Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-18
WORLDS BIGGEST
FUR AUCTION FOR
6DAYSS $6,0O4,000

| What buyers who attended say was
/ the largest fur sale the world has ever
I known. both as to quantity of furS sold
and the financial results. ended last
night ~ the International Fur En-
change. lis South second street St
Louis
In the six days it lasted sales totaled
S6.yot.oyO, or an average of more thal
$1,000. 1000 daily.
The week also saw the purchase by
the fur men of Liberty Bonds TO the
amount OF S2.5O0. 600, and generous dOna-
tons TO the Red Cross, knights OF Co
lumbus, Jewish Welfare and other war
relief funds. In addition, transactions
among the buyers totaled more than 81
100000 and il was estimated that more
than SlO,OO0,OOO was involved in the
weeks trading.
Sixty-four kinds of fur, known to deal
ers from every part Of the world. were
listed in the 35O-page catalogue of the
sale. They comprised more than $500
coo pelts. divided into 10000 lots for
the convenience of buyers. Every state
in the union, every province in Canada,
and twenty-five foreign countrlee con-
tributed to the catalogue. Each pelt had
TO be checked. entered, graded and cata-
logued- st. Louis gradings and lettings
are quoted and accepted as standard
wherever furS are bought and sold.
Government Big Buyer
The United states government was di-
rectly interested in the sale. both from
The standpoint OF consignor and as
buyer. In two hours selling, seal skins
and foxes owned by the government
were sold for an aggregate of S161 ,l69.
On the other hand, a large part OF the
offerings of cheaper skins. suitable for
lining for aviators' coats and coats for
soldiers in the Siberian army, were pur-
chased for Uncle Sans account.
patriotic setting was given the
first lot of furs placed under the ham
mer consisted of 1000 Alaskan seal
skins. owned by the government
For the first time in history the Rus
sian gOvernment-whateve that may
mean at this time-sent sealskins to an
American market and they brought rec
ord prices, $50 selling for STATS.
All Furs in Demand
The demand for all kinds of furs was
unprecedented during the entire week,
a demand that was voiced by dealers
from all parts of the world and from
every class of trade and many varieties
sold for record prices. Muskrat a fur
that sold a few years ago. for a few
cents a pelt, sold as high as s2.25,
while a record price of Sill for skunk
was reached. Another fur that sold
higher than ever before was lynx, the
record skin bringing SIS. 1t was later
sold for the benefit of the Red Cross
high as $lO2 and marten at top price
of SS1.
Buyers and brokers say the record
prices made in all but two or three OF
the furs may not stand long. They
look for prices to increase rather than
to diminish. The labor situation was
expected to hold prices down a bit, but
evidently manufacturers must have set
tied the labor question more or less to
their own satisfaction before coming to
St Louis. for the manufacturers were
well and ably represented by large and
important orders. Most of them are
for too busy in their factories at this
juncture to journey westward, but the
local brokers took good care of their
wants in all respects.
And, incidentally, the rise Of the fur
broker is coincident with the rise OF
the St. Louis market. Whether it were
the market that made the broker, or
vice versa were negligible. Sufficient
il is to know that where the big mar
ket is there the big brokers gather to-
gether.
The next sales are announced for
January 81, April rs and September is,
1919.
The following is q partial list of furs
our readers might be interested in.
This list is furnished by Funston Bros.
& Co., of st. Louis, Mo, and shows
the comparative increase in price since
April:
Squirrels. % per cent higher.
Lamb skins. unchanged.
Hares, unchanged
Moles, 25 per cent lower.
Flying squirrels, 25 per cent higher.
Marten. 10 per cent higher.
Fisher, IS per cent higher.
Badger, unchanged.
House cat, so per cent higher.
Bear. 50 per cent higher.
Red fox, 80 per cent higher.
Wolverine, so per cent higher
Rabbit skins, unchanged.
Otter, 10 per cent higher.
Mink. 20 per cent higher.
Grey fox, 20 per cent higher.
Wildcat, so per cent higher.
Raccoon, 40 per cent higher.
Opossum. 60 per cent higher.
Skunk. so per cent higher.