Oriental rugs are different than almost any other collectible. While most items are not considered antiques until they reach 100 years old, an Oriental rug qualifies as an antique in half that time – 50 years. Oriental rugs also differ in that the rug market officially recognizes a class of Oriental rug called semi-antique. This means any Oriental rug between the ages of 10 and 50 years. Any rugs under 10 years of age are considered new. This doesn’t mean that new Oriental rugs are not desirable. Many of them are worth quite a bit of money depending on country of origin, whether or not its hand made and the material used, such as wool or silk.
However, you will find the most money is in antique rugs. Very old quality Oriental rugs can bring really big bucks at auction. At Christie’s in New York in 2008, a circa 1600 silk Isfahan Rug from Central Persia sold for four million four hundred and fifty thouand dollars. The rug was seven feet seven inches by five feet five inches. The pre-auction estimate was a mere two million dollars.
Gee, I wonder how much this rug cost back in 1600.
9/21/2011 by Anne Benedetto
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