incredible value given how long they will last. Made using thicker saddle leather, they are heirloom quality in the highest sense and remind me of something you might have purchased in the 1930's. The fittings, the zippers, the layers of leather is all designed to make them last a lifetime. Ghurka can't hold a candle to these and even Ghurka's from 20 yrs ago are no match.
I'm going to do a full write-up of Glaser Designs and my finished briefcase when I get the case delivered in the next few weeks. Lots of pictures of their pieces will be posted, too.
Myron is an incredible craftsman and a great guy. He and his wife Kari and his son Ely are the salt of the earth and anybody looking for a business case should absolutely give them top priority. Maybe I can convince him to log in and participate here to get your ideas for new products he might offer? we'll see
There's a long article about Glaser Designs in Portfolio magazine
here that also sings their praises
Stay tuned for the longer thread w/ close-up pics upon receipt of the bag...

<-- my case is a slightly thinner version of this in antiqued leather