very old leather sheath?

[Bart student]

Hello folks,

I have been asked to sharpen and retouch this knife, a double edged dagger, so dull (I guess about 70° angle edge) I can sit on it.
But the knife itself is not really such a problem, it's the sheath. The way it looks tells me it has been collecting about 10 years of dust. The leather is all dried up and looks fragile, it feels like thick cardboard. It's very tough, but I don't want to put too much pressure on it, maybe I could break a piece off. Is there any way i could revive this museum-piece besides stiching a new sheath?

greetz and thanks in advance, Bart.

 

[Berkley]

Bart,
You can soften the leather and prevent further deterioration with Pecard Antique Leather Dressing, but if it already suffers from dry rot there is no way to undo the damage.
Berk

 

[Leathersmith]

Old leather is sometimes a hard call. Try applying quality dressing, with maybe a coat of high-grade leather oil first.
What have you got to lose? The other option is a new sheath.