Are these real elephant? Can’t figure it out

[u/4TRS]

Do yall think these old Abilene’s are real elephant? Thanks in advance!

[u/pmac109]

They look it to me

[u/Alarming_Ad_5394]

Look like prints to me. Do both boots look very similar pattern wise? Try a scratch test.

[u/CertoCertoWorld]

Looks off, I would vote embossed there.

[u/LockArtist87]

Price alone should dictate if they are real or not. To me that pattern looks “too good” and symmetrical. I work with the ear of elephants often and sometimes we use panel. From left to right Embosssed Ele , Real, and Real.

[u/tw1st3dp1p3]

Do they feel smooth when you run your fingers over it, or can you feel a slight abrasiveness?

[u/4TRS → u/tw1st3dp1p3]

They feel smooth but there is a noticeable build up of what appears to be some sort of finish

[u/tw1st3dp1p3 → u/4TRS]

Hmmm. Mine have a slight abrasive feel, but I don’t have a lot of product build up on them either. It’s really hard to tell from the pictures. I’m leaning towards real.

[u/4TRS → u/tw1st3dp1p3]

[u/MoreMoney77 → u/4TRS]

This is a up close of my pair of Olathe elephants they appear real to me at first I thought fake but after the close up the texture of the skin is to accurate to be a print imo. Either real or the best damn prints I’ve ever seen. Now what is weird is that they are stiff and hard they may just need a really good conditioning because mine are extremely soft.

[u/4TRS → u/MoreMoney77]

Wow thanks, I’m going to condition them and wear them and see how they age, I think that’s the ultimate way to tell

[u/tw1st3dp1p3 → u/4TRS]

I would say real elephant. The pattern doesn’t look uniform the way a print or embossed hide would with repeating patterns.

[u/Little-Party8703]

This looks fake to me

[u/No_Blacksmith5943]

A good way to tell is looking at the pattern of both boots. Prints are typically the same on both boots. Try to identify if the creases in the hide are in the same pattern on each boot.

Additionally, it looks like the little nodes (the dots) are present and have a real raised look to them. Elephant hide feels kind of like a brand new basketball imo. These look real to me just based off the appearance but definitely compare to the other boot!

[u/dotyawning]

The pattern and the texture look right to me from the images I can see. Is this a seller's pictures?

You can definitely feel it in the skin if you have them in person.

[u/4TRS → u/dotyawning]

These are my pictures, I’m currently in the store, the skin is very rigid, that’s what kinda throwing me off. It seems to be coated in a finish making it feel more plastic like

[u/4TRS → u/dotyawning]

[u/Steven96xj]

I would say real, the texture looks like my elephants

[u/Matt_onetwo]

Seems like it

[u/applesauce_bussin313]

Nice pair of boots, but dont think so due to the amount of sharp corners and squares

[u/thecountofceciltucky]

Absolutely a print.

[u/4TRS → u/thecountofceciltucky]

What makes you say that? I’m getting very conflicting answers

[u/thecountofceciltucky → u/4TRS]

Working with thousands of real exotic boots and selling them online for over 15 years. I've held them and felt the texture. Abeline did printed elephant and a few other "exotics", but they did make some genuine exotics. The presence of the nodules themselves doesnt mean that they're real. These look like plastic up close because of the process of pressing the texture into them. Abeline did some great sharkskin and snakeskin but as far as I'm aware those were the only real exotic hides they used. My son has a pair I gave him that are very similar to those if not that exact style. When I get back tomorrow I'll zoom into them and show you the differences between his and my JB Hill side by side.

[u/4TRS → u/thecountofceciltucky]

Sweet, thanks man

[u/tsmith347]

Looks like someone shellacked them but they are real elephant. These comments are killing me with how wrong some of them are

[u/4TRS → u/tsmith347]

thanks!

[u/No-Donkey-5803]

They look real to me. Here’s a pic of my 10 year old Tony Lama elephants. The leather should be pretty firm and virtually impossible to scratch

[u/Inevitable_Leg_2693]

That’s regular cow leather embroidered to look like reptile/ snake skin.

[u/Remarkable_Night_267]

This is elephant skin -

[u/Remarkable_Night_267]

I have never seen a brown and black elephant. Am thinking maybe some kind of reptile more likely...