Bakhtiari Carpet, ca. 1910
GUEST:
I saw this at a yard sale, and it's about the right size for the dining room so I purchased it.
APPRAISER:
Great. How much was it?
GUEST:
At the yard sale it was $30.
APPRAISER:
$30.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And you're sure that was a safe purchase?
GUEST:
(chuckles) Well, I had thought about it a little bit.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. Now, you took it in to get some cleaning and repair done.
GUEST:
Yes, we took it in to have it cleaned, and then they did a whip stitch on the end for a little bit of repair.
APPRAISER:
And, uh, they apparently made you an offer at that time...?
GUEST:
Yes, they did.
APPRAISER:
What did they offer you?
GUEST:
$10,000.
APPRAISER:
$10,000. And you didn't take it.
GUEST:
No, I was more interested in, you know, having a rug and having something that was very desirable.
APPRAISER:
And you told me earlier that they called it a Bibikabad.
GUEST:
They said it was from Persia...
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
And a Bibikabad.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. Well it's actually a Bakhtiari carpet, and these people were originally nomadic and they wove for their utilitarian purposes. And at the turn of the 20th century, they started weaving as a cottage industry and so the style of rug that they made changed completely. They went from making small rugs for their own purposes to making large carpets for the export market. They went from weaving on a woolen foundation to weaving on a cotton foundation. What I find most charming about these particular carpets is that they attempted to do a refined, formal design, but it still had their nomadic asymmetry which we love in rugs. For example, if you look at the little random flower heads and devices in the field here, you'll notice that on this side there are a certain number and over here there are completely different shapes and organized in a different manner. There were three or four women sitting side by side weaving this rug, and they weren't paying attention to exactly what the other one was doing. So because they weren't following a diagram, they were doing this design freehand, so you have those wonderful differences from one side to the other. Additionally, you have changes in the dye lot, where they go from one shade of blue to another, which is called "abrash." It has beautiful natural dyes. There are no synthetic dyes in the rug at all. The green is a wonderful natural green. The yellow is a good strong natural yellow. I would date it to be around 1910, and the condition overall is very even. As far as the value, um, I think that they made you a very strong offer. If we were selling it in our gallery, it would probably sell in the $10,000 to $12,000 range. So it isn't as if you were turning down a phenomenal offer, but you were turning down a very good offer. Thank you so much for bringing it in.
GUEST:
Okay, thank you.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
