COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1925, Page 3

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OPOSSUM SKIN SALE. Messrs Dalgety and Co. Ltd. report : The second sale of the season .was held at Dunedin on 21st. Aug. about 17.000 skins being offered by the eight selling brokers. Of this quantity, our catalogue comprised (1000 drawn chiefly from North Canterbury, M’est Coast. Nelson, AVangtinui and other districts in the North Island. Me offered a splendid selection of skins, the quality being quite up to the first sale although there were no Otago skin? amongst them. The demand for blues and greys was exceptionally keen and prices for those qualities, especially blues, were quite 3s a skin higher than last sale. The bulk of these colours was contained in our catalogin', and we were successful in getting 1 ' remarkable price of 23s each for a line of blues which besides being top price at the sale must also lie a record for New Zealand. Another line brought 22s 8d and in this were a. few specially selected AVanganui skins. For some seasons we have handled the lutlk of the skins which come from this district and we have always secured very high prices for them. They are comparatively small skins hut of beautiful colour and the trappers there spar' no pains in the stretching and care of the skins. For blacks the demand generally was inclined to ho easier, but owing to our large lots and good grading we had a good sale and our main lots were in some eases Is higher than last sale. M’e got the top price for the day of 15s 7d for on. best blacks. M’e have always impressed upon trappers the advisability tJ selling at public auction. The very fact that private buyers have this year ofi’eil.sl such tempting prices should have been an indication that auction prices would he even higher and at both our sales this year this has been conclusively proved correct. Ou our catalogue, consignments from Otago averaged up to 1.5 s each. North Canterbury 11s to 12s Gd. A\ aimate 11s to 11s 6d. A\est (oast 10s to 11s 6d, Nelson 11s to I ts 6.1. Taranaki 8s Gd to 10s 6d, and from AVanganui 12s to 15s 3d.

The following is the range of prices from seconds up for average consignments : —Blues. 11s lid to 235; greys Ss 5d to 17s 3d: reds. 7s Od to 11s 5d - blacks. 7s lid to 15s 7d: browns. 7? 3d to 9s Sd : slates 6s to 0s 3d. Our next sale is on September 25th. and we strongly recommend consignments for this sale. There is every prospect that prices will remain just a? good.