Possum fur

This article covers the Possumfell, the fur of the originally lived in Australia common brushtail possum , (colloquially there also called Possum) for the North American opossum see → opossum .

Coat made of New Zealand possum fur, sheared, dyed, crocodile-embossed and velouted leather side (2002)

Possumfell is the fur of the common brushtail possum , even Possum called. This most important and valuable marsupial for the fur industry in Australia and New Zealand is a tree animal about the size of a marten. The fur of the possum is processed into clothing and fur blankets , and the hair has been commercially spun into wool since the beginning of this millennium.

The yellow-gray variety of the possum fur was formerly known in the trade as the Australian opossum , the brown variety as the Tasmanian opossum . According to the current main occurrence and today's zoological name, it is only referred to as New Zealand possum , or better still New Zealand possum , according to the country of origin (regardless of the color) , since the English name Possum is now used for the animal instead of possum. This means it can no longer be confused linguistically with America's vastly different-looking opossum.

The fur of the ring-tailed climbing poison , known as ringtail or ringtail possum (the largest were initially traded as "rock opossums") was rarely in the trade, the animal is now protected.

General, history

Cape from Possum fur of the Australian Wurundjeri (painted leather side)

The fox kusu was hunted even before the Europeans came to Australia. Not only the meat, which was disgusting for us because of its smell, was consumed as a delicacy by the residents, they made a throw from the fur, which was worn a lot. Marn Grook was the name of a Wurundjeri game in which the ball was made of possum fur. The populations were hardly threatened by indigenous use. However, when fur became more and more fashionable in the course of the 1870s and exports reached millions, closed seasons were introduced or the kusu was temporarily placed under protection. In addition to being used for fur linings , trimmings, fur ties , fur hats and sleeves , the skins were processed into men's furs around 1900, especially in Russia . Men's collars were preferably made from the possum tails.

Until the 1990s, the natural gray possums were traded as Australian possums, the natural brown ones as Tasmanian possums. In the last few decades, however, practically no Australian possums came onto the market, almost the entire supply came from New Zealand from animals originally imported from Tasmania. Until the end of the 20th century, possum skins came onto the world market mainly through auctions, today they are usually traded over the counter. Collectors buy the skins from the hunters and then pass them on to international wholesalers in a pre-sorted state.

In New Zealand, the animal is now considered a pest because of its massive occurrence and the damage it causes, for example in agriculture and gardens. Because of the hunting that is carried out for this reason, possum fur is produced in large quantities, and hunting was even subsidized by the state at times. Up until around 2005/2006, sales opportunities for the skins that were not in sufficient demand were therefore constantly being sought, then deliveries suddenly stopped, and since the end of 2007 the article has been on offer again on a smaller scale and at increased prices. The reason is, possum hair is now spun into special yarns, the price for the wool is apparently so high that the effort for sorting out and re-sorting the fur-suitable pelts is no longer profitable, or it is only possible to a small extent on the fur market, to achieve a more attractive price for the collectors.

Towards the end of the 19th century until after the First World War , soft possum fur was a preferred fur material for men, especially as a shawl collar on furs and for sports jackets.The tobacco shop Jury Fränkel (1899-1971) remembered that around 1910 on the train ride to the fur fair cold Siberian Irbit the travelers had a so-called Dochá with them, a riding fur , usually a foal coat , which was lined with Australian opossum. In 1902, the last novelty for men was a sport paletot made of seal skin , with short, black, shiny hair, lined with fabric and trimmings from opossum-australienne , and if desired also the gaiters . In 1914 a specialist book recommended the incomparably light fur as the most rewarding travel suit for practical men. As a trim on the cap and collar, he dresses blonde women excellently . In the western United States, around 1936, men's jackets were manufactured that were also lined with lambskin. They were worn for hunting and when working outdoors.

In the second half of the 20th century, in addition to similarly worked fur materials, posum fur mixed with leather strips was particularly en vogue in Germany. The elaborate sewing work was mostly done in low-wage countries such as Korea. Mainly worn with the leather side facing outwards, this resulted in particularly light and yet warm women's winter coats or jackets, which were sold in considerable numbers. In many cases, special ornaments were created with colored or metallic-coated leather strips. The pattern, however, remained very characteristic, at some point the fashion-conscious customer was apparently tired of it and the possum fur was largely forgotten.

Compared to the main article in fur fashion, mink, Possum is currently only processed in very small quantities in and for Europe. Most recently, important import countries for the fur were Korea and China (as of 2014). Some German furriers have discovered sheared, napped possum jackets, especially for men, as a market niche. In the case of fur blankets, however , Possum traditionally has a high market share due to its high-quality appearance and pleasantly soft hair, and compared to other long-haired pelts it has little tendency to shed.

The durability coefficient for the possum fur is given as 50 to 60 percent, for the 30 to 40 percent traded via Adelaide at the time ; 40 to 50 percent of the fur that was once commercially available as a ringtail (opossum). The soft, slightly frizzy hair tends to become matted in areas exposed to the stress. When the fur types are divided into the hair fineness classes silky, fine, medium-fine, coarse and hard, the possum hair is classified as medium-fine.

• Clothing with possum fur
• 

  Men's trim on a dressing gown
  (Poland 1820)

• 

  Covering a stole
  (Germany 1849)

• 

  Gentleman with Trim and Cuffs
  (England 1872)

• 

  Muff, cuffs and collar
  (Germany 1915)

• 

  Men's vest
  (Germany 2005)

Characteristics of the fur of different species of possum

• 

  New Zealand possum fur ("Australian opossum")

• 

  New Zealand possum fur ("Tasmanian opossum")

• 

  Ringtail-Possumfell (zoologically wandering ringlet-tailed pouch)

• The fur of the common brushtail is about 32 to 58 centimeters long, the hairy tail 24 to 35 centimeters. The hair is extraordinarily soft, the upper hair is very fine, slightly curled, very dense and only a little longer than the undercoat. The color is blue-brown to brown with a pale red shimmer. The dewlap is light yellow ocher, the tip of the tail is black.
• The Tasmanian Possum or Dunkler Fuchskusu , Dunkles Possum, Black Tasmanian Possum is a characteristic subspecies with a partially blackish grunt (back coloration).
• The Hundskusu or Bobak ( Bobuck ) has a gray-black grunt and an underside of the same color as the rest of the back fur.

• The common ring bagler , fur name Ringtail , Ringtail-Possum , is zoologically close to the Possum (not to be confused with the fur of the cat frett, which was previously also traded as a Ringtail, see Bassarisk fur ). It lives in different subspecies in Australia. The fur is 19 to 45 centimeters long, the hairless prehensile tail 17 to 35 centimeters. The ears are short; The hallmarks are the white tufts of ears and the white tip of the tail. The hair is short, fine and dense. The color is light gray, dark gray or black-brown, often with a dark eel line, the dewlap is white-gray-yellow. The best varieties are intensely "blue" (= technically speaking for bluish dark). Light “blue” skins were sometimes sold as Sydney's . Usually the skins were sorted into the possum parts.

Like all possums living in Australia, the species is strictly protected today.

trade

Possum skins were first delivered after 1860. Between 1860 and 1870 only a few tens of thousands of skins were offered. That rose to 4 million by 1906 and decreased to 1.5 million by 1950. In 1988 there were practically no Tasmanian skins left on the market. Jury Fränkel ’s tobacco products handbook from 1988 names the Australian possum as strictly protected , but notes that “hardly any fur from Australia is offered anymore. This also applies to the Tasmanian possums ”. Australian possums may be caught with an exemption from the Park and Wildlife Service, the IUCN lists some species as not endangered (least concern), others as potentially endangered (near threatened) in 2000.

Australia

Women's car fur from Australian possum (Paris 1902)

The distribution of the fox kusu extends mainly to the eastern half of its home continent, i.e. to the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and also to the island of Tasmania. The size of the distribution area with its different climatic and landscape differences has also produced differences in the formation and structure of the coat. The better varieties come from the south, the colder part of the continent, mainly from Victoria and Tasmania, while the north (between 10 and 20 degrees north latitude) produces smaller and flat skins. However, these are still soft and dense in the hair with the curly outer hair typical of the Australian possum.

There are considerable differences in color between the individual origins. There are many transitions between the particularly dark, blue-gray to red to black-brown Tasmanian possum, the mostly blue-gray mountain or mountain possum from Victoria and the gray-red from New South Wales, not only in the back coloration, but also in the light tones of the ocher to whitish-yellow Dewlap and the light to dark gray, often reddish shimmering head.

According to the original traditions , the following qualities of the Australian possum were distinguished:

• Queensland (Brisbane)

About four inches long, almost the size of Sydney's. Mostly softer and more irregular hair. Blue-gray to yellowish, a little greener than Sydney's. The skins are coarse, the upper hair slightly curled.

Northern (Cape around Port Darwin)

Weakest variety; mostly yellowish to reddish. The upper hair is slightly curled.

Headquarters

Medium-sized; bluish, partly yellowish; some skins have faint white rings around their tails. The fur is a bit woolly because the hair is a bit closer together. Called "Yappi" by the inhabitants.

Southern (Hundskusu)

Medium-sized; mostly good colored. Similar to Sydney. The best are from Queensland. The skins from South Queensland and New South Wales have short ears.

• New South Wales (as Sydney's in trade)

About 35 inches long. Somewhat short-haired, not very smoke, but good in shine. Blue-gray, bluish to yellowish and also greenish, on the head and back partly reddish, dewlap yellowish with a reddish shimmer.

Sydney's were once the most vulnerable possums of all origins.

• Victoria (Melbourne), commercially as Victorias

Little smaller than Tasmanian, squat. Predominantly blue-gray. Partly dark with a yellow-silver tip (greenish shimmer), particularly long tail, bushy. The best quality.

Regular Victorias (Melbourne)

Large. Less appealing in color. Similar to those from southern Queensland and Sydney.

Rivers

Almost black-gray, with silver tips, numerous shades of color.

Mountains (mountain possum)

Dark blue-gray, dewlap whitish.

In the case of the Victorias, the loss of raw-burned (soaked) skins was up to 40 percent, occasionally even more.

• South Australia (Adelaide)

Fuller and stockier hair, better than westerners, less fluttering. Mostly blue-gray chinchilla- colored, dark awns, light pure-colored dewlaps.

• Western Australia (Perth)

About 30 to 35 centimeters long, smaller than the other varieties. Very fine, undercoat not very dense, upper hair fluttering, flatter, silky. Silver-gray to bluish (finest nuances), occasionally chinchilla-like, sometimes reddish (Secunda-Ware), weakly interspersed with individual weak hairs. Tails not cut open, the leather facing outwards. The skins from the mountain regions (Western Rocks) are of better quality.

• Kangaroo Island (near Adelaide)

Similar in character and color to the Adelaides.

Tasmania

Tasmanian possum fur length up to over 70 centimeters. Very large, smoky, woolly, dense and fully developed. Mostly dark reddish brown, but also gray and particularly dark. Sometimes less pure color. The gray varieties were sold as gray Tasmanian , the dark (often black-brown) sometimes as brown Tasmanian .

A distinction was made in trade

Blues = blue. The best variety, the "bluer", the more valuable the fur.

Pales = light, pale. Slightly reddish, but with a bluish tinge.

Reds (Redheads, Rednecks) = red-headed, with a distinction between light and strong reddish. However, only the head and neck are red, the rest of the color is normal.

Rusty (plural: Rusties) = rust-colored, i.e. the awn has a rust-colored, reddish-brown shimmer. Mostly afflicted with fat.

Spotty (plural: Spotties) = spotty.

qualities

I and II: slightly rubbed, III: heavily rubbed = rumpers, IV: lowest quality.

New Zealand

Plaid made from natural gray New Zealand possum fur

• Color sample cards New Zealand Possum
• 
• 

Starting around 1860, Tasmanian possums were abandoned in New Zealand for fur production. In 1939 they multiplied so much that they were declared a national plague as an agricultural pest. Since then, intensive hunting has been used to get control of the animals that also transmit bovine tuberculosis . In the 1980s the population was estimated at 60 to 70 million animals, but control measures reduced the estimated population to 30 million by 2008.

The skins are a little smaller and softer in the skin than the Tasmanian ones, but not as stocky. A distinction is made between the attack in the north, where most of the pelts come from, and southern pelts. The former are gray (dark), sometimes almost black. The pelts of the southern islands (southerleys) are heavier than those of the northern islands. Northern ones are silky, southern somewhat coarser (stocky).

The breeding of the possum is hardly worthwhile, it is laborious, the animals only give birth once (or twice) a year, usually only one young, rarely twins. In 1981, however, a few hundred sample skins from a so-called cage finishing on a New Zealand farm in London came onto the market for the first time. Due to good husbandry and controlled feeding, the skins of wild-caught animals were of particularly high quality, larger than usual, thickly haired, very pure in color and the leather white. Farm breeding, which began around 1980, had also established itself after initial difficulties (around 20,000 skins before 1988). Both should be outdated because of the reasons mentioned for possums and the meanwhile very low price for the skins.

Only skins from the two winter months of June and July are suitable for fur purposes. Furs that arise in the other months usually have offspring (undergrowth) in the hair, which are also visible as dark areas on the leather side. The raw hides are cut open and delivered in sheet form.

Most of the skins are traded over the counter or via auctions ( Dunedin ) in the country:

Qualities : I, II, III, Inferior, damaged

Sizes : XL = exlarge over 60 centimeters, L = large 50 to 60 centimeters, M = medium 46 to 50 centimeters, S = small 38 to 46 cm (all measured from the ears to the base of the tail).

Colors : gray, medium gray, pale, dark brown, red brown, black, dark and gray slate (darker and gray brown), fawn (deer colored).

As Rednecks gray skins with red neck and reddish undercoat are called. Weevilly are more pest damaged varieties.

Basically Bush Ltd. specified as follows (status approx. 2011):

Qualities : I = dense, even fur, good gloss, 90 to 100 percent usable area in the core area. II = denser, weaker to even fur, slightly less shiny, 75 to 90 percent usable core area. III = sparse fur, uneven, 60 to 75 percent usable core area.

Sizes : Xtra large = at least 56 centimeters, Large = at least 51 centimeters, Medium = at least 43 centimeters.

Processing, use

Advertisement from the company Pulver Frères, Paris 1912: 2.70 meter long possum scarf and muff made of exuberant possum fur

In times of long-haired fur fashion, possum fur is a popular trim material, in the past mainly for men's collars. It is cheaper than other types of long-haired fur such as noble fox fur . Because of its softness and good warmth, it is ideally suited for lining textile coats and jackets, and it is also a preferred material for fur blankets.

Around the 1960s, galonizing of possum skins began in large quantities . In this working technique, the skins are cut into narrow strips, between which an equally narrow strip (galon) is sewn, usually made of light leather. Usually this is done in a herringbone or feather pattern, which is why the term "feathers" is common for this.

Possumfell is characterized by the fact that there are annoying offspring areas between the normal-growing hair almost all year round, usually recognizable as dark areas also from the leather side. In addition, the leather often shows minor or major damage. When opening these areas are removed by the furrier . Due to the cutting into narrow strips during galoning, these seams are hardly noticeable in the fur with the leather side facing outwards, heavily sewn areas can even be omitted. For jackets or coats made from whole skins, napped or velvety, skins with repair seams are largely unusable. Around the end of the 1980s, such large amounts of possum pelts had accumulated that it was possible to sort out a sufficient number of flawless pelts that were suitable for such processing. To date, in relatively small numbers, often as men's jackets, possum jackets with the leather on the outside are often additionally sheared in German retail.

By working technique of discharging himself skins can be processed at the expense of width to longer narrow strip, this is in addition to other types of fur that Possumfell (see pictures, models "Écharpe" and "Traviata").

In 1965, the fur consumption for a fur board (so-called coat “body” ) with a length of 112 centimeters with 45 to 50 pelts was specified for a possum coat . A board with a length of 112 centimeters and an average width of 150 centimeters and an additional sleeve section was used as the basis. This corresponds roughly to a fur material for a slightly exhibited coat of clothing size 46 from 2014. The maximum and minimum fur numbers can result from the different sizes of the sexes of the animals, the age groups and their origin. Depending on the type of fur, the three factors have different effects.

As with almost all types of fur, the possum also uses the parts of the fur that fall off during processing. The main place for the recycling of the fur residues in Europe is Kastoria in Greece and the smaller town Siatista, which is nearby . The semi-finished products manufactured there are then further processed, mainly into inner linings.

After the velvet-like sheared or plucked furs came back into fashion, the possum fur was also sheared. The recommended shear height for Possum is around 12 to 14 millimeters. Mainly the skins are used in their natural colors. Preferred artificial colors for possum were shades of brown and blue and gold (bleached). Today, fur finishing is able to produce almost any color shade desired by the textile industry to match the fabrics.

Numbers and facts

Traviata model . Elegant coat with wide, hollow patches, 135 cm long. Natural blue Australian opossum with skunk-colored raccoon M. 1,650 .-- ( C. A. Herpich , Berlin 1910)

• At the beginning of the 1860s the annual production of Australian possum was 30,000 skins worth 30,000 thalers.
• Until the 1870s , the import of possum skins to the London auctions was only a few tens of thousands. Other authors give the 1871/72 season as the first London auction date .
• In 1876 583,000 possum skins were sold at the London auctions.
• In 1881 1,490,000 possum skins came to the London auctions.
• In 1890 583,000 possum skins came to the London auctions.
• In 1910 the fluctuating value of Australian possum skins was around 3 marks for the quality Prima and Seconda, in 1924 it was 10 to 20 English shillings per piece. The so-called Tasmanian opossums were much more valuable; the fur of the black possum achieved at least 12 to 20 marks. Ringtail possums achieved 6 pence to 1 shilling with a total of 40,000 of all types.
• Before 1925 , about 600,000 skins of all ringtail possum varieties were sold annually, at a price of 3 to 5 shillings each, rock opossum cost about 10 to 12 shillings.

The skins of the possum species living on the islands north of Australia, from the Bismarck Archipelago to the Moluccas and Celebes, "some of which have very beautifully drawn fur", were not on the market until then.

• Before 1944 the maximum price for well-colored possum skins was RM 41, for dyed RM 20. For natural-colored, well-colored Tasmanian possums 42 RM. For natural-colored or colored ring tail possums, the good 5, - RM, medium 3, - RM, food bars 160, - RM.
• In 1979 the annual incidence of New Zealand possum skins was about 6 million, of which about 60 percent were gray ("grays") and 40 percent brown ("darks").
• Before 1988 , the annual incidence of New Zealand possum fur was around 2.5 million, of which half were gray ("Grays") and half brown ("Darks").
• In 2012 , according to the Possum fur trader and former Possum hunter Jace McLean, one kilogram of Possum fur achieved around 100 New Zealand dollars (just under 62 euros). The skins were mainly used for hair recycling, together with merino wool for spinning into high-quality wool. Mc Lean also had golf gloves made from the possum leather.

annotation

1. ↑ The specified comparative values ​​( coefficients ) are the result of comparative tests by furriers and tobacco shops with regard to the degree of apparent wear and tear. The figures are not unambiguous; in addition to the subjective observations of durability in practice, there are also influences from fur dressing and fur finishing as well as numerous other factors in each individual case . More precise information could only be determined on a scientific basis. The division was made in steps of 10 percent each. The most durable types of fur according to practical experience were set to 100 percent.

See also

Commons : Australian, Tasmanian, and New Zealand possum skins  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

Commons : Australian, Tasmanian and New Zealand opossum skin apparel  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : Possum skin processing  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• fur
• Furrier
• Other types of fur

supporting documents

1. ↑ ^{a b} Unspecified by the author: Hunt for possums in New Zealand - marsupial plague is fueling the fur industry. In: Focus online , May 7, 2012. Last accessed July 10, 2014.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Emil Brass : From the realm of fur . 2nd improved edition, publisher of the "Neue Pelzwaren-Zeitung and Kürschner-Zeitung", Berlin 1925, pp. 768–772.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Fritz Schmidt : The book of the fur animals and fur . FC Mayer Verlag, Munich 1970, pp. 49-53.
4. ↑ ^{a b} Friedrich Lorenz: Rauchwarenkunde , 4th edition. Volk und Wissen, Berlin 1958, pp. 32–33.
5. ^ Jury Fränkel: One-way street - report of a life , first part. Rifra Verlag, Murrhardt, 1971, p. 33.
6. ↑ Anna Municchi: The man in the fur coat . Zanfi Editori, Modena 1988, p. 32. ISBN 88-85168-18-3 .
7. ^ H. Werner: The furrier art . Publishing house Bernh. Friedr. Voigt, Leipzig 1914, p. 100.
8. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} "CL": Commercial assortments of the Australian opossum . In: Der Rauchwarenmarkt No. 45, Leipzig, November 6, 1936, p. 5.
9. ↑ Paul Schöps; H. Brauckhoff, Stuttgart; K. Häse, Leipzig, Richard König , Frankfurt / Main; W. Straube-Daiber, Stuttgart: The durability coefficients of fur skins . In: Das Pelzgewerbe , Volume XV, New Series, 1964, No. 2, Hermelin Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Berlin, Frankfurt / Main, Leipzig, Vienna, pp. 56–58.
10. ↑ Paul Schöps, Kurt Häse: The fineness of the hair - the fineness classes . In: Das Pelzgewerbe Vol. VI / New Series, 1955 No. 2, Hermelin-Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Leipzig, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, pp. 39–40 (Note: fine (partly silky); medium-fine (partly fine); coarse (medium-fine to coarse)).
11. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Christian Franke / Johanna Kroll: Jury Fränkel ´s Rauchwaren-Handbuch 1988/89 . 10. revised and supplemented new edition, Rifra-Verlag Murrhardt, pp. 231–234.
12. ↑ ^{a b} Alexander Tuma: Pelz-Lexikon. Fur and rough goods. XX. Tape. Verlag Alexander Tuma, Vienna 1950. Keyword “Opossum, austr.”.
13. ↑ ^{a b} Basically Bush Ltd., Opotiki, New Zealand: Luxurious New Zealand Possum Fur & Leather (company catalog with Possum fur color samples). Approx. 2011. Possumfell color samples from the company .
14. ↑ The New Zealand Herald: NZ possum population halved since 1980s ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . November 26, 2009 (English) Last accessed July 12, 2014. 
15. ↑ Without an author's name: Making History. The First Ranched New Zealand Opossum arrive in London . In: Fur Review November 1981, Fur Review Publishing Co. London, p. 12 (English) (The skins could be viewed at Kevork Allallemdjian, Garlick Hill ).
16. ^ With the collaboration of Richard König : Australian Opossum . In: Der Rauchwarenmarkt 11/12 of March 12, 1943, pp. 3-4.
17. ↑ Paul Schöps u. a .: The material requirements for fur clothing . In: Das Pelzgewerbe Vol. XVI / New Series 1965 No. 1, Hermelin-Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Berlin a. a., pp. 7-12. Note: The information for a body was only made to make the types of fur easier to compare. In fact, bodies were only made for small (up to about muskrat size ) and common types of fur, and also for pieces of fur . The following dimensions for a coat body were taken as a basis: body = height 112 cm, width below 160 cm, width above 140 cm, sleeves = 60 × 140 cm.
18. ↑ Jochen Sager: Troubles . In: Die Pelzwirtschaft 11/1989, CB-Verlag Carl Boldt, December 5, 1989, p. 4.
19. ^ Heinrich Lomer : The smoke goods trade . Leipzig 1864 (complete edition). Last accessed July 10, 2014
20. ^ Heinrich Lomer: The smoke goods trade . Leipzig 1864 (only page 51: Annual total fur production).
21. ^ Franz Weiss (Leipzig tobacco shop): Australian tobacco products. In: Rauchwarenkunde - Eleven lectures from the goods science of the fur trade . Verlag der Rauchwarenmarkt, Leipzig 1931, pp. 129, 133-138.
22. ^ Friedrich Malm, August Dietzsch: The art of the furrier. Fachbuchverlag Leipzig 1951, pp. 52–53.