For your consideration is this red Hudson's Bay Company, four-point trade wool blanket. This blanket, which shows the company tag and original construction, was made in England. This is a red wool blanket with two large stripes of black dye on both sides of the blanket. Although the Hudson's Bay Company didn't originate the point system for trade blankets, they popularized this system of quality identification. At first, one point equaled one beaver pelt. In the North American fur trade, by 1700, wool blankets accounted for more than 60 per cent of traded goods. French fur-trader Germain Maugenest is thought to have advised the HBC to introduce point blankets. By the early 1700s, the blankets represented more than half of the items traded for animal hides. Points are short black lines woven into the selvage of the blanket along the edge just above the bottom set of stripes. The point system was invented by French weavers in the mid-1700s since then, as now, blankets were shrunk as part of the manufacturing process. This wonderful blanket is in good condition with minimal wear noted. The measurements of this Hudson's Bay Trade blanket are 66"W x 88.5"L.