OPOSSUM SKIN SALE.

Wairarapa Age, 20 August 1929, Page 7

OPOSSUM SKIN SALE.

Dalgoty and Co., Ltd., Dunedin, report. August 16:—

Opossum ’-in Sale. —The . econd sale of the sea / was held to-day, when 34,000 skins were offered by the eight selling brokers. Of this our catalogue comprised 17,295 skins, which is over 50 per cent, of the total offering and a record catalogue for New Zealand. These were drawn from every district in New Zealand where opossums are found, so that our catalogue was a very representative one. The quality of the skins was generally good, although hardly up to the standard of the first sale which was comprised almost solely of the more heavily furred Southern skins. With such an excellent selection to work on, we were enabled to make large lots of well graded skins and these excited the keenest competition. There were several orders in the market on American and Continental account and as we controlled the bulk of the offering, buyers were forced to operate in our sale to their absolute highest prices with the result that we had an excellent sale. The market is generally quoted at 1/- to 1/6 per skin lower for greys and blues and unchanged fo’* blacks and browns, but on our catalogue we make blues and greys very firm to slightly higher than last sale, with blacks and browns quite 6d to 1/6 per skin higher, which must be very gratifying to trappers who had skins in our sale. As usual, we topped the market for all colours, securing 23/2 for blues and 23/1 for blacks. Amongst our best sales in blues and grevs were 162 at 16/3, 138 at 20/10, 392 at 15/5, 273 at 18/10, 203 at 19/4, 76 at 22/4, 44 at I'B/5, 24 at 23/2, 338 at 16/5, 426 at 15/6, 362 at 18/-, 69 at 22/4, 166 at 17/7, 105 at 16/-, 82 at 18/-, 28 at 16/9, 27 at 21/-; and in blacks and browns, 295 at 15/4, 502 at 16/-, 416 at 18/-, 639 at 17/8, 359 at 21/5, 70 at 21/8, 56 at 23/1, 292 at 17/5, 444 at 15/1, 144 at 20/5, and 424 at 16/4. Included in our catalogue were large consignments from Wanganui, Auckland and East Coast districts, also from North Canterbury and the West Coast. They were practically without exception faultlessly got up, and reflect great credit on the trappers concerned, while selected skins from these districts participated in the highest prices realised at the sale. For some years now we have handled the bulk of the skins from these districts and we endeavour to advise every trapper of any improvement he can make in stretch or general get up. On our catalogue consignments from Catlins district averaged 13/6 to 1,7/6, Wyndham 12/6 to 15/6, Southland 11/6 to 15/-, North Canterbury 12/6 to 16/-, 17/3, Taranaki 19/6 to 14/6, Wanganui 11/6 to 15/-, Hawera 12/- to 16/-, Auckland 10/6 to 15/-, East Coast 11/to 4/-, Wellington 13/6 to 17/-. The following is the range of prices from seconds up for average consignments: —Blues, 9/11' to 23/2; blacks, 10/11 to 23/1; greys, 9/3 to 18/10; browns, 9/1 to 15/4; reds, If- to 14/9; slates, 10/3 to 15/7; small blues and greys, 4/3 to 9/10; small blacks, 4/11 to 8/7.