Copperhead Brown

Made from Newbury Leather's Copperhead Tortoise leather — a warm brown full-grain chrome-tanned hide with natural variation and a heavy wax finish. The color ranges from red brown to dark brown depending on the particular hide. Great hand feel — nice and grippy for holding picks. Saddle-stitched with waxed Riza Tiger thread.

Built around big, heavy flat-picks — Bluechip, Token, Tone Slab, Wegen, Golden Gate, real tortoiseshell — the triangle picks that cost real money and vanish the second you set them down. Eight of them slid into their own slots and stay put. The flap folds over a skived tongue and tucks closed — no snaps, no magnets, nothing metal to gouge a pick or instrument. About 3¼ inches square: slim enough for a gig-bag pocket, a jacket, or the accessory pouch of a hard case.

Cut from 4–5 oz full-grain leather and saddle-stitched entirely by hand — two needles, one stitch at a time. If a stitch ever gets nicked, the seam holds instead of unraveling the way machine stitching does. The tongue is skived down to make it easy to slide through the closure. Made in batches of 5 or so, after work, in my Chicago apartment. No two exactly alike.

Newbury Tortoise is a low-maintenance leather that only gets better with handling. Wipe it down with a dry or barely-damp rag as needed — skip soap and harsh cleaners. As it ages you can work in some neutral leather conditioner like Venetian Leather Balm, but wait until it needs it. Avoid long soaks and direct heat, but this is a resilient leather and doesn't need to be babied. Expect the color to change and a patina with use.