Anyone have any idea how old this Brooks is?

It's really hard to say- Brooks has been around for probably a century and is still making saddles I think-

This one is a touring model with the sprung under carriage- judging from little more than the appearance and the time when they most popular- 50's and 60's I think- certainly probably their most prolific production- I would say mid- 60's- give or take a decade.

i'm thinking 1970's. it probably came off a Raleigh or some other english bike. leave 'em outside long enough and they look really old.

By the '70's most bike manufacturers had stopped using Brooks leather saddles on their production bikes- but it could be one purchased separately that age-

Schwinn had them on all their early ten speeds, but by 1968 when I got my first schwinn varsity- it had been replaced by a vinyl seat. They stopped a year or two before that.

I worked in a shop that sold Raleighs in '73 and '74, and they weren't on any Raleigh bike then- but perhaps a three speed still- I don't recall.

When I started racing USCF in '71- Unicanitor was the usual saddle- it was leather overa nylon shell- and you didn't have to break it in like most people did with a Brooks- like it was a leather baseball mitt. Some tourists were still riding Brooks a bit more otherwise, but they died out from there-

although the ones with the extra-large gold rivets have always been a collectors item and expensive new.

Re-reading the O.P. I'm thinking that maybe the 73 is the year of manufacture- like I said they stayed popular with tourists longer and it was probably purchased aftermarket or on a three speed.

Bairdco did get that one to take surprising shape- how long it will stay that way- I don't know- I also can't tell you what to use otherwise- something that will protect it without softening the leather up more I guess- they sorta lose their rigiditity- you might do well with some hardening shellac or mix together a platic glue paste of some kind-

I think commercial saddle soap may just keep softening it too much-

How about getting more leather to cover the top at least?- you could plasticsize the original leather and then glue more on top - I'd get some of that silver metallic spray paint that's everywhere now- and after cleaning the metal- i'd spray some of that into the cap and touch it all up with artists brushes- You could even carefuly touch up the nameplate

the chrome Brooks uses is awesome, you might be able to just steel wool it to bring it back.

i dunno what the "73" stands for. the B73 saddle is completely different from what you have. it has 3 giant springs on it.

your's looks like a B72. it'll say it on the side, stamped into the leather, if you can still read it.

Brooks recommends Proofhide, i think. i've used ordinary baseball glove oil from Ace and it does a great job, makes it nice and soft. a coupla problems, though.

one, it's gonna turn every pair of pants you own brown. it'll wash out of jeans, but anything lighter will stain. (that's why spandex bike shorts are black)

two, your seat looks kinda torn up at the front rivets. it'll end up tearing eventually, but softening it might help it along.

you don't need to soften the front anyway. a lot of people just do the back, where your backside goes.

Thats the exact same saddle I have on my barn find build. It came off a 65 Raleigh sprite. Like every one else says 60's or 70's. soak it in water for a day or so, pull it out and wrap it in shoe laces so that it holds its original form when it dries, then once its dry, use a little 220 sand paper to bring it back to life, it will look great, trust me.