Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-11
THE FUR MARKET OF LEIPZIG
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Write, for The Star and the Chicago Record 3rald

Next to the making of books the dress
ing of furs is the most important industry
in Leipzig, and employs
important the time OF several thou
r.lr.4 sand people IN the city
A~uS'Ay' and the neighboring viii
lagos. They have been engaged in this
occupation for centuries, the secrets O.
dyeing and dressing having been handed
down from generation to generation in
the same families, improving with time,
so that today some of the Leipzig fur
dressers are able to convert the skins OF
the most ignobie animals into rare and
aristocratic furs. They sometimes work
mira cles. They make sable out of wood
chuck, ermine out of rabbit and cat skins,
and seal from nutria, and nobody knows
the difference. The results would even
deceive the animals themselves. Millions
of rabbit and cat skins come to Lelpzig'
but none ever go out. When they are
shipped they are ermine. with little cony
tails sewed ON. and their value has been
multiplied twenty times or more.
London and Leipzig are the two great
fur markets. but their business is con-
Quoted in a very different manner In
London all furS are sold at auction ana
they come in from all directions. both fin
ished and unfinished. At Leipzig all the
turs come in raw from the Original
, sources Of supply and are redressed. DYED.
matched and put into shape tor the
manufacturer between the two fairs
which are held at Easter and Michaeimas
in March and September. They are all
handled by commission houses. and JOB
bers and buyers come from all over the
p.orld-often from the very places the
furs come from-to make their selections
and ship them home.
The volume of business amounts to be-
| tween twenty-five and thirty millions OF
dollars at each fair. The shipments OF
furs 70 the United States alone in the
fiscal year of 1910 were valued at $691.-
49, gain of 81, 2S7.619 over the year
1907. These were all dressed, dyed and
matched: finished furs ready to be made
up into wraps muffs, bOas and trimmings
| At the same time furs and skins valued
| at Sc 49, 54 came from the United States
| to Leipzig in raw state to be treated
| for the market.
The largest source of furs in the world
| is Siberia. Sable. fox skins of several
varieties. squirrel. mink
/ Siberian lynx, marten and other
~ =. varieties come principally
ouPP1AoS' from that quarter. The
| next largest source of supply is Alaska
| and the shipments are handled entirely
J. y Americans Very few seal skins
come to Leipzig; they all go to London,
but everything else comes here, and sew
eral large American firms have their or
fees in the BruhL I have met represent
atives Of New York, Chicago and De-
| troit houses who tell me surprising
| stories about rue number of furs that
come from the United States.
| Our central and southern states furnish
| MANY woodchuck and muskrat SKINS
which are made over into sable: SKUNK
skins which are verv highly priced rof
| stoles and muffs IN France and Germany
| offers. which are used chieny Tor cci'a'
| and other trimming: opossums and SOUR
| rels. to be made into cloaks, coats and
TRIMMINGS. aud rabbits, which are turned
! into ermine.
| From Alaska is derived the largest sup
My of bear. beaver. red and silver gra!
! fox lynx, marten. mink. otter. VOL AM
! wolverine skins: from South Amerlcf
| come the nutr'a which is a cheap sort o.
| seal. chinchi'la and beaver skins: IRON
Asia chiefly Persian lamb skins. or cara
culs, as they are called. and from Hun
| gary and Germany and other European
| countries rabbit and cat skins
Agents of Leipzig fur dressers are az
| ways travelling around nicking UP SKINS
and shipping them in. Upon their arrlva
| they are distributed amcng the dTessfr'
in the city and in the neishboring VII
lagos, Bvesdorf. Lindeman. Schkenditz
| Rostha and other places. where the larger
part of the population is engaged In the
trade There are specialists among the
drassers Some OF them are skillfui II
handling certain furs; hence the sable:
are sent 70 one family. Persian lamo SKINS
are sent to another. fox skins to another
and SO on. according to their reputation.
After the skins are dressed and dyet
| they are trimmed. matched. made VI
into packages and stored t
| Annual await the messin. or fair. wheI
900 or 3,C0O buyers from al
FAN parts of the world will come II
Leipzis to obtain their annual supply
These messins, which. as I have said
occur Immediately after Easter and Mi
chaelmas, are managed by an associa
ton, which has headquarters. with
corps of clerks. where all trades are re
corded and are practically guaranteed
No buyers are deceived. An imitation i
sold for al imitation. and If the buye
chooses to deceive his customers at hom