I have two authentic Persian Rugs on storage. They're approximately
6x9 feet. They are not antiques, and I have no documentation trail.
The only thing I've been told is that they supposedly cost somewhere
around $2000-$3000 retail in Tehran around 10 years ago and were
purchased by a local (so there was no "tourist surcharge").

Q) Since I know very little about these rugs, where can I take
them to have them looked at and appraised? I live in Chicago.

Additionally, any info on how to appraise these myself would
be appreciated.

I've already done some looking around on eBay, and noticed that
market prices for a rug this size vary from "under $1" to close
to $1000.

I did not see any identifying marks or labels, but if there's
something subtle I need to look for, please post as a Request
for Clarification.

Hello atr-ga,

I imagine that appraising Persian rugs (i.e., coming up with the
market value) yourself would be next to impossible if you are not an
expert.  However, educating yourself, so that you have some sense of
the rugs' value and the features of your rugs, should not be so hard. 
If you educate yourself first, then you'll have a better sense of what
to tell the appraiser, and of what the appraiser tells you.

Here are a few web sites with helpful pictures and descriptions of
Persian rugs:

"Guide to Persian Rugs & Carpets"
JBOC's Notes on Oriental Rugs
http://www.spongobongo.com/Persian.htm

Oldcarpets.com
http://www.oldcarpet.com/

"Catalogue"
Anglo-Persian Carpet C
http://www.world-rugs.com/anglopersian/gallery/cat1-1.html

The first site also lists a few dealers in the Chicago area:

"The Trusted Resource List: Rug & Carpet Dealers In The U.S."
JBOC's Notes on Oriental Rugs
http://www.spongobongo.com/resousa.htm

At least one of these dealers does appraisals.  While this dealer is
located in Peoria, I would imagine that he would be interested in rugs
in Chicago as well, or could at least advise you about appraisers
there.

"Services"
The Oriental Rug Mart, by James Demanes & Sons, Inc.
http://www.demanesrug.com/Services.htm

I have found another appraiser of Persian rugs in Chicago:

"Services we provide"
Reza's Rug Gallery
http://www.rezasruggallery.com/services.cfm

A third service provides appraisals for a variety of items, including
oriental rugs:

"Appraisal Categories"
Chicago Appraisers Association
http://www.chicagoappraisers.com/categories/

I used to live in Chicago, and I recall that the River North district
has a variety of art dealers, including I believe oriental rug
dealers.  Also, I remember hearing several commercials on WBBM news
radio for oriental rug dealers in the Chicagoland area.  So if you
don't like the appraisers I've located, you should be able to find
others by looking and calling around.

Good luck!

- justaskscott-ga


Search terms used on Google:

"persian rugs" (which lead me to the following category of the Google
Directory:
"Recreation > Antiques > Rugs"  
http://directory.google.com/Top/Recreation/Antiques/Rugs/?il=1 )
"persian rugs" chicago
"persian carpets" chicago
rugs chicago appraisals

ok answer.

Although much can be said about evaluating carpets in terms of the
artistry, location of production etc. the two most basic quantitative
features of a carpet are size and knot density.  The size of your
carpet (6x9) is easily determined.  The knot density (knots per square
inch for persian carpets) can be found by doing a simple count on the
back of the carpet.  Read this short easy primer to see how to do
that.

http://www.jacobsenrugs.com/countknots.htm

With those two bits of data you have gone a long way towards
evaluating the carpet.  Of course many other things will factor in as
well but to the wino(amateur) a good wine can be judged by how much is
in the bottle and the alcohol percentage.  The rest is for the experts
to argue about.  If you have a digital camera and a website, posting
pictures of the front and back(detail) would allow an online
assessment.