# $40,000.00 Blanket (Forty Thousand Dollars!)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 14, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227 "2008-05-14T01:00:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/1 "2008-05-14T01:00:37Z")
So I was looking for a small leather accessory this afternoon and thought I would check out Hermès ([http://www.hermes.com/](http://www.hermes.com/)). I wondered into their Toronto boutique and found some reasonably priced leather accessories, but then decided to explore what else they happened to have lying around. Thats when I saw a rather attractive blanket, which I promptly ran my hand through, only to discover what I can categorically say must be the softest fur I have ever had the pleasure of caressing. When I asked my salesperson the price, the expression in his face changed, as if, he was having tremendous difficulty uttering the figure without bursting out in laughter. Before telling me the amount, he went into a little story about how the animal is very rare (apparently it is a specially bred animal only found in France, and only sold in small quantities to French-owned companies as per their law). And then, he indeed confirmed that the price was forty thousand dollars. There was also a matching cushion, equally soft and lovely (but only half the size of a regular pillow) for $39,000.00
My question is, what might this animal have been? I believe the name started with an O…perhaps similar sounding to ‘urcourt’ or something like that, but I could have misheard. So far I’ve googled for rare french furs, as well as going through what I can find from Hermes catalogues, but I imagine its a rare item not really sold online.
So from what animal did this über-expensive fur originate?
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/2 "2008-05-14T01:18:45Z")
I wonder if he meant [vicuña](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicu%C3%B1a), which is not French, but is extremely expensive:
> [@](#):
>
> Current prices for vicuña yarns and fabrics can range from $1,800 to $3,000 per yard. Vicuña fiber can be used for apparel (such as socks, sweaters, accessories, shawls, coats, and suits) and home fashion (such as blankets and throws). A scarf costs around $1500 while a man’s coat can cost up to $20,000.
Extrapolating, a blanket could easily approach $40,000
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### Author:  [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/3 "2008-05-14T01:27:26Z")
Can you describe the blanket more thoroughly? Was it a blanket made of fur-on skins, or of spun fur or fiber? What color was it? How long was the fur? Was it very thick and dense, or thin and silky? Was it straight, wavy, or curly? Did the fur have any noticeable properties, other than being very soft, and priced at approximately half the value of my house?
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### Author:  [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/4 "2008-05-14T01:28:30Z")
I enjoyed reading about vicuña (and will continue to do so) but I believe the salesperson suggested that the animal exists only in France.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/5 "2008-05-14T01:31:32Z")
> **[Ocelot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocelot)**
>
> The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (15.7–19.7 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 7 and 15.5 kg (15.4 and 34.2 lb) on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Carl Linnaeus scientifically described it in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized.
> The ocelot is efficient at climbing, leaping and swimming. It prefers areas close to water so...
Not from France, but starts with O and ends in T like “urcourt”
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### Author:  [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/6 "2008-05-14T01:35:55Z")
[QUOTE=NajaNivea]
Can you describe the blanket more thoroughly? Was it a blanket made of fur-on skins, or of spun fur or fiber? What color was it? How long was the fur? Was it very thick and dense, or thin and silky? Was it straight, wavy, or curly? Did the fur have any noticeable properties, other than being very soft, and priced at approximately half the value of my house?
[/QUOTE]
As soon as I touched it, I was so overcome with the sensation that I ceased paying attention to any of my other senses, but I’ll try my best to remember as much as I can:
- the furs were quite long, I recall being able to immerse my entire hand in it
- I believe it had traditional Hermès colors (orange and white, with perhaps a few other tones thrown in) and presumably this coloration was artificial
- I did not notice any skin
- I’m reluctant to describe the natural density of the blanket as I don’t remember
- I _think_ the fur was ‘straight’
I appologize for being so vague, I think as soon as I learnt the price I took a few steps away from it so as to negate the possibility of damaging it in any way.
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### Author:  [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/7 "2008-05-14T01:51:39Z")
[QUOTE=xiix]
- the furs were quite long, I recall being able to immerse my entire hand in it
[/quote]
Do you think they were two cms long, or eight? Just an approximation.
> [@](#):
>
> - I believe it had traditional Hermès colors (orange and white, with perhaps a few other tones thrown in) and presumably this coloration was artificial
Was it dyed in a pattern?
> [@](#):
>
> - I did not notice any skin
But it was an actual [fur-on pelt](http://img.alibaba.com/photo/10574895/Fur_Pelts_MMink_Sable_Fox_Lynx_Beaver.jpg), it looked like _fur_, it wasn’t a [woven-fiber blanket](http://gauchogourmet.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/vicuna1Sml.jpg)?
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### Author:  [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/8 "2008-05-14T02:30:33Z")
["Another breed of rabbit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fur_farming) is the Orylag, which is farmed only in France. The Orylag is bred for fur and meat. They are slaughtered at ca. 20 weeks. It was genetically manipulated and developed by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA). The mortality rate for caged Orylag is 25 - 30%, mostly from respiratory disease."
That’s gotta be it. Scarcity, France, “Oh-something”. Takes a lot of little rabbit furs to make a blanket, and if the rabbit in question is both an artificially created breed and sickly, plus slaughtered at a young (small) age, then you’ve got even more scarcity driving up the price.
And just to confirm it, I google things like “agnona orylag” and find a few references to hysterically expensive Agnona throws using orylag fur and cashmere.
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### Author:  [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/9 "2008-05-14T02:42:52Z")
**Duck Duck Goose** just beat me to it. My research turned up [Orylag](http://www.orylag.com/version_anglaise/index.php) as the most likely candidate as well.
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### Author:  [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/10 "2008-05-14T02:50:09Z")
It looks like [they’re a variety of Rex](http://www.international.inra.fr/press/orylag_fur_and_rex_du_poitou), a common pet breed which are exquisitely plush. They feel like the softest velvet you could ever imagine. The price comes from the fact that it’s a very tightly controlled group of breeders who have registered their rabbits with a trademark. There’s a genetic difference, which they claim makes the fur even softer, which may be–I’ve never seen one. The photos on the website look like your basic [rex](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/174127493_5c09a9306d.jpg?v=0), to me.
If that looks about like the consistency, you were petting $40,000 worth of bunny.
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### Author:  [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/11 "2008-05-14T03:16:33Z")
Is anyone else even more curious as to what the “reasonably priced” Hermes leather accessories are?
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### Author:  [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/12 "2008-05-14T03:26:11Z")
I can say with some confidence, that I will never buy or even be given as a gift, a $40,000 blanket. This, alone among all things, I am certain of.
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### Author:  [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/13 "2008-05-14T05:11:36Z")
Last week someone bought $700 worth of cashmere yarn in Mrs Blather’s knitting store to make a baby blanket.
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### Author:  [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/14 "2008-05-14T05:59:36Z")
Great job **Duck Duck Goose** & **Projammer** , I have now confirmed (see below) that Orylag is definitely the correct animal.
[http://forum.purseblog.com/hermes-shopping/canadian-prices-209396-3.html](http://forum.purseblog.com/hermes-shopping/canadian-prices-209396-3.html)
According to the above link (on a purse forum) the item I found is described as an ‘Orylag fur Troika throw’. Also, it would appear that I may have been wrong about the pillow, which according to that post, is a bargain at only $3995 rather than $39,000. _However the blanket is indeed the price I had suggested._
**Eyebrows 0f Doom** : I guess I’m a little embarrassed to explicitly state what my conception of ‘reasonably priced’ leather accessories is (actually I was looking for a wallet, though I also found some nice watches that aren’t any more expensive than a common Tag Heuer piece) is, though I would qualify the statement by suggesting that the wallets simply fell in line with what I was expecting to pay at such a prestigious store.
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### Author:  [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/15 "2008-05-14T06:20:40Z")
Many years ago I put my hand on a real California sea otter pelt, and it was good in a way that made me want to stuff it down my pants and smoke a cigarette, and I thought ‘yeah, I can see how these were almost trapped into extinction.’
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### Author:  [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/16 "2008-05-14T07:07:15Z")
If you want really soft, silky (and ethical) fur, take a look and touch at New Zealand Possum fur. They are an introduced pest that damage trees, carry TB, and are in no way endangered. They have to be trapped with approved traps using cyanide, so no gin traps or other inhumane devices.
And their fur is so wonderfully soft. Google _Possum fur nipple warmers_ (but not at work 😉 )
Also, there is a merino wool/possum fur mix fabric which is warm and light and wonderful for socks and scarves and gloves - just pricey. It’s hard to get the fur off the possum - they resist vigorously. :smack:
And a Possum fur throw will only set you back NZD4500, which is cheap in most currencies (~£1500 I guess).
Si
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### Author:  [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/17 "2008-05-14T10:43:30Z")
[QUOTE=NajaNivea]
It looks like [they’re a variety of Rex](http://www.international.inra.fr/press/orylag_fur_and_rex_du_poitou), a common pet breed which are exquisitely plush. They feel like the softest velvet you could ever imagine. The price comes from the fact that it’s a very tightly controlled group of breeders who have registered their rabbits with a trademark. There’s a genetic difference, which they claim makes the fur even softer, which may be–I’ve never seen one. The photos on the website look like your basic [rex](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/174127493_5c09a9306d.jpg?v=0), to me.
If that looks about like the consistency, you were petting $40,000 worth of bunny.
[/QUOTE]
You can drive the price especially high if your salespeople describe it as an _animal_ rather than as a _rabbit_.
“This meat is harvested from an [animal](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1a/Red-angus.jpg) specially created, through thousands of years of selective breeding by artisans in the Near East and Europe, for superior taste and tenderness.”
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/18 "2008-05-14T11:00:43Z")
[QUOTE=si\_blakely]
They have to be trapped with approved traps using cyanide, so no gin traps or other inhumane devices.
[/QUOTE]
My town’s full of gin traps, but they focus on catching humans with beer and wine.
(What’s a gin trap?)
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### Author:  [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/19 "2008-05-14T11:12:53Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth]
(What’s a gin trap?)
[/QUOTE]
Something that looks like one of [these](http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyspatch/gintraps.htm). A small version of a bear/man trap. A pretty inhumane way to catch the critters. Some fruit laced with cyanide paste in a plastic trap is more humane and damages the pelt less.
Si
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### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2008, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-000-00-blanket-forty-thousand-dollars/449227/20 "2008-05-14T12:50:41Z")
[QUOTE=xiix]
I…decided to explore what else they happened to have lying around. …When I asked my salesperson the price…
[/QUOTE]
There is an Hermes store less than a mile from my home. I have learned two things there:
1. They do not have things “lying around.” They have “merchandise in exquisite repose.”
2. If you have to ask the price, etc., etc., etc.
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