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made beaver

Fur Trade, Hist.

DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.

1n.

a unit of exchange equilent to the value of one prime beaver pelt, used in buying furs and bartering provisions, more usually referred to be trappers as a skin (def. 1).

See: beaver(def. 4),beaver skin(def. 2),marten(def. 2b),M.B.,MBeaver,plu(def. 1),skin,MB

Quotations

1723

. . . I understand their last year's trade did not exceed 12,000 skins everything made beaver. . . .

1830

Poitras, a Chipewyan half-breed, arrived, and delivered 81 made beavers in prime furs, though he says he has been sickly all winter.

1965

Although the "made beaver" . . . has been replaced by dollars and cents, the language of trade is still Cree.

2n.

one of the coins or tokens constituting beaver currency.

See: beaver(def. 5a)

Quotations

1896

Thus, an Indian having brought in a parcel of furs was told that they amounted to so many "made beaver." Soon it was found more convenient to have a token which should represent the "made beaver."

1928

Later brass discs were substituted for convenience, values as low as "1/4 Made-Beaver" being issued.

1965

Foxes were valued and an equivalent amount in "Made Beaver" or shiny round HBC tokens was spread out on the counter.