How Can You Tell If Your Rug Is Valuable?
I get this question quite a bit.
Usually it starts with something like:
“My grandmother gave me this rug…”
And right away I know where we're going.
There is always the possibility that Grandma left you a wonderful old Persian rug worth a considerable amount of money.
There is also the possibility that Grandma bought it at a department store in 1963 because she liked the colours.
Both rugs may be old. Only one may have much monetary value.
That’s what makes this question harder than it sounds.
Old Doesn't Necessarily Mean Valuable
Age helps, but it doesn't settle anything.
A rug can have been in your family for three or four generations and still be a machine-woven rug that originally came from England, Belgium or another large rug-manufacturing country.
Some of those were extremely well made. They can be attractive, durable rugs and certainly worth owning.
They just aren't necessarily valuable in the sense people usually mean when they ask me the question.
On the other hand, an older handmade rug may be something considerably more interesting.
So when somebody tells me, “This rug belonged to my great-grandmother,” I want to know that.
The history matters.
I just don't stop there.
The Back of the Rug Tells Me a Lot
If you want me to have a look at your rug, one photograph matters more than almost anything else:
Turn over a corner and take a clear picture of the back.
Ideally, give me about a six-inch-by-six-inch area and make sure I can see both the end and the side of the rug.
And please make it in focus.
You would be surprised how many potentially valuable rugs have apparently been photographed during earthquakes.
From that little section of the back, I can often see how the rug was made, how the sides and ends were finished and whether we're looking at hand construction or machine construction.
The front of the rug is obviously important too, but the back frequently gives away things the front doesn't.
Show Me the Whole Rug If You Can
A picture of the entire rug is very helpful.
It lets me see the overall design, proportions, borders and pattern.
If you can't open the entire rug, don't rearrange the house and risk a hernia just for me.
Open a quarter of it.
Even that can tell me quite a bit.
If there are worn areas, stains, repairs, holes or anything else that looks unusual, photograph those too.
Don't hide the ugly bits.
When I'm trying to figure out what a rug is, the ugly bits can be useful.
They also matter when you're trying to determine value because the condition of a rug can make a very big difference.
Look for Labels, Stamps and Other Markings
If you find a label on the back, take a picture of it.
Same goes for a stamp, stencil, signature, tag or anything else that looks like somebody deliberately put it there.
Even something that looks completely meaningless to you might tell me where the rug was made or who manufactured or imported it.
Don't worry about figuring it out yourself.
Just photograph it.
That's my problem.
“It's Handmade” Doesn't Answer the Question Either
Another thing I sometimes hear is:
“But it's handmade.”
Good. That's useful.
It still doesn't tell us what the rug is worth.
Handmade rugs range enormously in value.
Where it was made matters. The materials matter. The quality of the weaving matters. The age matters. The condition matters.
Size can matter.
The current market matters too.
You can have two rugs that look fairly similar sitting beside each other and one may be worth considerably more than the other.
This is why rug appraisal by squinting at the flowers on the front from six feet away is not generally considered one of the more reliable appraisal methods.
And Then There's Sentimental Value
This part is worth mentioning because sometimes people are disappointed when they discover that an old family rug isn't worth a fortune.
That doesn't mean it isn't valuable.
If your parents had it in their home, your grandparents had it before them and half the photographs from your childhood seem to have that rug lurking somewhere in the background, it has a different kind of value.
I've seen rugs that aren't enormously valuable on the open market but would be almost impossible for the family to replace emotionally.
I've also seen valuable rugs being used under dining tables by people who had no idea what they owned.
Rugs don't come with little digital displays announcing their current market value.
Unfortunately.
That would make my job considerably easier.
Be Careful Before You Start Cleaning an Unknown Rug
If you think you may have something older or unusual, don't experiment on it before you know what it is.
That means being cautious with household stain removers, rental carpet machines and whatever miracle product somebody on the internet says will clean absolutely anything.
Different rugs have different fibres, dyes and construction.
Something that doesn't bother one rug can cause serious problems with another.
Find out what you're dealing with first.
Then decide how it should be cleaned.
And when I'm talking about properly cleaning a good area rug, I'm generally talking about rug washing, not simply running a carpet-cleaning wand over the surface.
Those are two very different things.
So What Pictures Should You Send Me?
If you're curious about your rug, you don't need to turn into a professional photographer.
I mainly need four things:
A clear picture of about six inches by six inches of a back corner, including the end and side.
A picture of the whole rug, or as much of it as you can reasonably open.
Pictures of any wear, damage, staining or repairs.
And pictures of any labels, stamps, signatures or other markings.
Send me those and I'll usually be able to tell you quite a bit about what you're looking at.
I'm a rug appraiser, and after you've looked at enough rugs over enough years, certain things begin jumping out at you.
Sometimes I'll need to see the rug in person before I can give you a definite answer.
But photographs are a very good place to start.
Before You Decide It's Just an Old Rug...
Turn it over.
Take a few pictures.
Let somebody who knows rugs have a look.
Maybe you have something valuable.
Maybe you have a very nice rug that isn't particularly valuable.
Maybe you have an old machine-made rug that has survived three generations of children, dogs, Christmas dinners and furniture rearrangements and is somehow still going strong.
That's not exactly nothing either.
If you'd like me to have a look, text me some photographs at (778) 533-7847 with yor name and the question "Is My Rug Valuable?" or bring the rug into Luv-A-Rug® in Victoria, BC.
And remember:
The back corner first.
That's usually where the rug starts telling me what it really is.
