YourRalph,

Glad you brought this to the forum.

The seller has an asking price which is much higher than you would find in most retail showrooms today. Maybe the pool table comes with it.

All jokes aside, I do not doubt that this carpet in the past has sold at the asking price - today however, these rugs don't have the same oomph they used to. The carpet appears to be in very good condition and hand knotted, it is probably from the 80's and most certainly of Indian origin. The colors, fringe and quality all point to this information. It does appear to be a nice quality piece from this vintage, and the owner certainly has taken good care of the rug going by the pictures. Just as a side note (I know you didn't ask), I wouldn't worry about the pool table being on top of the rug, the wool usually can be steamed to straighten fibers depressed by the weight.

The appraisal below is only for example, I do not know the exact knot count yarn ply etc. Again, in defense of the seller: I do know for a fact that at one point in time this type of carpet brand new did fetch the current asking price.

At a retail showroom if this rug were in brand new condition, TODAY you expect to see a rug like this in the vicinity of $2500 brand new for a 10x14 of this vintage, design, coloring and quality.

Suggested Keyword searches: Indo Heriz, Indian Heriz, Take a look at this rug for a nice newer example

There are many, many collectible rugs out there in this world, but it takes the keen eye of a professional to acquire such rugs, although there are some lower priced goods which can be easily sought after by the hobbyist.

If you decide to purchase a carpet simply on the desire for value retention, the best advise I have for you if you want to buy something of good quality with both design and coloring which are timeless - dont buy a commercial quality rug from your local department store.

When I say something timeless, this would mean classic designs with no era defining characteristic such as bright colors. Tea washed rugs, from my experience, will not retain value as well. There are exceptions to this advise of bright colored rugs such as nichols carpes from the 1920s and 30s. Ultimately, the best advise I may give you is to purchase your carpet with the intention of taking good care of it. Vacuum it weekly, have it shampooed as necessary, and finally walk on it with socks- this will polish the wool rather than pull at it as rubber sneaker soles do.