[masraum]

I have a pair of dress shoes that I hardly ever wear, probably a handful of times between a few job interviews and a few trips to the theater. I think I've had them about 10-15 years, maybe worn them 10 times and have probably polished them once or twice in that time. I stuck them on tonight in the bedroom and took about 5 or 6 steps n them and then took them off. When I took them off, I noticed that the finish where the leather bends behind the toes was cracked and flaking off. That seems pretty odd to me. I can only imagine that sitting for so many years unworn and without needing a polish allowed the finish on the leather to dry and stiffen, but I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts or has experienced this sort of phenomenon.

They weren't expensive shoes, but they weren't really cheap either, probably in the $100-150 range from Florsheim years ago.