I think back to the very first time I sold fur and what a thrill it was to actually get money for something that I enjoyed doing so much. It seems to me that the first fur one sells may hook you forever. In my time there were still lots of country buyers around and were available to either buy in the round, green, or could instruct how to skin and put up fur. Maybe even some tricks on how to catch more critters.

So my first fur sold was nutria in-the-round to Elmer Smid who had a small taxidermy shop about 8 miles from where I lived. In the fall of '73 prices were $3 for XL, $2 for L and $1 for medium. All in the round. Gas was about 35 cents a gallon and I just had got my drivers license and could borrow my folks car to take critters over to his place.

About this time I started reading Fur Fish & Game and was really getting psyched about trapping.

How about you guys/gals? Who did you sell your first fur to and how was that experience?

About 1960, I sold my first muskrats to a Mr. Chamberlin. He was a traveling buyer in northern Illinois.

FHA for many years...Bill Bailey was the agent

Wiebke's in La Crosse, Wi. Always treated me fair and with respect.

Moosetrot

Bayle’s Fur and Pecans in West Monroe, Louisiana. Coon. Skinned, green. 1976. Right across the street from Bayle’s Fish Market - where I sold catfish when I wasnt trapping.

John Rockwood in Minetto NY a long time ago.

Jim Cox soon followed by Dean Burkdoll.

Bill Schaeffer in Honesdale PA. He paid $1.25 for rats/nose count and $40 for a huge male mink. I stretched the mink fur out because I thought the buyer wanted to see the fur. Bill corrected me, but still paid top dollar. I thought I was rich, minimum wage was $1.60/hour.

"Dutch" Elsasser from the early '70's until he past.

I miss him, "are ya with me?".

Ryan's Bait Shop in Troy, Ohio was the first place I sold fur too. He paid nearly nothing. I sold to him twice. I told a buddy how much I got and he told me to try Bob Long. Bob Long paid nearly three or four times as much.

I was at Long's and Ryan was there. He looked at me sheepishly. It turned out Ryan was buying fur super cheap and just immediately reselling it to Long, no work involved. Long called him an "old crook" when Ryan left and I explained how little Ryan paid me.

Keith

At a sporting goods store called "Johnson BB"
Mr. Patterson was the proprietor and had a traveling fur buyer from Canada that would stop by.
Bought my first traps from that store and sold my very first coons there.
This was when small towns had a dozen different Mom&Pop stores in every town.
I knew of three fur buyers within a dozen miles. This one i could ride my bicycle to.
I was hooked from the first day! Back then I ate as many sardines as I used for bait.
Back when men were men and women were women. Im grateful to have grown up in the 60's and 70's
when sportsmen and women still had their rights intact.

Sold to Jack Veirs when I was 10 or 11 and I'm 73 now. Sold him a couple muskrat and he showed me the proper way to skin them and put them up.

Ludy Sheda.

Skunk White in Gilbertsville NY 64 or 65 ,my father drove me down, we had the skunks in banna boxes tied to the roof!

Zane Bryan in Prospect, Pa. 1978

I wish I could remember the kind buyer's name back in1975. I had a mink, (my first fur was a muskrat I skinned open and proudly pinned and dried on my bedroom wall. Yes, dried to my wall!), I case skinned and put the mink up on a 3/4" pine board I made with my dad's jig saw. I didn't know about a wedge, and when I couldn't get it off the board, I just took my boy scout jack knife and slit it up the belly. I got an address from a friend whose dad trapped, and so I wrapped the pelt in a cut up brown grocery bag and sent it to him with thoughts of riches. He lived in Salem, Oregon. About a week later, I got a check for .50, and a page with proper skinning and stretching instructions with a handwritten note telling me to keep trying. Bless his soul.

My first furs I caught 50 yrs ago I sold to Runigans out of Fergus Falls Mn.

Knew him only as Trapper Rodgers who was a local buyer. Taught me not to thaw frozen furs with hot water. He took a hit on that half dozen coons but still gave me a good price for those "slipping" coon. Early 80's.

GFWC a guy and his kid came through the outskirts of Chicago sold to them often another guy across the border in IN started buying later when Fox were a hot item. The GFWC kid later became the buyer he showed up one time at the IN guys buying stop to see who’s selling to him. The next time he made a comment about selling the good stuff to the IN guy that was BS I sold as I caught it I had no choice then was not set up to hold on to it.

Did not play his game I never sold to that kid after that my buddy wanted to ring his neck I said let’s go.

Early 70s

First sale was to a guy (don't remember name) in water town. Pile of big coon and a few grinners.

Bill Henry Freeport ohio

my first time selling fur was in thus past March. right after my first trapping season, I sold to a Groenwold truck in 4 oaks nc (near where I live) I had a few coons and possums an otter and 2 beavers. I got $82 and took one possum home with me bc it had too many holes in it lol

Walter Haulbauer Java NY selling furs ment buying steel and he sold everything the gentlemen would put down a doz victor 1 1/2s or Northwood then open up another box and place a single trap on top of that un-opened box which would give you a
bakers dozen as i got older and the more fur i would bring he started to place a 1oz bottle of Carmens or Halbakers i remember bringing in bundles of green coons all combed out those were the best times of my life

Started out mid 70 s mailing muskrat to ed Bauer in st Louis .6 bucks for nice rats
Last sold to batdorf by reading pa..1987 alot of raccoons
Oh still sell but mostly have tanned first.

First in person selling was high school late 70s
Zander in southern new jersey, I think still doing some
They showed me around the shop,good eye opener education

Magee Fur in Eolia, Mo.
Bud and Willard Magee.
Sold them 9 green coon for $315 in 1977 that I caught the first week of season.
I thought I’d found my career lol.

Peter Thacker I believe everyone near here sold the fur and roots to pete at one time or another.

Alan Wise, Little Cooley, PA bought all my fur in the 80's, always complimented my "put up" and certainly was one of the best country buyers I ever dealt with. He would put his dinner plate down on the same counter he graded fur on, and start thru a pile of hides while still chewing his dinner, lol. R.I.P. Alan, you are still missed.

Ludy Shea 1st Fox and plenty after that plus 1st coyote caught just north of Ludy's.Mid 60's.

1961 AD,
Sold to Gene Rehome & EJ Daley

Mr. Daley also demonstrated to me the Dirt Hole set. it was dark and Gene Rehome operated the flashlight so we could see.

My first furs were muskrats , I sold them to Bad karma or his dad , im not sure.

Lincoln Barber in Goldsboro, NC

Barry, was that by chance RC Rose in Salem? Chuck and I were selling him stuff in late 70's.

Emil Mach in New Prague MN. Probably in 1969.

The first castor that I shipped to a country buyer (vs a fur auction) was Runnigan. Very first time I talked to him I asked about prices and was happy with what he had to say so I agreed to ship to him. He asked me how many lbs I was shipping and what my address was. Thought that was kind of weird...when about 5 days later I get a check in the mail for what I said I was shipping!

I always wondered if his wife beat on him for doing stuff like that. Mine sure would have.

Sold my first Muskrats and 'Coons to Gerald Castner of Stillwater New Jersey in 1970. Gerald was a great guy who would often kid you about the furs we brought in but always paid you a fair price.

Midwest Fur Company, Canton s.d
3 muskrats

First eh? In the late 50’s I stood in line at the Sears & Roebuck store every Saturday morning with my grocery sack of rats to ship to New York. I can’t remember if my little checks came from Sears or Taylor, I think Sears. It was about the only thing my dad did with me that involved trapping, drove me to town so I could send my pelts off and that was enough.

My brother and I sold our first furs, muskrats, to a guy named Charlie Winters in Reinholds, Pennsylvania. He was my dad’s fur dealer when he was a kid so Charlie was pretty old by the time my brother and I started selling to him.

There was an article done about Charlie in FFG magazine a couple of years ago. I contacted the author to see if I could get any more information but, it turned out, I don’t think he actually ever knew Charlie because he had very little information to offer. It was kind of disappointing.

Earl Cain In Plainview, Mn. with my step dad.... or should I say no sale after all the choice words they had back and forth. Very wide eyed kid when we left with our rats. Lol

Native women in Nome. Alaska. Selling Beaver.

Roland Hurd in Smyrna, Del. I sold him his first beaver and nutria meats. And plenty of rats and coons hides.

First sold muskrats,a coon, and a mink to Ezra Vincent from Chippewa Falls back in the early 1960s. He was a great guy to sell to, especially for kids.

H E Goldberg out of Seattle

Vern Null,in Mcsherrystown Pa. Sold muskrats in 1972 or 3

That's it! A few years later, we would sell him fur we caught when visiting the W. Valley green, sometimes. Actually, paid for our trip over just selling nutria and the few opossum we caught incidentally.

F.C. Taylor at St. Louis 3 years then they moved to Louisville, Ky.

I sewed them up in burlap cut from toe sacks. My dad took them to the Post Office.

The running joke with Chuck and me was that RC Rose knew how much money we had in our pockets when we came in...or, better put; our desperation level. And it was always pretty high for a couple of college students...and we got paid accordingly.

Believe or not, I saw retail fur coats commercials on the TV during 1978 “ Becker & Becker Furs” 1211 Chestnut St Philadelphia so I called them up. I was a young kid 14 years old, and they were good sports to invite me down.
My father worked in the city and we brought about 10 coon and 2 fox into the retail fur shop. They bought my fur and explained they needed to have the furs “ dressed” to make coats. They were not used to buying raw fur.

In the same building there were 2 other Jewish retail furriers, lichterman and Feiner. Over 5 years these guys bought my fur as my numbers increased. I turned a lots of heads carry a couple dozen coon pelts in center city.
Even had to Philly cops follow me into the main building asking my Dad and a lot of questions about we were doing…. When they insinuated we may have stolen the furs, my Dad kinda told the off. They were clueless city cops.

When I was away at Penn State I sold to Lion Country Furs. 1986-87 .

NAFA

At the Hillsdale county fairgrounds there was a fat slob of a man wearing a ragged pair of overalls and a filthy winter coat, in other words, he looked just like everyone In line to sell fur.
It was brutally cold that day and the line was long. Me and ,my trapping partner, we were 13th years old at the time, were watching the old man closely the whole time. His nose was running heavy from the brutal cold wind, and whenever he was fixin to pay a guy for his fur, snot would drip down on the wad of money that as big around as a Coke can that he pulled out of top pocket of his coveralls.
We talked about that a bit, but money was money and we were trappers.
We averaged 4 dollars for rats and 17 dollars for mink. Problem was, we only one of each. Not too shabby considering that our longline trapping adventure consisted of only one #1 Victor long spring...

Ed Bauer fur company in smitboro Illinois.

George Smith out of Newton, NJ
I was 4 years old, skinned and fleshed my own pelts. Grew up on a mink ranch and was helping skin domestic mink at that age too..
Picture from 1958 I was 6 (I am in the middle 2 cousins got in the picture but did no fur handling or much trapping).

George I. Fox

Dave hicks. I know I have the receipt but can't find it. 1 fox 1 coon 1 mink

Ned Stark in Eldred PA back in the early 80’s.

Chuck Beins in Alma, NE around 1984. I loved going into his shop as a kid it was my "candy store", all of the cool stuff I could ever imagine. Still have 2 old Newhouse #3 longsprings and a couple of old bottles of lure that I dont think I would ever part with that he gave me. Always happy to answer my questions and got me hooked on putting up fur as he always complimented how well it looked. Even if I showed up with a just a ratty possum he gave me something for it. RIP

Sold my first furs to Warren Krum in Swan Lake around 2011.

Dad sold to him for years and he was my first buyer

in the 1960's we had a fur auction in a local cattle auction barn in upstate NY. I am sure it was for an organization but don't remember who. I shagged fur as a volunteer and sold some rats. Lot's of red fox in the sale.

H.E. Goldberg but a funny story from a few years later. I was selling my fur at the time to Fred Hjort in Raymond and I had caught 5 Least Weasels. Of course, they were all brown as they don't turn white on the coast and Fred was not interested in them. I was maybe 13 or 14 and I figured everything was good, so I mailed them to F.C. Taylor in just a regular business envelope. They were small. About a week later I received a check from then for $1.25 and a note that said, "Please don't send us anymore weasels." I often wonder what they said when they opened that envelope.

1966 sold 'rats at Izzy's barbershop in La Crosse. It's where Dad got his hair cut. Izzy cut hair in the front and bought fur in the back.

Next year I sold to Dick Schultz in the same building that Dan Wiebke now buys fur out of on the north end of La Crosse. Sold 'rats, mink, 'coon and red fox. Was always impressed by the "mountain" of carcass 'rats that were in the shed with the old timers sitting around on buckets or milk crates skinning 'rats lickety split whilst carrying on conversations.

Either groenwold or buckhorn fur out of Richland center wisc they both came close to where I lived back in the 70's

Mr. George Yarborough at Peck, LA around 1975, possums and nutria rats.

1968 Dick Schultz in LaCrosse Wis. my brother and I had 7 rats and I think we got 65 cents for them. The next year we had around 125, I sold to Dick till he retired and then Wiebke took over that spot. He always paid in cash which was awesome for a kid.

Sold my first fur in 1965. We had several fox bounty trappers around me at the time. Two brothers near where I was working would take their fox down to LaCrosse and that year I sent a couple rats, a female mink, a kit fox and a few coons we got hunting down with their load. I paid the brothers two bucks for taking my fur down and I don't even remember the total amount, except the kit fox brought $2 and that was the highest value of what I sold.
When I was 10-13 I trapped pocket gophers but all I needed was the tails to get my .25 cents. most farmers chipped in either a dime or a quarter as well. Farmers hated those pocket gophers when they were ,making all those mounds in their hay fields.

Bryce

Shipped to F.C. Taylor. St Louis

Sold to Paulette in Sandyville, OH. 1978

mcgee fur company eolia missouri

Sold a lot of fisher and grey fox to Warren. He always paid better than any buyer on these species.

Sold my first fur in late 70s to Pettigrew in Lincoln.
Later when Roger Blehovy opened turkey creek furs in Crete that was much closer to home for me and I sold to Roger for many years. Even used to go skin for him once and awhile. Learned a lot about processing fur from Roger by working in the back room occasionally. I never was so sore as I was from pulling coon a whole work day in the back. Back then I had just started working at a bank and Veterans Day was a bank holiday so I got a paid day off from bank plus skinned coon all day at Turkey Creek. It was a key thing now that I look back. I Needed to learn to peel coons with minimal knife work and that was the learning “camp” for me. Learned to wash and tumble coyotes too. We did a barter thing for several years. I’d go skin for a few days here and there, and instead of cash payment he would let me apply the “wages earned” against bait and lure off his shelves. It was a beautiful thing to barter my time for something important to my own trapline.
One time driving over to Roger’s it was one of those mild misty nights in late November and I left my house kind of early to get there. I was blessed with five fresh road killed coon on way there so stopped and picked those up and sold in the round to Roger when I got there. Made enough on those to get some bait, lure, urine, and also bought me lunch that day plus what I earned shucking coon. That was a good day.
When Roger went away from fur I switched and sold to Dennis Vicars in Pickrell, Nebraska. I sold a few beaver to Papp’s in Nebraska city too but it was a little farther to get to Papp’s so only sold to him one season and didn’t go back. Sold to Vicars for several more years until his health wasn’t so good and I started selling to Kevin Jones in Palmyra. Been selling to Kevin (Grizz) ever since.
Jim

My brother and I took our first 6 rats from our first trapline to Tom Gebo. He would come to Lee Garand’s shop where Lee had a small trapping supply business in Richville, NY. We got $18 for those first six rats. That kind of money in the early 70s was a fortune to a couple of farm kids.

The next fall we went to Tom with some of our fall catch. Two coon and 15 rats. Rats were up to $3.50 and the coon brought $45 each. I remember we got $130 for the lot. Some of the rats were small and only brought $2. We were rich. We did leave some of it with Lee for fox, coon and rat traps. And a few 110 conibers and a selection of O.L Butcher lures. And we still had a small chunk of change left over.

I think that was the last year Tom came to Lee’s. We sold to Al Gordon after that for a few years. Al would buy at the DeKalb hotel lobby on Sunday afternoons. He always did well by us.

Sears. Filled out a shipping tag and took my rats to the post office. The check came in a couple of weeks. A note said the rats were matted and to dry them out before stretching.

I caught my 1st raccoon in 1973 in a victor #3 double long spring. My uncle showed me how to skin it and then took me to see Jim Mesler in Iowa, our local fur buyer, he gave me 7 1.5 Blake and Lamb long springs for it, I later married his daughters best friend and worked for him some skinning.

A

Gunderson in lanesboro MN, 1972

Wesley Zander’s fur company Baldwin Illinois

Ron Bloebaum at The Little Red Fur Shed in Decker IN

Roger at Pacific Hide and Fur in Spokane,Washington. I know his last name but old age is catching up with me and I can't recall it. This was in the 80s.

In 70s I was in NW Mo. sold to 2 different local fur buyers near Smithville Mo. don’t remember names. In 80s living on east side of state sold to Mark Morris in La Mo. when he retired started shipping to NAFA

Not sure who the guy was but my Dad took me to a place in Gibsonburg, Ohio, the man gave me $65 for 2 skinned coon. At 12yrs old I thought I was rich

I know who you mean but dang if I can't think of it either. Wissmiss, we need you!

...OK, Nancy came through. It was Roger Scheurer. I sold that guy a lot of beaver over the years when he came to buy at our OTC sales.

1968 Robert Lauver, McVeytown, Pa.

First sold to worzlo(sp) in Maple shade NJ early 70's , He had quite the operation at the time. Most people would be surprised at the scope of the fur industry in NJ at that time. Also sold to snowiss in Williamsport PA . and Tom Zander in national park NJ during the 70's. Still sell to the Zander family from time to time.

Russ Cumberland, Owatonna Mn

H. E. Goldberg Company, Seattle.

Jesse Sams out of West Virginia. Sold to him on and off over the last 20 years along with shipping fur to NAFA. RIP Jesse, you’ll be missed buddy.

Pretty sure Roger's last name was something like SCHURER. Nancy will know for sure.

Mr. Lincoln Barbour RIP

Sold my first furs to Ned Stark of Turtle Point Pa. Was probably around 1968, I was about 12 yo. Looking back, I know he paid me more than they were worth.

Yep, I pm'ed her. It was "Scheurer".

As soon as I saw it I knew you were right. He is a great guy, last year was the first time he didn't come to our fur sale. He quit buying fur but has come and helped.

The Birdsong Brothers who were a few miles west of Moberly Missouri in Randolph County is who I sold my fur to for my first few years. I was raised in the Huntsville area which was a few miles west of Birdsongs. First sale was about 1973 which consisted of mostly coon, muskrat and beaver. I ran hounds and trapped in those days as a teenager. Birdsongs also dealt in coon hounds. I traded them a later model 94 Winchester 30-30 for a solid black male dog they claimed was a mountain cur who resembled a black lab. It was a good trade for me as I killed a lot of coon with him. His name would not be politically correct today!!! Sadly the died of heart worms a few years later.
Later on I sold fur to a buyer in Brookfield Missouri whos name I don't recall. In 1995 I moved to South Dakota.

Charlie Kildoo

Some others of the era.
Bob Hovis. Frank Drahos. Schreckengost.
John Ryshak.
Zane Brian had the first live coyote
I've seen, tied to a dog box.

Jim Zimpel from Plumber would have a Roosevelt stop at Byron Cole's fur shed late 70's and 80's.4-5 times fall/winter.

Virgil Carroll Skidmore Mo and Hollis Perrin, Perrin Fur & Wool Corning IA.

My first fur dealer was Frank Kostecki .
Learned a lot from him.
We were friends for life!
We even hunted elk in Colorado in 1986 .

No idea My dad took my first Muskrats to the Post Office and shipped them After that we drove to Indian River, Mi. and sold to Roy Chambers crabby old fart but he showed me how to properly flesh and put up coon along with a couple stretching boards for mink rats and coon I did have my coon cased while dad had his square And he told dad at least your kid knows how to put up coon I knew better then to say anything but I was walking on air

That's funny Jeff, I had a next door neighbor Roy Chambers who was an old trapper from the 40's and 50's. He used to regale me with all kinds of trapping stories. Wouldn't be the same one as yours though.

I don't know if this is a contest, but the ones who said Ludy Sheda, win the award for the most memorable experience. If you knew Ludy, you know why.

1965 i had 6 muskrat. Didn't have any stretches so I put them up on shingles. No belly boards. Had to cut them up the belly to get them off. Got. 50 cents apiece from ford Peterson. Next time he came through he brought me 6 wire stretches for free. He took the 8 I had and paid me $1.00 each. I was in tall cotton

A lot of us learned about belly wedges the hard way didn't we?

A fur buyer right up the road from me in the next town. That was 1978. He ended up being a trapping partner 20 years later after he retired.

Always enjoyed talking with Roger at the OTC sales. I won a hat he donated for the raffle at a sale a few years back. Black hat with neon like fire flames down both sides.PACIFIC, Spokane, steel, hides, furs,recycling.
Still like new, hanges on the wall where I can look at it. Might just wear it to the sale in a couple weeks.

Wiebke Fur in Eitzen to a young Tom back in the 70s. Still do business with them It’s Jason now at the Eitzen location. Still recall being in High School in 1977 I believe and getting eight prime coon one night hunting and getting a check for around 500 dollars. The fur boom I thought shoot it’ll always be this way. LOL A lot of old buyers names on this thread. Kind of nostalgic.

If I remember correctly, I sold to Sears & Roebuck and i.e.Fox company in the mid to late 1960's. I had to pack them and ship them out, then wait for a check. I didn't know of any fur buyers back in those days locally. I wasn't connected or knew anyone else that trapped back then. i was a loner and didn't have many friends at that time, living on a small farm.

1976 Fur Takers fur Auction Indiana Chapter 7C in Boonville IN. It was the most money I had ever made as a 14 year old kid.

Buckhorn Fur in Richland Center, WI back in the 70's. I think Archie Pulvermacher was the man, sold ginseng to him also.

Zim

Triplett fur. Can't remember either Seneca or Racine Missouri.

Ohsman & Sons, Mankato MN.
Used to send out post cards listing current fur prices (up to)............
When you got to the grade room you found out why your fur didn't reach the up to price.
Anyone who ever sold mink there probably saw his monster mink as long as your arm.
"If your mink looked like this one here you'd get the up to price".
Actually did sell lots of fur there and was treated fairly with good competative prices.

Still can’t remember his name,,,,,,, he had a shop outside of Manning IA. on hwy 141

Sold my first to FnT.

Drove up to their original shop and sold beaver in the round.

Tman member Northcountry had been there just before us and I remember his fur all lined up on their floor, looking beautiful. I remember thinking it looked like he had washed and blow dried every critter.

Scott Johnson in Willmar Mn. He always treated me fair.

A guy at "Lord and Taylor" in Union NJ wanted all my rats not put up, in the whole early 1950. My Dad would drive me there every week and BS with all the guys there then we leave with dollars in my pocket, not quarters......jk

Ezra Vincent in Chippewa Falls, WI

Barry Clark in NJ. Then Tom Mulea in the Teaneck NJ fire department. Sooooo long ago.

Jack Vanhoose in Greenville, MI. Early 80's, absolutely loved going to that place. I can almost smell it now as I think about it. He was a character and fun to talk to. He seen a lot of country in his day. Sold a ton of coon later to Gunner's Trading Post in Indiana. Can't remember his name, but he was always very fair.

Scott Parks in Boonville IN. Before the... well incidents.


I never got cash always put any proceeds on trade for more supplies.

Charles Goebel, Ridgeway, IL

Grimshaw's in Champlain NY

Bobby Morgan with Booger Hollow Fur in 1976

Merrit Kimball - Waterford, Maine 1977

Kind of a stocky guy with thick glasses and a stubby cigar?? Kenny Spies. G.

Anyone remember a fur buyer in Niagara County New York? I can't for the life of me remember his name...

I sold a pile of fur to Jack myself! Later on, I moved to where I live now, and Jack had a cottage on a canal off Houghton Lake's west shore.....he'd let me fish specs there in the spring when they run up into the canal to find warm water after ice-out. I don't remember if I sold my very first fur to Jack, if not him, then Ken Webb in Stanton. This would have been in the late '60's.

Nick Wyshinski

Stan Krofick; Latrobe, PA

No idea of any individual buyers but , when I was a kid, I'd sell in the parking lot behind Richards Brothers Market in West Plains, Mo.. Used to be able to get $30 for a big raccoon in the round. Kid you not. Usually would be several different buyers present.

Some of the other Ozarks guy might remember.