[drcy]

I would think it wouldn't be hard to tell the difference to paint that was added to a then (130 years ago) new, clean belt and wore off as the leather wore down and cracked, as opposed to new paint added to an already old, worn belt. If genuine, the paint would have been applied to the clean surface of the leather. If added many years later to an already cracked, scuffed and worn belt, the paint would be in the deep recesses of the wear and perhaps drip down the inside side of a crack.