Carpet Bagging: A Buyer's Guide

Carpet Bagging: A Buyer's Guide

Here's what to look for when shopping for an antique rug.

AGE

The older the rug, the higher the value is the general rule of thumb. Like a favorite T-shirt, antique rugs get more malleable over time. The corners of rugs hand-woven in Turkey, Iran and Central Asia a century ago or more tend to "flop around" more readily than newer, machine-made models, says Kurt Munkacsi, an expert on tribal rugs. When shopping, grab a corner and see how easily it bends.

COLOR

The key factor in determining a rug's value is whether it's made with natural dyes (like the Caucasian rug below) or synthetic ones. Collectors who might pay $12,000 for a rug colored with dyes from mashed vegetables and insects won't pay more than $200 for the same style dyed with chemicals that more easily fade, Mr. Munkacsi says. Make sure the rug's surface isn't lighter than its roots—"tip fading" is a telltale sign the dye isn't natural.

CONDITION

Ancient weavers primarily used wool, so pricier rugs tend to boast lustrous, silky fibers pulled from well-fed breeds like the fat-tail sheep. Mughals sheared pashmina goats, and camel hair was popular among desert tribes. Run your hand over the carpet to check the evenness of the carpet's pile. Lumpy sections or bald patches will hurt its value: "I walk on my rugs, but only in slippers—no leather shoes allowed," Mr. Munkacsi says.

WEAVE

Retail rug salesmen may revel in their rugs' high knot counts, boasting of 1,200 knots in a single inch, but ancient weavers weren't so particular. Some Caucasian rugs only have 50 knots per square inch, and 400 knots is a common figure. This Kurdish Bidjar rug has around 80 knots per square inch. Rather than focusing on knot count, novice buyers should instead inspect the rug's design for crisp lines with no blurring. Quirky design inconsistencies also give tribal rugs their folk-art appeal.

IMAGERY

The symbols woven into antique rugs offer clues to the pieces' origins and rarity. The fan-tailed peacock pictured below was the signature design of the Akstafa, a single group of Kazak weavers living southwest of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Common symbols include stars and medallion shapes, often representing heaven and earth; flowering vases and seed pods symbolize prosperity. "Every region had its own weaving language, so the rug's design is actually recording its history," says Mr. Munkacsi.

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