Basketball Cow

This is what half a cow's-worth of basketball leather looks like (about 20 sq. ft.) when you receive it from the Horween tannery in Chicago.

The Horween Leather Company, founded in 1905, is one of the oldest, continuously-running tanneries in the United States. It is the only tannery still in Chicago, IL, a city which was once the home to a large number of tanneries. Horween, still a family-run business, is highly-regarded for its hand-crafted, top-quality leather products. Their leathers can be found in the workshops of some of the finest cobblers in the world, and on the official ball of the NFL.

I just received this side (half a hide) an hour ago. I'll be using it in a few projects and products I'm developing at the moment. Stay tuned...