So you have some beautiful fur and you put 'em up well.
Here's an insight how the large Canadian auction houses grade your fur. All fur going to these auction houses get graded this way.
There are 4 areas graders look for...defects (damages/imperfections), size (dried to correct size and not over stretched), weight (this means, is the fur prime, flat, semi and so on), and color (this means, is the fur dark, extra dark, pale, extra pale and so on).
So if you think you did a good put-job and your fur is good color and well handled...this is where you get graded hardest. Or if'n you are selling to a local buyer, he, in turn is more than likely shipping to Canada at the end of the season. If your fur is not handled well the local buyer will downgrade your fur because he knows he will be downgrade when reselling.
GRADES
(except Muskrats - see further down)
IPTII Fully prime, above average in quality, texture and pelt preparation. No defects.
I & II Prime pelt of above average quality and texture.
Good II Slightly early pelt with well finished guard hair but lacking underfur.
II Early or late pelt with incomplete guard hair and lacking underfur.
III Very early or late pelt with poor finish, little or no underfur, dark coloured leather.
IV & V Inferior pelt of little or no commercial value.
DEFECTS
Good Slight (GD SLT) Good quality with small imperfections.
Slight damaged (SLT DGD) Average quality with small imperfections.
Good damaged (GD DGD) Good quality with large imperfections.
Regular damaged (REG DGD) Average quality with large imperfections.
Badly damaged (BDLY DGD) Extensive damage, little or no value.
Tainted Area of pelt has rotted, little or no value.
SIZES
XXXL
Largest size, Jumbo 0
XXL
Extra, extra large 1
XL
Extra large 2
L
Large 3
LM
Large medium 4
M
Medium 5
S
Small 6
XS
Extra small 7
ABBREVIATIONS
GD: Good ORD: Ordinary
SLT: Slight DGD: Damaged
BDLY: Badly PT: Part
RBD: Rubbed STND: Stained
GRSY: Greasy HVY: Heavy
S: Singed SH: Straight Hair
LT: Light ASST: Assorted
RR: Red Rim DK: Dark
BR: Brown T/S: Ticks and Scars
WEIGHTS
Beaver
Raccoon
Red Fox
Marten (Sable)
Heavy prime, very dense underfur, shearable long nap length, deep underfur long nap, deep underfur deep, thick underfur
Semi dense underfur, suitable for short shear medium nap length, medium underfur medium nap length, medium underfur medium density or underfur
Light or Flat lacks underfur, not recommended for shearing coat, short nap short nap, low underfur low density or underfur
COLOUR
A denotes the most desirable colour through D, least desirable,
except beaver where D denotes pale.
X preceding a letter indicates Extra ie. X-A=Extra Dark, X-D=Extra Pale
Some additional descriptive terminology may be used to denote unusual colouration.
Colour
Beaver
Raccoon
Coyote
Red Fox
Mink/
Otter
Lynx/
Bobcat
Fisher
Eastern (A,B,C)
Western (XXPale to ORD)
A - D Colour of Back
1 - 4
Colour of belly
Colour
Clarity:
1 - 3
A clear, very dark, natural colour XXPALE: double extra pale bright, silvery, clear underfur extra pale 1: clear, white belly deep, dark rich red clear, very dark bright white belly XPALE: extra pale 1: clear
B dark, slightly brownish XPALE: extra pale slightly yellow or brownish pale 2: slight off belly medium dark red dark, dark brown narrower belly, slightly brownish PALE 2: slight off/casty underfur
C brown to red over all PALE yellow to brown yellowish cast 3: off belly pale red brown narrow belly, noticeable brown red band LT BRN: Light brown 3: off/
reddish underfur
D ORD: ordinary/ reddish brown dark yellow to brown or orange tawney 4: very off (brown) belly very pale to yellow pale very narrow or red belly BRN: brown
XD extra pale DK: Dark
MUSKRAT GRADES
Heavy (HVY) Thick underfur and guard hair, heavy leather
Semi Thick underfur and guard hair, semi heavy leather
Fall Dry leather, poor fur quality
Light Light leather
Papery Ordinary quality
XSmall or
Kitts & Mice Immature muskrat, underdeveloped guard hair and extremely light leather.
Shedders Past prime, losing hair on kidney area
Damages Varying degrees of damage from slight through bad damaged
