By good fortune I won the bid on a Krag Carbine Scabbard at Nov's J.C. Devine Auction. It was item 1182 out of 1215 auction items - a long day - but at $65 it was worth the wait. It is the model with the reduced end section for the carbine barrel (Poyer pg 192, Brophy top of pg 165, 1929 Bannerman Catalog pg 348 priced at $2.50 - - - ouch!).
The brass throat reinforcement is OK, no leather cuts or tears, some stitching has failed, both hanger straps are missing and it has 100 yrs of honest surface scruffing. It ain't a museum piece but it's a real one and my 1898 Carbine fits it like a dream :-)
Repairing the stitching and replacing the hanger straps are pretty easy. But, I am clueless about preserving/stabilizing the leather surface. I don't want to make it shiny and new looking, I want to save it so I and the next owners can enjoy it. If anyone has some experience in this area or some good info sources, I would sure appreciate the help. Thanks.
Keep up the Fire.
Richard Sherman.