Excerpt from the report Summary: The purposes of this study are: (1) to show the extent and nature of Washington Delicious apple price variations, and (2) to indicate the size of the total marketing margin for Washington Delicious apples and its allocation to the various marketing agencies. Retail prices, auction prices, and marketing margins are presented for Washington Delicious apples sold through auction in Chicago and New York City. Retail prices averaged higher in Chicago than New York City 4 of the 5 seasons studied, but auction prices were higher in New York City during 4 of the 5 seasons. Retail and auction price movements in the 2 markets were in the same direction but usually not in the same amounts. Seasonal prices were closely related (inversely) to the annual production of apples, particularly Washington Delicious. As a consequence of wide variations in production between seasons, prices between seasons varied considerably. Prices over a season, however, tended to be relatively stable at a level determined by the volume of production and other factors.