1977 muskrat fur receipt

[JakeLand]

Wags couldn’t figure out how to post a pic of some rats he bought in 1977

[h20hunter]

That's not chump change.  Very cool.

[Norman89]

 

[wags]

Thanks for posting that for me Jake.

The back story. I was fresh out of high school (1976) and that winter 76/77 I met a couple of big time fur buyers at the Seattle fur exchange. Their company, Silberman Fur Corp where actually the guys who bought fur under the banner of "Sears", everyone thought they were selling to Sears, but it was actually these guys. This was before my time, but some old-timers are still around who remember selling to Sears.

They told me they wanted Washington muskrats, they marketed them primarily in Germany as "Fraser Valley Muskrats".

Unknown to most people is that western Washington muskrats are one of, if not the best quality 'rat there is. This is due to the good quality leather, the good color of their backs, and the exceptionally good color of their bellies.

I bought fur out here in Washington for one year for Silberman's. Then they asked me to come back to the Midwest and buy fur for them; which I did for a season. I just bought dealer lots, anywhere from  $20K to $150K at a pop. Those were the boom days of the fur business.

They then wanted me to travel to Australia to buy red foxes. That would have been during our summer, then I would have returned to Wisconsin to buy fur the following winter. I didn't want to permanently move from Washington, that's when I parted company with them.

I just found one of my receipt books from when I was buying fur back in 1977. A lot of the guys names I see in it are now long gone, I see other names I vaguely remember. And then I see Marsee. It's good to see some of the guys are still at it.
Mark     

[wags]

BTW, I remember paying 44 cents a gallon for gas that winter. That would mean one muskrat on average would buy about 10 gallons of gas. In todays dollar that would make one muskrat worth about $37 each.
I miss those days.

[wags]

A side note. I see I used to write in cursive; don't think I remember how to do that very well today.

[Norman89]

That is just awesome, I love hearing about the fur boom days! This year untill the snow hits I shouldn't have a fuel cost thank God  been running my beaver wco line with my wood burner 

[buckcanyonlodge]

I trapped enough muskrats back then to fund my yearly Montana out of state license and hunting expenses. I remember getting $7.50 for xlg rats. Fur buyers would rent a conference room at the holiday Inn or other motel and all the local trappers would line up to sell their furs. Those were the days..

[Trapper John]

BTW, I remember paying 44 cents a gallon for gas that winter. That would mean one muskrat on average would buy about 10 gallons of gas. In todays dollar that would make one muskrat worth about $37 each.
I miss those days.

Oooooooooooh do I remember those days. 
I started driving in 1968-69 ...................... I think gas was something like 25 cents a gallon 

Look at todays prices of everything including the cost of a new pickup truck.  $50-70,000 for a Ford F-150
So at todays prices a gallon of gas cost $4.00 a gallon, if you get 15 mpg you need to collect "One Muskrat" every 15 miles just to pay for the fuel you used to go after it.
There's something to think about.
JC 

[Backstrap]

I trapped enough muskrats back then to fund my yearly Montana out of state license and hunting expenses. I remember getting $7.50 for xlg rats. Fur buyers would rent a conference room at the holiday Inn or other motel and all the local trappers would line up to sell their furs. Those were the days..

Yep, I remember it the same. HE Goldberg at the Holiday Inn. Jerry used to come by the house a few times a year as well.

[lewy]

It’s a hobby and a means to keeping a tradition alive at this point guys 

[Norman89]

BTW, I remember paying 44 cents a gallon for gas that winter. That would mean one muskrat on average would buy about 10 gallons of gas. In todays dollar that would make one muskrat worth about $37 each.
I miss those days.

Oooooooooooh do I remember those days. 
I started driving in 1968-69 ...................... I think gas was something like 25 cents a gallon 

Look at todays prices of everything including the cost of a new pickup truck.  $50-70,000 for a Ford F-150
So at todays prices a gallon of gas cost $4.00 a gallon, if you get 15 mpg you need to collect "One Muskrat" every 15 miles just to pay for the fuel you used to go after it.
There's something to think about.
JC

The fuel cost is definitely a killer, running my cat line in my V10 dodge at 9mpg..... The wood burner is doing awesome for the water line though, last tank 107.7 mpg with a Chevy v8 

[idaho guy]

if you assume an average inflation rate of 5% (inflation was sky high late 70s and 80"s) I did a very rough calculation and that would be close to 1900 bucks in todays dollars  The good ole days for sure!   

[NRA4LIFE]

Cool.  If you were buying rats in WI in '78 or so, some of them may have been mine or my brothers.  That's right when we were really trapping them hard along with raccoon because of the fur prices.

[Oh Mah]

Very nice.