Thread: strop with black coating

A while ago I bought a strop off the bay for super cheap, intending it to be my first strop restoration project. The leather was dark but in good condition, so I thought I had done pretty well even though the linen component was missing. Tonight was my first chance to work on it since then.

After swiping it with a damp paper towel and seeing black on the towel, I cleaned it for a while with saddle soap. But the black kept coming off and coming off, it seemed there was no end to it. What I initially thought was a dirty strop now looks to be a strop that is coated or treated with something black. However, since the writing isn't covered up (only faded), I'm guessing it was made that way.

Has anyone heard of a strop like this? What should I do about it, other than keep cleaning it?

The leather is in very good condition - it looks to be very lightly used.