2/15/12Funky Weather and rain today at O.C.G. not much else to blog about ? More reports that although there were plenty of visitors at the shows in San Francisco they were sitting on there wallets and purses ,looking but not buying . The shows looked good but the public was being conservative as far as spending for the most part . Interesting how well the Skinner sale went but the S.F shows at the very best we’re moderately successful . Enough said about that unless there’s any unknown surprises, Allah forbid . Moving on what’s next in the rug and textile field terror and confusion or good times and prosperity ? Time will tell

.2/16/12Quietus Yuranus ….in Costa Mesa today. But great weather!!! Nothing much going on in the rug and textile field today or on the horizon for the immediate future ,but as we all know things change on a dime. Considering all last weeks activities the market was due for some down time to let the collectable rug dealer ranks time to regroup. As for myself ,i am getting the next Gilmorechronicles online rug exhibition together. 2/17/12This is certainly turning out to be the slowest week in the rug and textile world in quite awhile. Nothing of interest happened in the last few days and not much to look forward to either. This Sunday is the Feb. edition of the Long Beach Antique fair but not much has turned up there for at least the last few months but you just never know when lightning will strike . Let’s just see what the weekend serves up.

2/18/12Inactivity resumes .By that I mean no more shows or exhibitions to keep people from losing momentum as far as staying focused on rugs and textiles ,The S.F. Shows were a bit of a let down but these things happen. I certainly realize there can not be a show or auction every week . What I am looking for is an upbeat activity flow for all people in the oriental rug business.If everybody prospers it’s good for one and all at the same time.On the home front at O.C.G. there were many inquires on items at the shop which is of coarse better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!! Let’s just see where that leads but it does look promising. Business is moving in a positive direction for me so there are no complaints but I would like it to move forward for everyone else too..

2/19/12The crowd at Long Beach this morning was strong and the weather was pleasant but cool . There was a nice early buzz in the air for a change . Lots of commercial oriental rugs and textiles but a little light on serious collectable items. However i did manage to find one very good piece this time around. It was nice because it breaks a chain of shows where nothing of any importance came my way. I also met up with a couple of out of town dealers from the east coast which is always cool.

2/20/12Opening day of a fresh new week.What does the world of rugs and textiles have in store for for me next . After the holiday of course !!! Probably going to start out slow , but i did pick up a lead on what may turn out to be a better than average piece, should know tomorrow. Personally i have been passing on more mediocre pieces lately than buying good ones , that’s for sure . Especially “run of the mill” Turkmens ,the auctions and shows are loaded with them right now. Everybody’s trying to sell there common items and hold out for better prices on the best pieces . This is good business sense considering the squirrelly market right now.

2/21/12Photos of the piece I got a lead on yesterday should arrive here tomorrow so that’s something to look forward to. Looks promising in the black and white photo but the colors always make the piece,so 24 hours till color pics and game time. In these slow periods even one item breaks up the monotony .Besides that not much new worth mentioning so far but then again after all the events in the last two weeks what’s not to expect , o’yea a bit of a break in the action. I am sure that as soon as the shows and auctions including rugs and textiles pick up again the upswing in business that started in the fourth quarter of 2011 will continue.

One thing that is worth taking note of , the Marin – Art of the Americas show is starting this coming weekend (Feb,24 – 26 ) at the Marin Center in San Rafael , Ca . This does not necessarily include oriental rugs ,textiles and ethnic items but they have been known to turn up there from time to time. So if your in that neighborhood stop by and take a look you will certainly seen plenty of interesting pieces on display.And you could certainly be in the right place at the right time and get LUCKY! Go get- um Tigers …….

Song o the week ,Halford , Resurrection on Resurrection , 2000.

You cannot write about what does not exist , at least for NOW !,, Sheik Frederich, 2012

2/8/12

Not much in the way of activity at O.C.G. today,but that should change tomorrow. A few interesting opportunities are in the works and there should be some progress in the next day or so. Business and interest in oriental rugs and textiles is still rolling along .hopefully it will continue .

2/9/12

Off to the races,the Tribal Arts show is hopen-en fur bid-ness !!! Great luck to all the exhibitors there and of course at the Capri too. It already appears things are picking up at the Capri with quite a few known collectors showing up . A couple of the San Francisco retail galleries are also having small exhibitions so if your up there check around for whats happening. So we are all set for loads of rug and textile activities and hopefully a good time for all attendees .

2/10/12

Hear ye hear ye , the opening night party is over now on to real subject of what everbody came for business . All reports so far indicate a good opening night crowd and the usual great Caskey-Lees buffet !! There were also a few dealers saying they had a few sales during what is mostly an opening night party type affair. This is of course a great sign of things to come.

Tomorrow Feb. 11 is the Skinners auction in Boston , Ma. It all ways amazes that the auctions and the show promoters don’t get together and get there dates straight so thes things don.t over lap because it seems it could affect businees for both parties. Considering the Skinners sale is one of the major auctions of the year you would think they would know better. Go Figure.

2/11/12

So the auction at Skinner’s is over and it appears it was a very successful sale. Of the 303 total lots offered 216 found new homes. That comes out to a 70+ % sold rate . With the supposed weak rug and textile market “as the two major auction houses have alluded to ” this proves you can still have a major sale and do well. Perhaps they should take notice . Out of the 4 lots i listed in an earlier post all sold. There was one particularly big upside surprise. In the 4 lots i mentioned ,lot # 117 , Kashmir moon shawl est. U.S.15- 2000..sold for U.S. 59, 250.00 ,i felt this was the best and most interesting item in the sale but someone really held the piece in high regard. A photo should find it’s way in to Hali auction reviewnext issue.

Lot # 8 Cloudband Kazak est. U.S. 15-2,500 ,sold for U.S.1,778.00

Lot # 53 Bergama est. U.S.12-1,500 ,sold for U.S. 1,304.00 , agood buy for someone.

Lot # 157 Kazak  est. 15-2,500 sold for U.S. 3,553.00 Another good buy in my opinion.

One other lot of note # 129 ,Pinwheel Kazak est. U.S.20-25,000.00 sold for U.S.41,475.00 .This was certainly far from the best of type and had some re-piling but considering this was a Skinner’s sale and the Tribal Arts show was in full swing in San Francisco a fairly strong price. This sale did very well but i wonder how much better  it may have done if it was not the same weekend as the Tribal Arts show. Don’t know for sure , but then maybe a little ,maybe a lot or maybe not at all,who knows?

Oh Yeah , one last thing tomorrows is the Feb, edition of the Rosebowl fair in beautiful downtown Pasadena,Ca.

2/12/12

Another dry hole at the Rosebowl today, Loads of people and a full house as far as exhibitors ,but on the rug and textile front not much to talk about. Nothing in the way of collectable ethnic art at all. Looks like things are going pretty well at the Tribal Arts show.through Sat. night ,now let’s see how it turns out when it’s over, Sunday evening .But did the procrastnating buyers return and end up making purchases or not ?

2/13/12

Silence at O.C .G. today . Looking for more results from the Tribal Arts show . From what i can tell from a collectors stand point the high end was not quite high enough in the rug and textile dept. And what was there was priced somewhat aggressively . How sales finished up are inconclusive so far ,looks spotty.

2/14/12

V Day ,can you dig it or not !!!

Well not much in the way of action today .But then it is a big important holiday ,right !! I guess although there was a decent crowd turnout at the Tribal Arts show sales for the most of the exhibitors did not hit the mark. So far only one dealer who was offering Moroccan pieces seemed tp have a better than average show . I will continue to check with other participants at the show and the Capri for a more accurate account.

Can th world really be a “Bitchen” place without a violin “ playin” GOAT ? Sheik Frederich .2012

Song o the week . Tool , Prisom Sex on Undertow , 1993

1/31/12The High Noon show in Mesa ,Az.Jan. 28-29 was this past weekend. This show is not an oriental / Asian art show but it is the first collectable show of the year. It features Western Americana collectables and American Indian art as well as other collectors items . The reason i mention this particular show is to gage what kind of crowd it attracted . It will be interesting to see if it was a full house as far as exhibitors go and what kind of retail paid attendance showed up. Update .It looks business was pretty good at the High Noon show but for the most part it was dealer to dealer in the show,apparently there was not much of a retail turnout this year . People showed up but were not in much of a spending mood at least on American Indian items not sure on the Western collectables . The auction that High Noon held along with show looks like it went very well ,out of about 304 total lots offered 293 sold so there was plenty of buying there . Maybe it took away from the show to a certain extent .

2/1/12

Another Bonhams auction in New York on March 6 is coming up. No news on what they have just yet . Hopefully better than what they have had lately ,god forbid !So all i hear is just a few people have showed up at the Capri and Cow Hollow motels ahead of the opening of the Arts of Pacific Asia Thursday night,should pick up by tomorrow.
2/2/12
I went over the New York ,Bonhams sale ,118 total lots to be offered. Mostly room size decorative rugs with a few mediocre collectable items thrown in . Unfortunately nothing for real collectors included. They also included some tapestries this time around ,again decent but nothing great. These sales are not particularly interesting for serious collectors but they have had better than average sales totals lately.Should get some sort of feed back on the opening night crowd at the Capri and the Arts of Pacific Asia show in the morning .Heres to hoping the have a good turn out.
2/3/12
Quiet today at O.C.G , and no news from San Francisco yet either. Gonna look into this again tomorrow and with possibly better results or NOT !!!
2/4/12
The opening night festivities at Arts of Asia appear to have gone pretty well. Good crowd and some of the exhibitors even reported a few sales. Generally the opening night is more on the socializing side and the buy ,sell ,trade stuff starts on the next full day but all business is welcome at this type of event. Things have not really got under way at the Capri yet ,this should change in the next few days when the real rug and textile crew shows up.
2/5/12

It has come to my attention that there are a few readers out there who follow the Rapistan Review feel I have a somewhat negative opinion of the oriental rug and textile market. It is not entirely accurate assumption on there part . My thoughts on whats happening in the market are as follows . Business on the west coast has been on the upswing for the last few months and I am getting the same reports from the mid west and Europe . Not much in the way of news from the New England area except for the success of the Groganco sales , lets just see how it goes for Skinners on Feb. 11.The only place i have not gotten positive comments from is the N.Y.C. metro area . Dealers there seem subdued and as I have mentioned in previous posts the two major auction houses are all but out of the market for the foreseeable future. Things were much more active there when they were holding two major sales a year. This has certainly hurt the market as far as i can see. I have always held on to a positive out look for the oriental rug market myself. But on occasion i find areas where people who say they are part of the market but who are not supportive and tend to complain and not do anything to change what they consider to be problems .As for my own personal thoughts on where things are going for O.C.G.its like this . Sales have been steady and on the upswing for the last few months and have continued in the new year.No doubt things have changed a lot in the last 3 years and things are tough for a lot of people in the middle but we need to keep a positive out look and things will improve going forward. I have a good feeling for the future of rug and textile collecting and remain as enthusiastic as I have ever been. Enshallah !!!
2/6/12
Hey Hey ,get your Ya Ya’s out . The super bowl is over and I hope your team won. The Arts of Pacific Asia show is over too so we will check the outcome there .Next on the agenda is the big one ,the Tribal Arts show that opens Thursday night . Two auctions coming up this week Bonhams in the U.K. tomorrow and Skinners on Sat. Really can things get any better , seek and ye shall receive ???
2/7/12
The results from the Bonhams sale in the U.K. are up and the sale went about the same as the last few they have held. Out of 56 lots offered 33 found new homes . No up side surprises but nothing better than average was included in the sale either. But still 55+% sold in this market with mid range items is not so bad ,what if they ever got around to offering a more high end selection of pieces ??
I guess all things considered the Arts of Pacific Asia was was a positive experience for the oriental rug dealers who exhibited there. They did not set the world on fire but most everybody made a few sales . Looks about 10 dealers are set up at the Capri so but there is still a little time for a few late arrivals,we shall see.

What difference will the difference you make MAKE !!! or will it ? Sheik Frederich 2012

Song o the week In Flames , Only for the weak , on Clayman , 2000 .

1/24/12 Looks like another week is starting out slow . I am getting daily responses to the newest online show but not much else in the way of fresh rug business news. More auctions this week with the Freeman’s sale on Jan 26 being the big one . This is not the best sale I have seen lately ,the Mallams sale in England was far more interesting but with more than 217 lots it will most certainly draw some attention . Considering the Caskey – Lees shows in San Francisco start next week maybe some of the better collectable items from the Freeman’s sale will turn up at the show or at the satellite show at the Capri Motel. It appears there will be a decent group of exhibitors there and as you already know there is no admission charge there.
1/25/12 Possible out of town visitors at O.C.G. in the next day or so. The weather is dry and hitting 75- 80 degrees for the next few days so it’s a perfect time for company. For the last say 6 -8 weeks or so I have been reporting business on an upward cycle but what I really would like to see is something other than auctions to stimulate the rug and textile business heading into spring and summer . Since the poor showing at the I.C.O?C. conference there has not been anything to grab people’s interest out side auctions and that’s a dollars and cents thing. We need something on a more scholastic level to attempt to bring new people into the area of rug and textile collecting . The newly reopened Metropolitan Museum of Art Islamic wing in N.Y.C.is great but needs more extensive coverage.

1/26/12

I was watching the live online coverage of the Freeman’s auction in Phil. Pa . today. I do not have a total count on how many lots found new homes yet but the sale looked pretty successful from the parts i saw. Seemed like there was plenty of action on the sale room floor itself. I will keep checking back for when they post the total sale results.
1/27/12
Well this Freeman’s sale yesterday went far better than I could tell watching parts of it online. Out of 217 total lots offered 193 items sold . That is about 90+ % and considering the supposed weak market !! they had an exceptionally high sales rate. Granted the pieces offered were not the high end of the market ,there were plenty of decent rugs and textiles to be had . One thing the two Meshed carpets ,lots 715- 716 which had the highest pre sale estimates did not find buyers. All the lots I listed in an earlier post sold, the results of those are posted below.Lot # 623 Senneh , est. 12-1500 sold for 1200 + com. Lot # 642 Melas , est. 12-1800 sold for 1900 + com.Lot # 692 Dagestan prayer, est. 1-1500 sold for 1700 + com .Lot # 713 N.rW.Persian, est. 3-5000 sold for 2400 + com. So there was nothing in the way of big upside surprises but a very successful auction none the less.

1/28/12

Looks like less than 10 oriental rug and textile dealers will be exhibiting at the Caskey – Lees Tribal and Textile Arts show ,Feb 10-12 . Some of the ” BIG ” name dealers have dropped out this time around , business is slow ,lack of enthusiasm or just low on funds ? I don’t know but it looks like the show is a full house anyway with exhibitors from other areas of tribal art picking up the slack .So i am sure it will be a good show , Caskey -Lees always does a great job promoting the show.and the preview night buffet is usually a really big hit with the opening evening crowd. No count on how many dealers at the Capri yet .
1/29/ 12Sunday Bloody Sunday !!! Really nothing of any interest happening today .
1/30/12First day of a new week ,not much to record so far. The first Caskey -Lees show , Arts of Pacific Asia opens Thursday night so that’s something , no the only thing to look forward to for the next few days .Dealers should start to show up at the Capri motel shortly too , every body wants to be first on the scene looking for the first pick of ( fresh ) items that may turn up. Competition , competition and more competition i just wanna WIN !!! Go Figure.

Is the Oyster your World ? or is the World your Oyster ? Sheik Frederich 2012 .

Song o the week , Judas Priest , The Green Manalishi on Unleashed in the East , 1979.

1/18/12

Had a quick look at the upcoming sale at Bonhams on Feb. 7 in the U.K. Another sale consisting of mediocre rugs . A total of 56 lots of rugs mostly Persian city pieces ,nothing of interest to collectors. Not much to write about but again you can’t fault Bonhams because this stuff is selling pretty well. For them business is business and thats the bottom line . Much of the time consigners with high end items want big reserves and in this market the pieces do not sell and it turns out to be a waste of time for the auction houses. Every body wants to deal in high end items but if you set your sights to high in a weak market it leads to a disappointing result and you are just spinning your wheels and go home unhappy . Things are improving for sure but it takes time and buyers are still being cautious .

1/19-20/12

Today is the Sotheby’s Americana sale which includes 36 lots of rugs in N.Y.C. and tomorrow is the Auktionhaus Homm sale in Germany . Not large offerings by any standards .The Homm sale as I said earlier is run of the mill and Sotheby’s has mostly better decorative pieces with a few collectors items thrown in . Should be able to check the results right away .

Results from Sotheby’s are in and they do not look to good ,out of 36 lots offered only 11 found buyers about the same sales percentage as the Nov. sale. Of the lots I mentioned in an earlier post all 3 sold. This new method of mixed sales that include rugs and textiles does not look like its working out that well for Sotheby’s so far.

Lot # 128 Karachoph Kazak , est.U.S. 25-35,000 sold for U.S. 50,000.

Lot # 129 Kaitag est. U.S. 5-7000 sold for U.S. 10,000.

Lot # 132 Bakshaish prayer rug , est. U.S. 10 -15,000 sold for U.S. 18.750.

1/21/12

Out of town visitors expected today so we will see if that leads to anything significant . Maybe yes , maybe no , but you don’t know till its over !!! Still hard to find things in the rug world worth writing about , other than the auction scene not much happening till the Caskey – Lees shows in the first two weeks of Feb. Not much happened this afternoon ,plenty of rug talk but nothing in the way of commerce . But getting other peoples opinions of what’s going on in the rug world is always informative and useful too.Everybody sees things differently and a fresh outlook is always welcome. Not much else for today tomorrows a new beginning , maybe some news from Auktionhaus, Homm in Germany.

1/22/12

Quiet today at O.C.G , no news on any fronts . It gets like that from time to time . The Freeman’s sale is next up on Jan 26 , not the most interesting sale of late but a lot of items so it should create some action .

1/23/12. Well it appears things went fairly smooth at Auktionhaus Homm this past week . Out of a total of 63 lots offered only 11 failed to find buyers .Granted the merchandise offered was not the highest quality but lately the lower end stuff has been selling pretty successfully over there. The Shah -Sevan kelim i mentioned in an earlier post lot # 31, est. E 1000. sold for E 1100 decent i guess. It’s becoming very difficult to figure out what’s the real direction of the collectable rug and textile market lately . On one hand I have been getting plenty of reports of business on the uptic from all over place except the N Y C metro area . But as soon as I mention it in the Rapistan Review another report comes in saying business is poor , slow or non existant . Myself I feel things are looking pretty good except for our friends at the two major auction houses and they are gonna have to figure that on there own , reduced commission rates perhaps ? Private dealer business seems to be hanging in there and improving in the last few months .

I’m FINE …..Freaked out ….. Insecure …..Neurotic ….. Emotional , Sheik Frederich 2012.

Song o the week , Iced Earth , Dystopia on Dystopia 2011. Is this your life?

1/9/12

The week gets off to a quiet start so far. However the new web show is live now and responses are already coming in. Once Hali hits the regular subscribers that should pick up a little bit. Other wise not much to write about but this is just the beginning of the week.tomorrow should be more interesting.

1/10/12The Jan. 10 ,Bonhams sale in Knightsbridge, London was held today. Out of 52 total lots offered 30 found new homes. Just under 60% , again these sales with mediocre merchandise are doing better percentage wise than high end sales with better quality offerings. It appears the public or who ever are going for the affordable stuff for the time being rather than higher priced stuff unless it’s special. It does seem to show the entry level buyers are still out there , at least in the U.K. and Europe.Other than that not much new and interesting for today,back online tomorrow. I am considering getting another computer , the Apple iMac 27 or the just released H.P. 27 inch Omni all in one , not sure about which is best for me yet.

1/11/12

Here ,here ,out of town visitors at O.C.G. today . Interesting conversation and some commerce with the possibility of more in the future. Continuing inquiries about the new web exhibition ,let’s just see where that leads . The Mallams sale in Oxford ,England is tomorrow. I will be monitoring there site to see if they will be posting the results .As I said in the last post this sale looks pretty good and I think it should have a better than average sold percentage.

1/12/12

Alls quiet on the western front for today . Nothing from Mallams yet . I will check into it again tomorrow.

1/13/12

So this sale at Mallams in Oxford , England yesterday went very well showing the Turkmen market is still very strong and things in the U.K. are not so bad for other weaving areas either. The sold percentage rate was close to 85 % ,out of 173 total lots only 23 failed to find buyers. Of the few lots I was keeping an eye on all sold well with a couple of upside surprises .

Lot # 43 , Yomut main cpt. frag Est . £ 3-500 sold for £ 5400 I thought this was very good and it must have been even better in person .

Lot # 46 Ersari main cpt. Est . £1-1500 sold for £ 1300. Someone got a very fair purchase.

Lot # 55 Yomut asmalyk , Est . £ 2-300 sold for £ 750. Another good buy for some one.

Lot # 60 Kizilajak juval ,Est . £ 80-120 sold for £-620.00 . Very low pre sale est.

Lot # 151 Ersari asmalyk , Est £ 6-800 sold for £ 34,000. This piece looked rare and desirable in the online photo and a very nice up side surprise for the seller.

All in all this is one of the most successful rug and textile sales held lately.

1/14/12

The Feb.11 Skinners auction in Boston ,Ma. is live online now , consisting of 303 total lots. As usual with Skinners there are not any real star items being offered but many fairly nice pieces to choose from ,possibly something for everyones taste.

Lot # 8 ,Cloudband Karabaugh ,Est . U.S. 15 -2500.00 .Nice with a some what low pre sale est.

Lot # 53 Bergama, Est. U.S. 12 -1500.00 .Looks a little older than there date , should do well.

Lot # 117 Kashmir moon shawl ,Est. U.S. 15 – 2000.00 This looks pretty nice in the photos.

Lot # 157 Kazak Est. U.S. 2 -2500.00 Realistic est. could be good.

Pook and Pook of Downington Pa. held the first session of a general sale that included 33 lots of various oriental rugs and textile on Jan 13. Nothing on how the sale went yet but it was an interesting group of items. There were a few pieces that seemed decent .

1/15/12

Not much to report today ,better days tomorrow. I did not make the first Long Beach antique fair today and have not heard how it went but I should be able to find out in the next day or so.

1/16/12

Lately it’s moving from nothing going on to very busy at the drop of a hat. Active response to the new web exhibition so that’s another positive sign. Hot and cold ,hot and cold go figure . A few more auctions in the next 8 or 10 days including the Sotheby’s Americana sale that includes some fairly nice pieces and of coarse the Freeman’s annual rug and textile sale. So it turns out there was nothing in the way of rug and textile action at the Long Beach antique fair yesterday , so maybe Feb. ?

1/17/12

Well looks like the Pook and Pook sale in Downington Pa. did pretty well for it self ,all lots found buyers . Not a big deal but these smaller sales are turning out to be very successful . This sale sold almost as many pieces as Sotheby’s did in there Nov.2011 offering.So it shows there is life in the collectable rug market if you give it a chance ,33 out of 33 not to shabby. Once again Caucasian rugs did well but the Persian pieces were a little on the soft side.

They read what you write but do they digest it? Sheik Frederich , 2012

Song o the week , Hanoi Rocks ,People like me , on Twelve shots on the Rocks ,2003 .

1/2/12
So now the beginning . We need to have fresh thoughts about how to approach the market this year . Things have been spotty in 2011 but it all points up for the near future. Not much on schedule right away but that should change quickly . The first Rosebowl fair is next Sunday .I wonder what kind of crowd will turn out , both buyers and exhibitors ?There is another 2nd tier auction of middle of the road decorative rugs and textiles scheduled for Jan. 10, 2012 at Bonhams auction house in Knightsbridge ,London . 52 total lots to be offered in a mixed sale. I went through the pieces listed and again there is nothing thats of any real importance to the collectors market. Maybe next time .
This being one of the first sales of the year it may give some kind of indication of the direction of the mid range market in Europe. This kind of merchandise has been selling well over there with higher percentages on lots sold than in the U.S. This area of the market is still weak in America.
1/3/12
First real work day of the new year and all is quiet so far. But it is early yet.

Let’s see , Freeman’s auction gallery in Phil. Pa is having a fairly large rug and textile sale on Jan 26 ,2012 . I went over 217 total lots that they will be offering and did not find much that was notable . They seem to have big expectations for 2 Meshed room size carpets , pre sale est. U.S. 40 -60,000.00 ,lot # 715 and 716. Interesting in this market . One thing about this site , the online illustrations are not to good so if your interested in any of the pieces you need to get a hold of Freemans for better photos. That said here are a couple of lots that look like there bear further investigation.

Lot # 623 Senneh Est.U.S.12 – 1500.00. Good size ,if the weave is fine may be nice .
Lot # 642 Melas Est. U.S. 12 – 1800.00. photo is poor may be much better in person . Looks older than cataloged.
Lot # 692 Dagestan prayer Est. U.S.1000-1500.00 .Small square size is cool unless it’s cut .May have a little orange in bottom border again poor photo.
Lot # 713 N.W. Persian ,early date ,high Est. U.S. 3 – 5000.00 . Rough condition ? Very poor photo.
One more thing the first part of the sale consists of 9 lots of South American and Pre Columbian textiles if you are into that kind of stuff. All in all not a bad sale to start the new year.
1/4/12
I have been looking over an interesting sale at Mallams auction in Oxford ,England on Jan. 12 , 2012 .I am not familiar with this particular sale room but they have come up with quite a group rugs and textiles including a large collection of Turkmens from Dr.J.L. Enos,173 total lots. The group varies quite a bit from low end to fairly good items and there sale estimates are very realistic.One thing I should mention about this sale , the online photos are really pretty bad so if you see something that you find interesting try to get better illustrations
before you bid. I have listed a few lots that look promising below.
Lot # 43 Yomut main cpt.frag. Est. £. 3-500 .this looks very good.
Lot # 46 Ersari main cpt. Est. £.1-1500. Appears to have good color.
Lot # 55 Yomut asmalyk frag. Est £. 2-300 Green main border is nice.
Lot # 60 Kizilajak Ajak juval Est £. 80-120 very fair est.
Lot # 151 Ersari Asmalyk Est. £. 6-800 really need to see this one .
If your in England this could be a good sale to attend in person .there may easily be something that is not apparent in the online catalog.
1/5/12
Skinners in Boston ,Ma. is listing an oriental rug and textile auction on Feb. 11, 2012 , no solid info on what they have to offer yet.
It appears that most of the 2nd tier auction houses are jumping on the band wagon and putting on rug and textile sales to begin the year. So far other than the Turkmen group at Mallams in England nothing of particular interest has come to light.
Not much else to report but business is still moving forward as far as I can tell.

1/6/11
The first of the two Caskey – Lees shows starts in just over 3 weeks so the chatter is beginning to swell .With the upturn in business it looks bright for this pair of antique and textile affairs !! Not much yet on who all will be entrenched at the Capri motel trying to pick off a little business on the coat tails of the Caskey shows .
Usually say 6 – 8 maybe even 10 dealers exhibit at the Capri so it’s worth the short trip over there.
Slow today at O.C.G. but it will be more interesting tomorrow , then Sunday the Rosebowl fair .
1/7/12
Visitors at the shop today and things look promising but nothing out of the ordinary to report. I expect to see a couple of east coast dealers at the Rosebowl tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what they have to say about the rug and textile business back there.
1/8/12
Well the first Rosebowl of the year was a bust today. No out of town visitors ,no fresh oriental rug or textile items ,small lackluster crowd and many empty
exhibitor spaces . Not exactly what I was expecting but it goes like that sometimes . There’s always the next one though .
Live Monday 1/9/12 , the first new web show of the year. Small Pieces Tres. Spring , 2012 ,check it out if you have a little extra time.


Give or take a lie or two delusions of insanity reign supreme !! Sheik Frederich , 2012.
Song o the week , Megadeth ,Holy Wars ,The Punishment Due , on Rust in Peace ,1990.

12/25/11
We say Merry Christmas here so Merry Christmas everybody .
As you would think on a day like today it’s nothing but a good time .Everyone i came into contact with today was in a festive mood. Difficult situations were put on hold at least for one day so good times could be had by all. Back to life and business tomorrow but for this day just chill and enjoy a nice time .
12/26/11
So this is an unofficial holiday for union type workers because Christmas was on Sunday. It puts a damper on business for an extra day ,no big deal I guess.
News Flash ,Just In !!!
One new piece of news for the rug business though. Sotheby’s is holding there winter Americana auction on Jan 20-21.It coincides with the the New York Americana week promotion that’s held every year about this time. Sotheby’s is including a small selection of better oriental rugs in the sale , a total of 36 lots. The group consist of mostly high end decorative carpets but there are a few collectable items included in the sale. I looked over the pieces being offered and listed a few lots worth having a look at.
Lot # 128 Karachoph Kazak ,green field , good but not the best, decent pre sale est. U.S. 25 – 35,000.00. But the colors in the photos bear investigation before bidding. Lot # 129 Kaitag nice but is the bottom few inches replaced ? Again a fair pre sale est. U.S. 5 – 7,000. 00 , if the bottom is original.

Lot # 132 Bakshaish prayer rug . This lot looks very nice in the illustration .
Pre sale est.U.S. 10- 15,000.00 , seems low if the piece is as good as it appears.
12/27/11
Alls quiet on the western front ,nothing much to blog about today .This time of the year the rug and textile business is put on the back burner by most people . Up till about Dec. 23 things were on the upswing but at that point most everybody stops for the holiday . The phone started ringing right after Christmas so it looks like we’re back rollin again .Tomorrow is a new day lets see what sunrise brings.
12/28/11Moving closer to the beginning of the end . The new year will
certainly bring new things . But what you say ,time will tell , wait with patience. Nothing fresh to report in the rug and textile world . Business continues but many people are layin low for the next few days . One thing more thing to consider , there should be a new Hali anytime now so a new web show is on the horizon.
12/29/11Silence is golden, but it’s also boring . Finding something to blog about when there is not much going on is tough . The Rapistan Review has been live since about July 7 and I have to tell you as far as new things to report this is the slowest it’s been so far . Business has picked up in the mid west and on the west coast but it’s not real interesting to write about . Nothing in the way of fresh , important items has surfaced lately to fire people up but this can change in a heart beat and I am sure it will.
12/30/11The extended new years weekend is upon us.. Let the celebration rock and the party roll on. This year has been seriously up and down for the rug and textile business but the new year looks to start on the upswing . Most all the collectable rug dealers are in a very upbeat mood right now. It’s cool to get things going on a positive note ,once the festivities are over.
One new thing . Auktionshaus Homm in Oberursel , Germany is having a January 21, 2012 sale that will include 63 lots of oriental carpets . I looked this stuff over and it’s more or less just decent commercial goods but check it out , you may find something you want. One interesting lot # 31 a Shah Sevan kelim is kinda nice in the illustration.The pre sale estimate E 1000 which seems very

12/31/11
Times up !!! All minds appear to be on having a great time this evening to close out the 2011 . Without a doubt this has been an unpredictable year. The rug and textile business has jumped all over the place . I continue to here things are moving on the west coast and in the mid west which is great and now it appears there are signs that the collectors market is picking up in Europe too. With all the funny business happening with the Euro perhaps people are thinking the art market including oriental rugs and textiles is a better place to put your extra cash.Still nothing from folks in NYC or New England yet , but I am sure it will happen there also in the near future. I don’t know if the is a big turn around in the market but any upswings temporary or something more long lasting is certainly welcome to end this year and start the next year . Enshallah!!!
And with that HAPPY NEW YEAR !! and feel free to enjoy your inevitable hang over……..
1/1/12
It all starts over on your mark get set GO ..
But where you ask , well sir ,,, on weird and up weird ,of coarse ?
It’s a new day , a new week and as you are aware a new start with a new Hali due in the next few days how much better can it get ,oh yeah , what more could you ask for . Even Sheik Frederich is in a good mood so we are gonna start the long awaited interview shortly. Will miracles never cease.
Well then fire up the BBQ’s time to festiviate , let the festivities flow.

Feel free to engage your Gonzo leanings the new years here . Sheik Frederich 2012
Song o the week , Grand Funk Railroad .Inside looking out , on Grand Funk 1970 . It’s 2012 let your funk flow.

12/19/11
So the Butterfield’s sale is happening today and so far it does not look like it is going well .Since the over all selection is as i said in a previous post , more or less run of the mill it is going about as one would expect . Out of 226 total lots offered only about 90 found buyers . About a 40 + percent sales rate . Some of the formal design Persian decorative city pieces did pretty well . But considering this is a full production – catalog sale one would wonder if it paid off for Butterfields . It may be time for the people who run the Butterfields rug and textile dept. to step up there game and try and attract some more important offerings. Perhaps some thing like collectors items and classic carpets. It’s been quite awhile since they have had anything worth writing about!!This week leading up to Christmas on Sunday may turn out to be pretty slow as far as business but you just never know .  
12/20/11 
Not much to blog about right now. But I will keep an eye out for anything that seems new and interesting.

12/21/11
Again not much going on so far this week . Hopefully everybody out there is enjoying this holiday season and preparing for the new year . From where I stand it feels like things are improving . Time will tell but so far so good.
12/22/11
Getting close to Christmas . Nothings happening , but a few folks I have not heard from in the rug business for quite awhile turned up . Funny stuff comes up from time to time especially at this time of year. But it’s cool to hear from old friends and find out what they have been up to in the past few years.
12/23/11The day before the day. My plans are together , hopefully everybody else is too , or at least close. The weather in Cali is pushing 70+ ,not exactly Christmas temps but no complains from me. The winds still come up sometimes though. Reports continue to come in about things improving in the rug and textile business on the west coast and mid west. This is good to hear but I would like to see it stay on track into the new year. 
Enshallah !!!
You can see from this post there is really not much to write about now, but in between Christmas and New Years I think there will be a little action .So lets. just see what’s gonna happen. 
 A lot of the chatter is now turning to the two Caskey – Lees shows coming up in the first two weeks of Feb ,2012 in San Francisco . Arts of Pacific Asia ,Feb 2 – 5th and Tribal and Textile Arts , Feb 9 – 12th. The dealers who are exhibiting at these shows are already setting fresh pieces aside to feature there. However this year it does look like there is a turn over in the list of dealers setting up there . Some of the exhibitors from the last few years have dropped out and there will be some fresh faces doing the show.It will be interesting to see if any of the dropouts turn up at the trunk show at the Capri motor hotel ? 

 12/24/11 Super quiet today , of coarse tomorrow is the big day and many people are still out there tying up loose ends .
 
 Oh Yeah !! Raida’s finally Win one .Yippie ……
 There’s an exception to every rule and there’s an exception to the RULE !! Sheik Frederich .2011.12/24/11 
Song o the week. Machine Head , Locust on  Unto the locust , 2011. Get heavy  
for the holiday. .

12/12/11
Arrival N Y C ,last east coast adventure for 2011. Smooth flight in and light traffic into the city . Cool but clear weather so far , let’s hope the weather holds for a few days . The festivities begin on Tuesday , here’s to a successful end of the year trip.
12/13/11
El Grande Apple ,Dia UNO !!
Cool and dry to begin with , now to find out what’s in store.
5 pm .The end of day one. For a change pretty much everybody was in attendance in the buildings today .Most of the dealers i talked to were in a fairly good mood but all wished for a more active rug and textile market,The market is still coming up short on fresh merchandise. I did locate a few possibilities but put it all on hold till tomorrow afternoon . I feel it’s better to wait and see what turns up by then. I here there have been a few dealers from Italy in town looking for mid range items and also the head guy from Christies ,London seeking items for the spring Islamic week sales in the U.K. Of the major auction houses Christies ,London has been by far the most aggressive ,far more than there counter parts in the U.S. but not any more successful.
7 pm
I was asked more than a few times today how things are going in Cali,as far as business .Well i certainly do not see as many pieces in So .Cal. as I do when I am in the N.Y.C./ New England market ,thats for sure.The east coast is a much older more established market with more opportunities to find antique items.That said I do get my fair share of the type of merchandise I am looking for back home too . As far as every day action in Orange County its not even close. O.C.G.is outside the L.A.market so there is not much of a comparison. And the L.A. market is not as strong as the N.Y.C. market anyway. As i have said in previous posts the oriental rug and textile market is having a tough time world wide. Anybody in business will always want more buying and selling action but all things considered from where i sit i am doing just fine ,especially in this restricted market place . It can always be better but no complaints here !,,
One thing for certain an end to the Persian rug embargo would go a long way in improving the international and domestic rug and textile market . In my opinion this is a ridiculous situation since there is little or no antique rug business in and out of Iran anyway . Most all the antique oriental rugs and textiles are already in the west and it really only hurts U.S. and European dealers anyway ! And these days most of the new rug production is in other mid east countries , not Iran .

12/14/11
Time to make decisions and finish up .
Nothing new turned up today so plans from yesterday are the way to go. This little adventure turned out about the way I expected . No real surprises but a fair amount of success .If some of the pieces I was told about come to pass in the near future it will then be a better than average trip .Enshallah !,
12/15/11
Departure preparations under way.
Results from the Nov. 26 auction at Rippon Boswell in Weisbaden ,Germany are finally posted online . The sale consisted of 283 total lots and 173 found buyers .
A sold rate of more than 60 + percent.
Of the 8 lots I mentioned earlier 5 sold.
Lot 6 Salor juval Est. E 1600 , sold for E 2074 .
Lot 25 Arabachi juval Est. E 850 sold for E 4,636
Lot 138 Susani Est. E 23,000 sold for E 21,960
Lot 145 Susani Est E 12,000 sold for E 14,640
Lot 146 Susani Est. E 12,000 ,unsold
Lot 150 Salor trapping E 5000 sold for E 140,300 ,the joke of the sale!!!!
Lot 225 Yomut asmalyk E 21,000 unsold .To heavy of a pre sale Est.???
Lot 236 Marsali prayer E 15,000 unsold Again maybe to big of a pre sale Est.
Although Rippon Boswell is known as the premiere specialist auction house for oriental rugs and textiles it is still a step down from the major houses .That said they have still put on large scale rug and textile auctions that are far superior to what the majors have done lately.. It proves that if you want to hold a big sale and make it profitable it can be done . However i am sure it is a lot of work for D.M. and his staff.O K time to head to the airport for the flight home ,another reasonably successful trip is over.

12/16/11
If anyone cares theres an auction at Butterfield’s in L.A. on Dec 19.I went through the online catalog and as usual there is nothing in the way of even moderately interesting collectors items ,just decent decorator pieces at best. With the size of this sale (226 total lots ) you would think they could draw a few better than mediocre pieces but they have not offered a serious item for quiet awhile.
Still no results from the Nov 30 auction at Wannenes in Genoa , Italy .Nunzio Crisa assembled a nice group of pieces with a couple of notable lots but I guess they do not post results or it just takes them quite awhile. To bad it would have been nice to know what happened there.
12/17/11
Quiet today , closing in on the holidays . The last Long Beach fair of the year is tomorrow maybe 2011will end on a high note.
12/18/11Another uneventful trip to Long Beach today. Decent weather , lots of people but nothing in the rug and textile field. O K so we will get them next year. One thing I have been hearing lately is that business has picked up and down the west coast . This from more than a few dealers so there maybe something to it . I have also had the same kind of comments from dealers in the mid west. No such luck as far as the east coast , including New England so far. However Groganco did have a very good sales rate at his Dec 11 sale.
Finding interesting things is interesting , and then it becomes difficult !!!! Sheik Frederich 2011
12/18/11Song o the week . Michael Monroe , Modern Day Miracle on Sensory Overdrive , 2011 Listen to a legend.