Crazy Crow Trading Post (U.S.) currently has factory-second German buckskins on sale through the end of October. According to the ad copy, "5-10% of some hides have uneven color or are thicker in the neck, and a few hides have 1-2 small holes." It's still a pretty good deal: A 14- to 16-square-foot hide is now 75.65USD, compared to $112 for the same size in first-quality. This is the type of leather I recommend for clothing, shoe uppers, bags and gorytoi.
German tanning is a type of fat-curing, so these are among the most accurate materials for our purposes short of handmade braintan, as well as being the cheapest fat-cured hides of their size and weight commercially available today. The difference between German tanning and other fat-curing methods is that the cod liver oil produces its own aldehydes, so the finished product doesn't need to be smoked to allow re-softening if it gets wet and dries stiff. Some German buckskins are smoked to be a better substitute for braintan in Native American crafts, but the ones currently on sale are not. This means they'll initially smell like just fish instead of like smoked fish, though I think the smell will fade with time.
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