From the picture I would have guesses a soft goat or calf leather yet it looks like might have a chromed leather in the picture you took. This type of leather finish is not one I like to work with as it does feel hard and close to plastic. When I saw your picture my first thought involved replacing the leather on the front with either goat or sheep. Replacing the leather on the front would not be the easiest, yet depending on how the stitching was done and if there is an adhesive behind the front leather it could range from fairly easy to very difficult.