When you think of a leather wallet, you probably think of cowhide. That’s normal. Cowhide is the most common form of leather used for men’s wallets, belts, and other accessories.

If you are looking for a more interesting wallet for yourself or a good gift for a man, it is time to think beyond the cow. Leather is made from many types of animals. Leather from other types of animals is not much more expensive and for a little extra money you get a much more interesting wallet.

Stingray Wallets

Stingray leather is made from the skin of a stingray. It is unusually crude. In fact, historically it was used to cover things like daggers or sword hilts, because the leather did not slip.

Stingray wallets are naturally covered in tiny bubbles, called pearls. They can be dyed to produce different colors or patterns. The resulting wallet is beautiful, and its owner is sure to receive many compliments.

Ostrich Wallets

Anyone can immediately recognize a wallet made of ostrich skin. It doesn’t look like anything else. Leather has large bumps, which are the follicles that used to contain feathers. Ostrich wallets come in a variety of colors.

Ostrich leather can also come without bumps, but it doesn’t look very interesting. The part of the skin where the feathers are found is quite small compared to the size of the animal. This is why ostrich leather is somewhat more expensive – there is only a small amount of desirable leather from each animal.

Crocodile wallets

Crocodile wallets are also instantly recognizable. Of course, they are made from alligators. The pattern on the wallet is where the crocodile’s scales used to be from. There are different patterns, depending on which part of the crocodile was used for the wallet. They come in a variety of styles and colors.

Eel Skin Wallets

Eel skin wallets are misnamed because they are not actually made from eel skin. The skin comes from a slimy, ugly, jawless fish called the Pacific Hagfish. It looks like an eel, but it is not.

Seriously though, who would say, “Dude, look at my Hagfish fur wallet!” Although it is not the correct name, let’s call it eel skin.

There used to be a popular myth that these wallets would degauss your credit cards, probably because eels produce electricity. But now that you know it’s not actually made from eels, it’s easy to see why this myth is untrue.

These wallets are strong and smooth. It seems that several strips of eel skin were put together to make the wallet.

Choose any of these leathers for a great wallet. They all make an excellent gift for a man.