bukhara, I like your sense of humour.
It's absurd, isn't it? When you look at the Doris Leslie Blau website, a rug in which the colours have almost disappeared due to light exposure and/or repeated (bad) washing is as expensive, or more expensive, than one that kept closer to its original distinct colours, and the pale-on-pale plus faded Oushaks and Tabriz get the highest prices, since the designers go for them, and their clients have all the money ...
On the other hand, I should admit, what was "Tiffany's" for Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is the Doris Leslie Blau antique rug section website for me ...