Pigskin or jico leather mat

I have never tried a leather or pigskin mat on my Victor TT101, or on any other turntables, so I am not among those who recommend them. However, I am sure that such mats might be excellent. I use an SAEC SS300 mat on my TT101.

Considering the very high cost you quote for pre-fabricated leather mats, wouldn't it be a simple matter to buy a piece of leather or pigskin and make your own?

@lewm sorry to misquote you 😢

I have pondered just making one 

No problemo.

I have pondered just making one 

The job of the mat is to control vinyl resonance while the cartridge is tracking the groove, thus preventing the vinyl from talking back to the cartridge. This results in measurably and audibly superior performance.

To do this, the platter pad has to have the same durometer as the vinyl itself.

To know if the pad is doing its job, turn down the volume all the way. Play an LP and listen to the sound emanating from the cartridge itself. If you can hear it from more than a foot away the platter pad is falling short of its goal.

To do this, the platter pad has to have the same durometer as the vinyl itself.

Just not true. This again is where intuitive/rational/objective/measurement based talk diverges from something called "listening". A platter pad with the same durometer as vinyl (is there such a thing as "the vinyl"?) may sound best with one turntable/arm/cartridge combination while a copper, cf, or bare aluminum (as Harry Weisfeld advocated for years with his turntables) may sound best with others. I prefer the sound of no platter mat with my two decks. 

Go with the leather is my advice. If nothing else, it looks sexy.