Quality and Colour.—The best fur is obtained by killing animals when the winter is at its height and the colder the season the better its quality and colour. Fur skins taken out of season are indifferent, and the hair is liable to shed itself freely; a good furrier will, however, reject such faulty specimens in the manufacturing. The finest furs are obtained from the Arctic and northern regions, and the lower the latitude the less full and silky the fur, till, at the torrid zone, fur gives place to harsh hair without any underwool. The finest and closest wools are possessed by the amphibious Carnivora and Rodentia, viz. seals, otters, beavers, nutrias and musquash, the beauty of which is not seen until after the stiff water or top hairs are pulled out or otherwise removed. In this class of animal the underneath wool of the belly is thicker than that of the back, while the opposite is true of those found on the land. The sea otter, one of the richest and rarest of furs, especially for men’s wear, is an exception to this unhairing process, which it does not require, the hair being of the same length as the wool, silky and bright, quite the reverse of the case of other aquatic animals.
Of sealskins there are two distinct classes, the fur seals and the hair seals. The latter have no growth of fur under the stiff top hair and are killed, with few exceptions (generally of the marbled seals), on account of the oil and leather they yield. The best fur seals are found off the Alaska coast and down as far south as San Francisco.
It is found that in densely wooded districts furs are darker in colour than in exposed regions, and that the quality of wool and hair is softer and more silky than those from bare tracts of country, where nature exacts from its creatures greater efforts to secure food, thereby developing stronger limbs and a consequently coarser body covering.
As regards density of colour the skunk or black marten has the blackest fur, and some cats of the domestic kind, specially reared for their fur, are nearly black. Black bears have occasionally very black coats, but the majority have a brownish underwool. The natural black fox is a member of the silver fox family and is very rare, the skins bringing a high price. Most silver foxes have dark necks and in some the dark shade runs a quarter, half-way, or three-quarters, or even the whole length of the skin, but it is rather of a brownish hue. Some Russian sables are of a very dense bluish brown almost a black, which is the origin undoubtedly of the term “sables,” while some, from one district in particular, have a quantity of silver hairs, evenly interspersed in the fur, a peculiarity which has nothing to do with age. The best sea otters have very dark coats which are highly esteemed, a few with silver hairs in parts; where these are equally and evenly spread the skins are very valuable. Otters and beavers that run dark in the hair or wool are more valuable than the paler ones, the wools of which are frequently touched with a chemical to produce a golden shade. This is also done with nutrias after unhairing. The darker sorts of mink, musquash, raccoon and wolverine are more valuable than the paler skins.
Collective Supplies and Sales.—There are ten large American and Canadian companies with extensive systems for gathering the annual hauls of skins from the far-scattered trappers. These are the Hudson’s Bay Co., Russian Fur Co., Alaska Commercial Co., North American Commercial Co., Russian Sealskin Co., Harmony Fur Co., Royal Greenland Fur Co., American Fur Co., Missouri Co. and Pacific Co. Most of the raw skins are forwarded to about half-a-dozen brokers in London, who roughly sort them in convenient lots, issuing catalogues to the traders of the world, and after due time for examination of the goods by intending purchasers, the lots are sold by public auction. The principal sales of general furs are held in London in January and March, smaller offerings being made in June and October; while the bulk of fur sealskins is sold separately in December. The Hudson’s Bay Co.’s sales take place before the others, and, as no reserves are placed on any lot, the results are taken as exactly indicating current values. While many buyers from America and Russia are personally in attendance at the sales, many more are represented by London and Leipzig agents who buy for them upon commission. In addition to the fur skins coming from North America vast numbers from Russia, Siberia, China, Japan, Australia and South America are offered during the same periods at public auction. Fairs are also held in Siberia, Russia and Germany for the distribution of fur skins as follows:—
| January: | Frankfort-on-the-Oder | Small collection of provincial produce, such as otter, fox, fitch and marten. |
| February: | Irbit, Siberia | General Russian furs. |
| Easter: | Leipzig, Germany | General furs. |
| August: | Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia | Persian lamb and general furs. |
| August: | Kiakhta, Siberia | Chinese furs and ermine. |
| December: | Ishim, Siberia | Chiefly squirrels. |
Of course there are many transactions, generally in the cheaper and coarser kinds of furs, used only in central Europe, Russia and Asia which in no way interest the London market, and there are many direct consignments of skins from collectors in America and Russia to London, New York and Leipzig merchants. But the bulk of the fine furs of the world is sold at the large public trade auction sales in London. The chief exceptions are the Persian and Astrachan lambs, which are bought at the Russian fairs, and are dressed and dyed in Leipzig, and the ermine and Russian squirrels, which are dressed and manufactured into linings either in Russia or Germany before offered for sale to the wholesale merchants or manufacturers.
The annual collection of fur skins varies considerably in quantity according to the demand and to the good or bad climatic conditions of the season; and it is impossible to give a complete record, as many skins are used in the country of their origin or exported direct to merchants. But a fairly exact statement of the numbers sold in the great public trade auction sales in London during the year 1905-1906 is herewith set out.
| Year ending 31st of March 1906. | Total Number of Skins. |
| Badger | 28,634 |
| Badger, Japanese | 6,026 |
| Bear | 18,576 |
| Beaver | 80,514 |
| Cat, Civet | 157,915 |
| Cat, House | 126,703 |
| Cat, Wild | 32,253 |
| Chinchilla (La Plata), known also as Bastard | 43,578 |
| Chinchilla Peruvian finest | 5,603 |
| Deer, Chinese | 124,355 |
| Ermine | 40,641 |
| Fisher | 5,949 |
| Fitch | 77,578 |
| Fox, Blue | 1,893 |
| Fox, Cross | 10,276 |
| Fox, Grey | 59,561 |
| Fox, Japanese | 81,429 |
| Fox, Kit | 4,023 |
| Fox, Red | 158,961 |
| Fox, Silver | 2,510 |
| Fox, White | 27,463 |
| Goats, Chinese | 261,190 |
| Hares | 41,256 |
| Kangaroo | 7,115 |
| Kid, Chinese linings and skins equal to | 5,080,047 |
| Kolinsky | 114,251 |
| Lamb, Mongolian linings and skins equal to | 214,072 |
| Lamb, Slink linings and skins equal to | 167,372 |
| Lamb, Tibet linings and skins equal to | 794,130 |
| Leopard | 3,574 |
| Lynx | 88,822 |
| Marmot, linings and skins equal to | 1,600,600 |
| Marten, Baum | 4,573 |
| Marten, Japanese | 16,461 |
| Marten, Stone | 12,939 |
| Mink, Canadian and American | 299,254 |
| Mink, Japanese | 360,373 |
| Mouflon | 23,594 |
| Musk-rat or Musquash, Brown | 5,126,339 |
| Musk-rat or Musquash, Black | 41,788 |
| Nutria | 82,474 |
| Opossum, American | 902,065 |
| Opossum, Australian | 4,161,685 |
| Otter, River | 21,235 |
| Otter, Sea | 522 |
| Raccoon | 310,712 |
| Sable, Canadian and American | 97,282 |
| Sable, Japanese | 556 |
| Sable, Russian | 26,399 |
| Seals, Fur | 77,000 |
| Seals, Hair | 31,943 |
| Skunk | 1,068,408 |
| Squirrel | 194,596 |
| Squirrel Linings each averaging 126 skins | 1,982,736 |
| Tiger | 392 |
| Wallaby | 60,956 |
| Wolf | 56,642 |
| Wolverine | 1,726 |
| Wombat | 193,625 |
A brief account of the different qualities of the pelts, with some general remarks as to their customary uses, follows. The prices quoted are subject to constant fluctuation and represent purely trade prices for bulk, and it should be explained that the very great variations are due to different sizes, qualities and colours, and moreover are only first cost, before skins are dressed and prepared. These preparations are in some cases expensive, and there is generally a considerable percentage of waste. The prices cannot be taken as a guide to the wholesale price of a single and finished skin, but simply as relative value.