OPOSSUM SKIN SALE

Hokitika Guardian, 25 July 1933, Page 6

OPOSSUM SKIN SALE

Dalgety. and. . Co. report ;—The first sale of tiic season was held at Dunedin when approximately 4000 skins were offered by the eight selling brokers. Of this our., .catalogue comprised -2750 .skins drawn chieuy from Otago and Southland, South- ■ Canterbury, West

'Coast, Taranaki, Wan --• and Auckland districts. is usual .at the firs: sale, the quality of the skints was not particular']y good, a big proportion of the pelts being badly marked. July c-augnt -skins should allow an improvement.

We are -pleased to be -able to report , a particularly good sale, with a keen demand fo r all grades of skins. Our catalogue as usual included a number of 'Gatlins consignments, mostly good Blues and Grey 0 and results of sale should convince trappers of -the adof selling at auction where there is the competition of all buyers rather than, to private, dealers who in most cases resell .at auction. No sales of opossum skins have been held since 1931 owing to a close season -last your, but compared with 1931 -rates prices at our sale to-day were more than double and should make opossum trapping a very remunerative occupation while the season lasts. Our top pri«ets\ to-day, which were the highest for 'the sale, were 13s for super blues, mostly from Gatlins, and 13s lOd for -blacks, these being skin* Irani Catlins amd West Coast .districts. 'Some of our best sales were 'blacks ; 7at 13s lOd, 12 at 15s Bd, 'lO3 at Us 6d, 36 at. 10-, 6d. 141 o: 10s, 130 at 9s 7d, 24 at 9s, -29 at Br, -2d. 66 .at.. Ss; -blues ; .20 at .13s, 33 at 12s }6d, 170 at 12s, 47 at 10s 9d, 8 at 10s 7d, 16 at 10 s 2d 26 -at 9s 6:1 ; and greys: 9 at 10s 6(1, 38 at 10s, 124 atSs 7d, 87 at 8s 11s, 151 at .7s 9(1. Averages obtained in ou r .-catalogue for -representative consignments from various districts were Gatlins -and Wyndhom i6s 9d to 8s i3d, Southßird 6s-3d to 7s, South Canterbury 6s ,6d to 9s, West Co erst 6s 6d to 10s 2d, Nelson. 6s 6d to 7s 6d, Wanganui 5s to 6s 4d. Auckland l 4s to 6s 6d. ißoto-ru.a, 5s 6d to 6s <6d, Taranaki 6 S 3d. to -8s -9d.