Collector's Guide to Persian Carpets and Antique Rugs

Rug Age - Strictly speaking, the need for a rug to be old depends on what one seeks to collect. Collectors generally want rugs that are antique, at least one hundred years old. But for those who collect European Art Deco rugs, for example, they will only be produced between 1925 and 1950, which is not very old by rug standards. In the case of Oriental rugs, again it depends on what one collects. For those who insist upon condition or need usable rugs that can be walked on, this will be the younger generation of antique rugs produced in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. For collectors who insist upon culturally authentic "pre-commercial" pieces, they will want pieces up to half a century older, or more. For those interested primarily in classical pieces, the decade around 1800 is a decisive cutoff point.