My husband works at an auto body shop. This work creates lots of dust that gets everywhere including his wallet destroying credit cards. Would this wallet be a smart choice to protect from that or do you suggest something different?

Thank you for the question. Since full-grain leather is almost like our skin, it absorbs oils and moisture very well. This will make the wallet look darker after a while with oils applied to it. Further, oil preserves the leather as long as it is not dipped fully. The hand stitching is the strongest we have seen in leather, so it is going to hold good in almost all use conditions. 
Our recommendation is to give it a try for 45 days, and let us know if it worked out for daily use in an auto shop. If it does not work for your husband, just return it to us. We will gladly refund per our 45-day return policy.

Is leather real?

Yes. DaVarg uses full-grain vegetable-tanned cowhide, sourced from a US-based tannery.