2/17/20 Step up and accept the blame !
2/17/20
Been a long time comm’in back in the battle !
2/18/20
2/19/20
2/20/20
2/21/20
2/22/20
Sunday with Kivo !
2/23/20
2/24/20
2/25/20
2/26/20
2/27/20
2/28/20
2/29/20
Listen on Sundays 10 am West Coast time !
3/1/20
3/2/20
3/3/20
3/4/20
3/5/20
3/6/20
3/7/20
3/8/20
3/9/20
3/10 20
3/11/20
3/12/20
3/13/20
3/14/20
3/15/20
Don’t worry keep scrolling !
3/16/20
3/17/20
3/18/20
3/19/20
3/20/20
3/21/20
3/22/20
3/23/20
3/24/20
3/25/20
So the Dorotheum went ahead with their rug and carpet sale today in the midst of all the craziness going on in the world at this time and i gotta say from a sold stand point if their posted “liveauctioneer’”results are accurate it went reasonably well for Mr’s Matschek and Pillanger . Out of the total 226 lots offered up for your bidding pleasure only 82 ended up not attracting any bidding interest. A solid sold percentage of right at 64% . Far from great but in this time and space pretty good all things considered .
Granted some of these items sold very reasonably and there was not anything special to spark the serious rug ( Rug Mob ! ) collectors interest out there , if there remains any but still an admirable showing in a very tricky rug market at this mark in the world.
From where i sit a “tip of the hat” to the gang at the Dorotheum rug dept. for “hangin” in there !
One last thing worth noting although far from an interesting selection there were a few lots that were a bit of a surprise to me and they are featured below.
Lot # 32 , Kashan , circa 1930. Pre- sale starting point € 400. Sold for € 3,328.00 . I am not personally familiar with this particular type of Kashan but someone out there liked it . A nice upside pop for the consigner !
Lot # 74 , Kazak prayer . Pre- sale starting point € 1,000.00. Sold for € 3,840.00 . Either a great buy for the new owner or hot red ?
Lot # 78 , Bakhshaish . Pre- sale starting point € 3,000.00. Sold for € 5,760.00. These used to bring really big $ but maybe not so much anymore and this one had substantial condition issues.
3/26/20
3/27/20
3/28/20
3/29/20
3/30/20
4/1/20
A prayer for the living !
4/2/20
4/3/20
4/4/20
More Sunday Kivo !
4/5/20
4/6/20
4/7/20
4/8/20
4/9/20
4/10/20
4/11/20
4/12/20
4/13/20
4/14/20
4/15/20
4/16/20
4/17/20
4/18/20
Yo Mona , “showin” your salty side !
4/19/20
4/20/20
4/21/20
4/22/20
4/23/20
4/24/20
4/25/20
Well today’s rug , carpet and antiquities auction at Austria Auction Company , Vienna , Austria is in the books and from a rug and carpet perspective it went very well for Udo and the crew at A.A.C. .
Unfortunately the antiquities didn’t do very well at all.
This was a small ( 54 lots ) offering but more of a high end assortment from a rug and carpet perspective and with only 13 lots offered for sale being passed , a fairly positive outcome . A sold percentage of right at 76% . On par with other recent A.A.C.auctions which is great in this troubling time , pretty respectable .
Nothing in the way of upside drama , things that should have done well did , others more in the pedestrian range sold in the mid to low end as far as current rug market pricing goes . But still sold is sold .
As for the 20 antiquities in that portion of the sale only 5 of 20 lots offered found new homes . This figure speaks for it self !
A few things that seemed worth a mention are posted below.
Lot # 7 . Salor frag. Pre- sale est. € 8-1,200.00 . Unsold and why it was even in the sale is my question ?
Lot # 30 , Eagle gol trapping . Pre-sale est. € 25-35,000.00 . Sold for a very respectable € 44,000.00 + comm.
Lot # 37 . Yellow Ground Yastik .Pre- sale est. An aggressive € 30- 40,000.00 . Sold for a still strong € 34,000.00+ comm considering the amount of restoration. Still my favorite piece in the sale , if it matters !
Sunday go ta meet’in , Cali style !
4/26/20
Dog o the week ,
Be smart , be safe , but don‘t hide either . Do not let the fear mongering Dimi’s influence your life . This is not political ! Life will resume in a new dimension in the near future , Enshallah ! Sheik Frederich , 2020 .
Shitty movie o the week , Nothing but B.S. reruns !
Movie o the week , As you would assume not much out there !
Song o the week , Biff Byford , School of Hard Knocks on School of Hard Knocks , 2020.
Read More
12/26/19 , Grapes of Wrath make the best Wine !
12/26/19
Emersed in the end of the year holidays and winter business doldrums !
12/27/19
“Via con dios” the legendary radio pioneer Don Imus of the “Imus in the Morning” radio program . An awesome 50 year career and radio hall of Famer . Gone but never to be forgotten !
12/28/19
12/29/19
12/30/19
12/31/19
Yes , No Maybe ?
1/1/20
Happy , Happy , Joy , Joy !!!
1/2/20
1/3/20
A great day for the U.S.A. !
1/4/20
1/5/20
1/6/20
1/7/20
Another tragic loss in the Metal / Music world !
Neil Peart percussionist extraordinaire of the “Great” Canadian prog – metal band “Rush” passed over to the other side today after a long battle with the demon cancer . You are already missed and your legacy will live on through the vast body of music you leave behind !
1/8/20
1/9/20
1/10/20
1/11/20
1/12/20
Sunday , Kivo!
1/13/20
1/14/20
1/15/20
1/16/20
1/17/20
1/18/20
And then there was Saturday !
1/19/20
1/20/20
1/21/20
1/22/20
1/23/20
1/24/20
1/25/20
So Udo and the gang at A.A.C.s first sale today of 2020 season is in the books and it fell pretty much inline with their 7 sales of this type in 2019. Looking over “Liveauctioneer’s “ unaudited posted results out of the 278 total lots offered only approximately 64 failed to garner and bidding activity. A sold percentage of right at 77% but as with all A.A.C. auctions that generally pops up a bit with the final accurate count.
As for the sale itself there was nothing in the way of a genuine upside pops and most prices fetched at or somewhat below their pre-sale estimates . Many things sold very conservative even with their low starting points .One thing worth noting , Caucasians were moving but at very conservative levels . Still a decent beginning start for A.A.C. With hopefully better things on the horizon with their Collectors Rugs IV sale on Feb. 25th and their Fine Ant. Oriental Rug XIXX on March 21st.
1/26/20
1/27/20
1/28/20
1/29/20
1/30/20
1/31/20
2/1/20
This is hope a partial listing of upcoming rug events for the 2020 spring rug auction season .
Feb. 28th , Austria Auction Co. Collectors Rugs IV .
March 21st , Austria Auction Co. Fine Antique Oriental Rugs XIX .
March 25th , Dorotheum , Vienna , Austria . Rugs Carpets and textiles .
March 28th Rippon Boswell , General Carpet Auction.
March 31st Bonham’s , London . Islamic and Indian Art . Rugs included ?
April 1st , Sotheby’s , London . “Art’s of the Islamic World” including rugs , textiles and carpets .
April 2nd , Christie’s , London. “Arts of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including rugs and carpets .
2/2/20
2/3/20
2/4/20
2/5/20
Freedom and vindication today !
2/6/20
2/7/20
Tragedy hit the international surfing world with news that standout French 10 time surf champ Poeti Norac passed away at the very young age of 24 this last weekend . A legit up and comer with plenty to look forward , you are already missed and will be remembered by the international surfing community !
2/8/20
2/9/20
Another Sunday with Kivo!
2/10/20
A.A.C.’s next house cleaning sale is live “on the line” now for all with extra time on their hands to peruse . A gain this is another low end sale consisting of 136 lots of mediocre items with nothing of any importance to mention but perhaps it’s the lost leader leading up to the more important and interesting sale scheduled on March 21st ?
2/11/20
2/12/20
2/13/20
Saturday Fun !
2/14/20
2/15/20
2/16/20
Dog o the week , A 2 Fur !
Looks like it’s time to keep an eye on the deadly “gang” that apparently can’t shoot straight ! Sheik Frederich , 2020.
Shitty movie o the week , Alita: Battle Angel ,2019. Just stupid!
Movie o the week ,The Lincoln Lawyer , 2011.
Song o the week British Lion , The Burning on The Burning , 2020.
Read More
12/2/19 Hey , Eric C. , you gotta “bigga” mouth ,now come out to play !
12/2/19
Welcome to the best day of the Year !
12/3/19
12/4/19
12/5/19
Grogan Days are upon us !
Todays sale is in the bag and it turned out very well for Mr Grogan and staff as far a sold percentage goes . Out of the total 107 lots offered only 17 failed to find buyers . A sold percentage of about 82% , very good considering it’s the tail end of the fall 2019 rug auction season .
This was a fairly small offering and there was not a superstar lot to get the rug- mob buzzing so prices fetched were for the most part in line with pre-sale estimates but there were a couple of upside pops to liven things up a bit. Note lot #’s 23 and especially # 58. A hefty price for this somewhat late date and not particularly good looking Turkmen item , in my opinion !
As for the 2 lots i featured in the sale review one sold one did not .
Lot # 29 , Bakshish cpt. Pre-sale est. $5-7,000.00 . Sold for $ 9,760.00 including comm. A fair price for a well known piece!
Lot # 98 , East Anatolian divan cover . Pre- sale est. $ 3-5,000.00 . Unsold , restoration might have held this one back!
So there you have an other small but well done production by Mr Grogan and staff . Hopefully they stay in the game the rug market in the U.S. needs them !
12/6/19
12/7/19
12/8/19
12/9/19
12/10/19
12/11/19
Travel day , NYC !
12/12/19
12/13/19
12/14/19
Ready for the return , the O.C.
Here we go with the “Liveauctioneer’s” posted results of “Henry’s Auktionshaus AG” , Mutterstadt , Germany’s 40th Anniversary rug and carpet to pretty much finish off the 2019 fall rug auction season !
Out of the 380 total items run across the auctioneer’s podium approximately 268 ended up finding new homes according to the unaudited , current posted results . A sold percentage of right at a very respectable 71% considering many of the pieces offered had very little in the way of any age at all . Early to mid 20th century at best.
As for the sale itself there was nothing in the way of an upside pop to excite the crowd and many of the items that did sell brought very conservative prices to say the least . A couple of things worth noting .
Tibetan pieces seemed to do very well . Not particularly strong prices fetched , but selling well none the less !
One other thing Caucasian lots were weak but again there was not a piece of any merit in the selection.
As for the lot’s i featured in the sale review all 3 found new homes .
Lot # 105 , Pao Tao rug . Pre-sale est. € 2,1-3,200.00 . Sold just over the high est. at € 3,400.00 . Obammer would be proud !
Lot # 250 Early Tibetan frag. Pre-sale est. € 550-1,200.00 . Sold for a very reasonable € 850.00 .
Lot # 247 Arabachi ensi . Pre- sale est. € 7,1- 8,500.00 . Sold for € 12,000.00 . Closest thing to an upside burst and the high water mark of the whole sale !
So there you have it a reasonably successful , but boring rug and carpet auction in the books at Henry’s Auktionhaus AG . Still a decent job so a “tip of the hat” to the Henry’s staff for a modestly commendable production!
12/15/19
12/16/19
12/17/19
12/18/19
12/19/19
Well it appears Udo and the gang at A.A.C.are already getting ready to start the New Year off with a little fireworks .
Two sales are currently in the starting blocks .
First up , another one of their popular mid- range sales with conservative starting points scheduled on Jan. 20th at their Vienna gallery. This sale features 278 lots similar to the 7 previous sales in 2019. Decent merchandise type pieces with very reasonable pre-sale estimates to give buyers with limited resources a chance have an opportunity against the dealers out there . Unfortunately nothing in this group for serious collectors , however?
The next sale scheduled on Mar.21st is listed as , “Fine Antique Oriental Rugs XIX” and should feature items directed more toward the serious collectors of the world so it something to look forward to. No details on this yet .
12/20/19
12/21/19
12/22/19
Your latest Sunday “ Kivo”
12/23/19
Headlong into to the lengthy holiday week !
12/24/19
12/25/19
Dog o the week !
Dim Sh**’s , looks like you got hit by a truck and the driver didn’t stop ! , Boo Yah ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Nothing stinky for the moment but i am sure that will change shortly !
Movie o the week , It Happened on 5th Avenue , 1947. With the beautiful Gale Storm . Relevant today , pay attention .
Song o the week , Wednesday 13 , Decompose on Necrophaze , 2019.
Read More
11/25/19 , And the left is surrounded by a Bangalore Choir ?
11/25/29
11/26/19
11/27/19
Well i have to tell you today’s “Connoisseur Collection” rug and carpet auction at Sotheby’s , London auction gallery went far better for Ms Coulter and the Sotheby’s rug dept. than i ever imagined it would . I thought because so many of the better lots had recent auction history it would hurt the sale results but this was certainly not the case on this occasion .
They were “swinging for the fences” with this offering and maybe it wasn’t quite a home run but a triple for sure. So a “tip of the hat” to them on a job well done !
Out of the 116 total lots run across the podium only 27 failed to attract bidding activity . A sold percentage of right at 77%, well over what i figured might be the final outcome . Granted the prices fetched were all over the place with some over the high estimate but also a fair number of items sold very reasonable if not actually cheap .
A few of the sale high lights did take off a bit and are featured below .
Lot # 51 , Chinese silk cpt. Pre- sale est. £ 10-15,000.00 . Sold for £ 35,000.00 . These once unsalable unpopular items continue to bring very strong prices in the current market !
Lot # 97 , Star Oushak cpt. Pre- sale est. £ 65- 90,000.00 . Sold for £ 150,000.00. I don’t quite get this one ( early ) but very stiff to my eye , however the market felt very differently about it .
Lot # 116 , Lotto cpt. Pre -sale est. £ 150- 250,000.00 . Sold for £ 237,500.00 . A strong price for a piece that although early is thin and missing on all 4 sides!
So there you have it. A very successful turn of event’s for the Sotheby’s rug dept. I just wonder if the collector who put the pieces up for sale is also happy with the final outcome ?
11/28/19
11/29/19
11/30/19
Rippon day has arrived .
So we are off to the races !
The excursion is over and the “liveauctioneer’s” unaudited results are live “on the line “ for you to ponder.
From where i sit the overall sale went very well for D.M. , Mr Zaleski and the Rippon staff . Out of the 162 total lots offered for your bidding entertainment only about 52 lots failed to attract buyer attention , however i am fairly sure the after auction sale might pop that number up a bit. This works out to a sold percentage of right at 68% . Not anything to truly get excited about but considering some of the prices fetched a very good showing . As you would also expect with all sales of this nature some things also sold at what might be considered conservative prices .
One other thing certainly worth mentioning.
There were a number of very nice upside pops to create a little excitement. Note lot numbers 3,11,14,15 ,17 and 91 a few of which are featured below .
Lot # 11 , Farahan saddle cover. Pre-sale est. € 2,3-2,400.00 . Sold for € 12,000.00 plus comm. Well deserved in my humble opinion!
Lot # 17 , Shirvan prayer rug . Pre-sale est. € 6,4-6,500.00 . Sold for a very mind boggling € 24,000.00 plus comm. Nice but a surprise to me !
Lot # 95 , Pinwheel Kazak cpt. Per-sale est. € 29,900- 30,000.00 . Sold for € 62,000.0 plus comm. I did not think this type of piece was particularly popular anymore , surprise , surprise !
As for the 3 lots i featured in the sale review all found new homes .
Lot # 3 , Shahsevan bag face . Pre- sale est. € 1,1-1,200.00. Sold for a very strong € 3,400.00 plus comm.
Lot # Baluch prayer rug . Pre- sale est. € 1,7-1,800.00 . Sold just below the zone at € 1,600.00 plus comm.
Lo # Sarab cpt. Pre- sale est. € 1,4-1,500.00 . Again sold just below the zone at € 1,200.00 plus comm .
All said and done a good days work D.M. and staff , Bravo to you all !
12/1/19
The day before the best “day o the year” !
You’re Sunday “Kivo” to brighten your day !!!
Dog o the week ?
Forgive them dummy , Dimi’s , Jesus for they know not what they do !, Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Once again clear !
Movie o the week , Entebbe , 2018. A serious must see movie , awesome !
Song o the week , Volbeat , Die to Live on Rewind , Replay , Rebound , 2019.
Read More11/18/19 , Blazing blue stupidity still “runnin” wild !
11/18/19
11/19/19
11/20/19
11/21/19
The results from today’s sale of the “left overs” from the Simon Crosby collection at Dreweatt’s auction house Berk. U.K. are available “on the line” so you can continue your education of what’s currently happening in the rug market at this point in time .
To start off with , although this was not a big dollar event it still turned out very well for Dreweatt’s and the Crosby estate with only 2 lots of the total 47 lots not finding new homes . Granted some of the pieces sold a little on the conservative side , however at least 6 pieces had decent upside pops , Note , lot #’s 1 , 8 , 22 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 40 .
All said , nothing to get excited about but a nice chance for a shot at some real but still buyable collectors items which is rare these days !
One lot that did catch the “collectors eye” a bit , lot # 40 , most likely a 6 gul Tekke torba frag.with a pre- sale est. of a conservative £ 6-800.00 sold for a well deserved £ 2,800.00 . Cut and shut but with a scarce secondary gul .
As for the 2 pieces i posted in the auction review both sold one quite well , the other in line with the estimate .
Lot # 22 , Salor juval frag. Pre- sale est. £ 4-600.00 . Sold for £ 2,400.00 . Far more than the estimate , as expected .
Lot # 36 , Saryk ensi frag. Pre- sale est. £ 5-800.00 . Sold for £ 850.00 . Slightly over the high est. but did think this piece might do much better .
11/22/19
Next in line , the highly anticipated rug and carpet auction at Grogan & Co. , Boston , Ma . scheduled on Dec 5th and it is up and run-in “on the line” at this very moment for your viewing consumption !
Where to begin on this one . Well as is the norm with a Grogan production everything is for the most part in pretty good condition and Mr G. has , as is his M.O. kept the pre- sale estimates on the realistic side to create a positive attitude leading up to the sale .
The only thing i can find fault in the offering is the lack of a real top shelf collectors item to get the brothers and sisters in the Rug- Mob buzzing. However considering how hard it is to get you hands on something of this nature its certainly understandable .
Concerning the sale inventory itself its a fairly standard selection of better pieces but on the more commercial collectors item and decorative side . Not bad , but not exciting either .
After careful consideration a couple of lots i went back to more than once are featured below.
Lot # 29 , Bakshaish cpt. Pre- sale est. $ 5-7,000.00 . Been around before but i always kinda liked it .
Lot # 98 , East Anatolian divan cover . Pre- sale est. $ 3-5,000.00 . Not usually my taste but i think the main border of this piece is very cool ! But it looks like it could use a good cleaning ?
My final thought on this endeavor is it’s a decent selection of popular pieces i figure with the inviting pre-sale starting points it should turn out just fine for M.G. and staff .
11/23/19
And then there is your Sunday “Kivo” to end the week !!!
One last thing , plenty of action for the Thanksgiving holiday next week .
11/24/29
Dog o the week !
What’s it like to be in it for the money but not in it for the money ?, Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Again nothing particularly hideous this week .
Movie o the week , The Martian ,2015 . Watched this movie many times. Easily one of the best movie’s Matt Damon ever made !
Song o the week . Phil Campbell , These Old Boots on Old Lions Still Roar , 2019 . Easily the best new song i have heard lately !
Read More11/11/19 Snowflakes melting in a blaze of Red Fire !
11/11/19
Sotheby’s , London’s , “Rugs and Carpets of a Connoisseur” scheduled on Nov. 27th is now live “on the line” for your viewing education at this very moment ?
After multiple excursions through the auction inventory my first thoughts are this , Ms Coulter and the Sotheby’s rug dept. are ‘swingin’ for the fences with this little adventure into the rug marketing hemisphere .
As far as the selection goes it includes 116 total lots of a little bit of everything from a “single collector” thats trying to attract pretty much everyone interested in oriental rugs of any type !
That said the outcome of this sale is a little in doubt for me . Many of the better lots in the sale have been through the rug auction market in the last few years already and i wonder if todays rug collecting public will accept the recent retreads even if some are at lower levels ?
One other thing worth mentioning is that the sale inventory is loaded will better items , of which some come with fairly aggressive pre- sale estimates , but some may be a little more in the realistic realm. The pre-sale estimates are really kinda all over the place in this offering.
My final notion is this an impressive offering except for the fact that so many of the best pieces are well known to the market already which could easily hurt the sold total .
All in it’s a fairly flashy selection except for the fact it’s lacking fresh to the market items . With that i hope it turns out well for Ms Coulter and staff !
No matter how you look at it a production like this still a lot of work , so “Good Luck” to them!
11/12/19
11/13/19
11/14/19
Henry’s Auktion House , Mutterstadt , Germany is having a rug , carpet and textile sale on Dec. 14th that features 380 lots that includes a little bit of every type of oriental weaving your little heart could “desire”.
Like most sales in Germany these days most of the items in the group are late and in German / very good condition.
As you might also expect with this type of sale after more than a few passes through the sale inventory i did not find much that would get the international Rug- Mob or myself worked up , just a large selection of late pieces aimed straight at the European retail market .
To be unbiased there are a modest number of older items . Unfortunately nothing particularly important , maybe just a cut above the majority of pieces in the sale on the scale of collectability.
In the end this is for the most part a large but rather ordinary , uninteresting rug auction but it’s still worth a quick look if your a rug and textile aficionado !
A few lots i felt were sort of interesting are posted below , all for different reasons .
Lot # 105 , Pao Tao rug. Pre-sale est. € 2,1- 3,200.00 . In a twisted way it reminds of the Previous POTUS in a space helmet !
Lot # 150 , Early fragment , ( Tibetan ) ? Pre-sale est.€ 550-1,200.00 . My favorite lot in the sale .
Lot # 247 , Arabachi ensi . Pre- sale est. € 7-8,500.00 . Nice looking but tricky with all the cochineal pile ?
11/15/19
11/16/19
Happy A.A.C. Day , now on with the sale outcome .
First up these are “Invaluable” unaudited results .
Out of the 31 lots offered only 4 failed to find new homes . A sold percentage of right at 85 %. Granted this was a very small offering but the pieces were for the most part of a higher level .
Not too much in the way of upside action but a couple of pieces did pop up a little , lot numbers , 9 , 22 and unexpectedly from where i sit # 28 which did take off a bit but thats about it as far as excitement goes .
Concerning the two items i featured in the sale review both sold .
Lot # 13 , Sarkisla rug . Pre- sale est. € 20-30,000.00 . Sold for € 25,000.00 , right in the zone .
Lot # 19 , Transylvanian prayer . Pre- sale est. € 20-30,000.00 . Sold for € 30,000.00 . Nice but i thought this piece might do a bit better !
My final thought is this , Mr Langauer and staff should feel pretty good about the outcome of this excursion.
Hat’s off to you !
11/17/19
Your Sunday Kivo !
“Unwanted” , Dog o the week !
Boo Yah ! , Dimi’s born stupid and “git-tin” worse by the minute ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Caca free week , but don’t worry i am sure that will change soon ?
Movie o the week , Margin Call , 2011.
Song o the week, Crobot , Low Life on Motherbrain , 2019.
Read More
11/3/19 Running smack into gods speed !
11/3/19
Starting the new week we have the next offering from Udo and the gang at A.A.C.
My first thoughts on this sale is it’s a totally different direction for the A.A.C. crew than their previous 7 auctions they have staged this year. This time around the production inventory consist of 31 lots of high end rugs , carpets and textiles from an Austrian private collection scheduled on Nov. 16th at their Vienna gallery .
After a few passes through the sale selection i have to say there is not much in the way of a clunker in the whole group . I am not familiar with a couple of the textile lots but generally speaking the assortment is pretty high quality across the board , in my humble opinion , of course !
Next , Mr Langauer has done a good job in not going overboard with the pre- sale estimates and starting point’s which should spark international Rug- Mob interest in the sale itself.
There you have it . A modest in size offering of for the most part top shelf items at the tail end of the fall 2019 rug auction season to make things interesting and create competition. So get out your check books and let the fun begin.
A couple of lots i went back to more than one time are featured below .
Lot # 13 , Sarkisla rug . Pre- sale starting point € 10,000.00 . Very reasonable for a great example but it’s not where you start its where you finish.
If anyone cares my favorite piece in the group !
Lot # 19 Transylvanian prayer rug . Pre- sale starting point € 10,000.00 . If recent history is any indicator this piece should do very well.
11/4/19
11/5/19
Well todays “Dorotheum” sale is one for the books and i have to say it turned somewhat better for Mr Matschek and the “Dorotheum” rug dept. than i thought it would . Out of the 271 total lots offered up for sale approximately 185 ended up attracting buyers . A sold percentage of right at 69%. I figured that the late age of many of the items offered and the lack of any serious , interesting collectors items would hurt the turnout at the sale but that was not the case , at least this time around . I guess the pursuit of German quality items is still alive and selling well , at least at the Dorotheum !
As for the sale itself , high tech Persian city pieces and Tibetan items sold very well and there were at least 12 nice upside pops to make the auction a little more interesting .
Unfortunately the 2 most absorbing lots included in the sale failed to attract any bidder action.
Lot # 37 , S Group main cpt . Starting bid € 38,000.00 . Unsold , perhaps to much exposure in the international Turkmen market already ?
Lot # 205 , N.W. Persian cpt. . Starting bid € 20,000.00 . Unsold , maybe to optimistic pricing for the Austrian / European rug buying public ?
That said still a pretty good outcome for the Dortheum Auction Gallery ! Kudos to you !
11/6/19
11/7/19
11/8/19
An interesting rug auction has turned up at the Dreweatt’s Auction house in Berk. U.K. on Nov.21st .
The offering consist of 47 lots from the late , great Simon Crosby’s collection.
So most of the items in the sale inventory are earlier pieces but in fragmentary condition . As stated by “Dreweatt’s” many of his most likely better pieces have been donated to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford , U.K. I knew Simon from the first conference on oriental rugs in London , 1976 and he told me his main interest was in rugs , specifically Ersari/ Beshire pieces with the boteh design and there are none in the sale inventory .
That said , all though the majority of the lots in the sale are frags. and not in the best of condition it should create a modest buzz in the “Rug Mob” universe !
One other thing worth noting . The pre-sale estimates are in my opinion very realistic !
Two lots i re-viewed numerous times are posted below .
Lot # 22, Turkmen , Saryk juval frag. Pre- sale est. £ 4-600.00 . Clearly S Group and one of the highlights of the offering .
Lot # 36 , Saryk Ensi frag. Pre- sale est.£ 5-600.00 . Pictured upside down it appears to be an earlier example and should do well.
11/9/19
Next up the “Zaleski Collection” auction scheduled on Nov.30th at Rippon Boswell , Wiesbaden , Germany .
To begin with this sale is made up of 162 lots of rugs , carpets and textiles from most every weaving area and it appears most of this group is in pretty good condition . The down side is Mr Zaleski is said to have a total collection of maybe 7-800 pieces and this is clearly a house cleaning sale to get the bulk down a bit . We have all seen the Hali articles and none of the more important items are included in this sale , as they should not be !
That said after multiple excursions through the sale inventory i see that there are plenty of above average but more commercial grade mid – range collectors items to consider and Mr Maltzahn has done a pretty good job of keeping the pre- sale estimates at least mostly in the ballpark.
I personally did not see a whole lot of items that appealed to my collecting sense personally but a small handful of lots that stuck with me a bit are featured below.
Lot # 3 , Shahsavan bag face . Pre- sale starting point € 1,200.00 . The one lot in the complete sale inventory that appealed to me most !
Lot # 28 , Baluch prayer rug . Pre- sale starting point € 1,800.00 . Unimportant , but a nice face !
Lot # 91 , Sarab mat . Pre-sale € 1,800.00 . Quirky , cool !
On a personal note i crossed paths with Mr Z. a couple of times in the NYC rug market and did not find him to be the most pleasant person i have ever met . But that is neither here “nor” there in this case !
11/10/19
Heading straight into the end of the fall 2019 rug auction season only one more possibly important sale to look forward to.
Mark your calendar’s , Dec. 5th , Grogan’s , Boston , Ma . Not much in the way of details on this one yet by the crafty Mr Grogan !
Don’t forget your Sunday Kivo !
Dog o the week !
Yo , Dimi’s what’s it like to be dumb as a stump and know the woodchuckers commin ? Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , The Mule ,2018 . 3.5 poopsickles out of 5. What was C.E. thinking ? Anybody who’s been around the block knows this is B.S. !
Movie o the week , The Girl in the Spiders Web, 2018.
Song o the week , Dirty Honey , When i’m Gone on Dirty Honey , 2019.
Read More10/5/19 , When the Reaper comes a call- in !
10/5/19
We start the new week with an interesting announcement from Micheal Grogan and Groganco , Boston ,Ma.
They are planing a special Winter, Rug Textile and Carpet auction on Dec. 5th and are now accepting offers to consign so here is you big chance , get to work !
10/6/19
R.I.P , Peter Edward “ Ginger” Baker , legendary drummer for the one and only English rock band Cream , Blind Faith and many others ! I new him a bit from his time in Cali. when he was with “Masters of Reality” and contrary to most opinions he was a pretty cool guy to be around . Make no mistake your legend will live on through your music for all of time!
10/7/19
1/8/19
10/9/19
10/10/19
Well what do you say , what you know ? just this !
Udo and the gang at A.A C. are once more back in the game with what is their 7th sale of the year , titled “Collectors Rugs” scheduled on Nov. 2nd in their Vienna gallery . This sale consist of 231 total lots of all types of rugs , carpets and textiles and features many lots from the noted German/ Persian dealer Siawosch Azadi .
Well after multiple passes through the sale inventory my first impression is it’s over loaded with low end and beginner Turkmen items. I am somewhat framilar with many of the better Azadi pieces and none of them are included in this offering . It appears to just the left over shop inventory , hence the “ no reserve” feature .
As for the none Azadi items there is just not much of anything to get the serious collectors in the “Rug- Mob” excited just mid – range stuff ! How ever if your on a budget or a bargain hunter this maybe another opportunity for you to blow some cash and piece up a mediocre piece at an inexpensive price !
One positive note the pre- sale starting are again on the conservative so there could be an opportunity lurking in the group !
To be fair 2 lots i thought were slightly more interesting are featured below.
Lot # 125 Saryk juval . Pre- sale starting point a very realist € 240.00 . Although damaged it should do much better .
Lot # 172 , Serab Mat . Pre- sale starting point € 400.00 . More decorative than collectable but a very snappy face !
10/11/19
10/12/19
Any given Sunday !
10/13/19
10/14/19
10/15/19
10/16/19
10/17/19
10/18/19
On deck now for your viewing amusement the Dorotheum , Vienna , Austria has their fall major rug , carpet and textile auction scheduled on Nov. 5th live “on the line” now . This time out Mr Matschek has assembled a collection of 271 various rugs , carpets and textiles .
Unfortunately this is for the most part a standard “Dorotheum” European , beginning collector / or retail consumer type sale inventory .
That is not say there is not quite a few better but late items in good condition to consider but if you are a serious rug collector there are only perhaps 2 lots that should possibly attract Rug- Mob attention !
One lot # 37 , the much promoted S Group main carpet . Starting bid € 38,000.00 . Not an overly aggressive starting point .
And lot # 205 N.W. Persian cpt. . Starting bid € 20,000.00 . Not necessarily collectable but in this more modern assortment sort of close to a classic look.
So there you have my opinion , a mostly late but reasonably good looking sale . Just not aimed the serious collectors market .
At any rate Good Luck” to Mr Matschak and staff !
10/19/19
10/20/19
And the there is Sun on Sunday !
10/21/19
10/22/19
Bonham’s , London held their fall “Islamic and Indian Art” sale today .
The sale did not include any rugs or carpets but did feature 7 susani’s and 7 textile lots two of which were worth a mention .
Lot # 53 . Silk Ikat panel . Sold for $ 5,691.00 including comm. To my eye , very beautiful .
Lot # 72 . Ottoman velvet panel . Sold for $ 120,323.00 including comm. I guess the Middle Eastern market is still hungry for these !
10/23/19
Today’s Sotheby’s , London’s , Art’s of the Islamic World is in the books and from an over all sold standpoint it was only modestly successful for them with a large number of unsold . There were more than a few nice upside pops but not enough to make up for the many unsold lots .
As for what did sell in the rug and textile items included in the group , 2 of 5 textiles sold and one of the two carpets .
Lot # Kurdish Garden Carpet frag which i featured in the previous sale review . Pre-Sale est. £ 7-10,000.00 . Sold for £ 56,250.00 . One of the nice upside surprises .
The other lot i featured in the earlier review . Lot # 248 , Mughal tile panel . Pre- sale est. £ 15-25,000.00 failed to sell . I figure the damage must have been a deciding factor !
One textile lot worth reviewing. Lot # 208 , Silk Samite shirt . Pre- sale est. £ 200-300,000.00 sold for £ 243,750.00 . I know nothing about this type of textile but someone out there sure does !
10/24/19
Well todays Christie’s , London’s sale , “Islamic Art” featuring oriental rugs and carpets did not turn out quite so well for Ms Broadhurst and the Christie’s rug dept. Out of 85 rugs and carpets crossing the podium only 45 ended up finding new homes. A sold percentage of right at 53%. Hardly a successful outing for then but not a complete disaster either.
Going over the sold items there were no upside pops to help the outcome , and no weaving areas rugs were weak or strong. The unsold lots were pretty much across the board .
As for the textile lots all 4 pieces offered did end up selling .
Unfortunately the 5 susani’s offered did not fair as well with only lot # 199 Shakhrisabz susani .Pre-sale est.£ 20-30,000.00 , selling for £ 40,000.00 . The only highlight of the rug and textile portion of the sale !!
As for the 2 lots i featured in the sale review one sold ,one did not .
Lot # 223 , Kurdish cpt. Pre- sale est.£ 20- 30,000.00 . Sold for £ 25,000.00 . Right in the zone and my favorite piece in the sale .
Lot # 255 , Anatolian Long Rug . Pre- sale est. £ 4-6,000.00 . Unsold , condition issues i would suspect !
My final thought on this sale is this i thought it would be more successful but many of the “better lots” did not find buyers for what ever reason so with that i say “Kudos”:to Ms Broadhurst and the Christie’s rug and textile dept. for a nice effort and better luck next time !
10/25/19
The sale ay Christie’s London of the well known collector / dealer Oliver Hoare did far better than yesterdays “Islamic Art” sale. This was a general antiques sale that included 5 oriental rugs . Out of the total 120 items offered for sale only 12 did not sell . All 5 oriental rugs did find buyers .
The on lot i reviewed in the previous blog post , lot # 68 , Silk Heraldic rug , possibly Kashan , pre-sale est.£ 25-30,000.00 sold for £ 30,000.00 . An oddity buy in some ways kinda cool !
There was one substantial upside surprise .
Lot # 71 , Tibetan Saddle rug . Pre-sale est. £ 2,5-3,500.00 . Sold for £ 9,375.00. . A surprise in that this piece has ever synthetic color you can imagine and possible color run too . I had know idea this kind of piece bring such a figure , but you learn something every day .
10/26/19
10/27/19
Mr Kearney’s fall rug , carpet and textile extravaganza at Skinner’s , Boston Gallery just wrapped up and from an items sold standpoint it turned out as i figured fairly successful for them. Out of the 370 total lots run over the podium 321 ended up attracting bidder action . A sold percentage of right at 86+% . So far the best sold percentage of the fall auction season up yo this point.
As for the sale it self things sold across the board nothing particularly weak or strong . For a change Mid- range , mediocre Caucasians held there own. Lately in other sales they had been struggling .
The one thing that was a bit of a weak sector was the Sandra Whitman collection of Chinese ,East Turkestan lots which with the somewhat aggressive pre-sale estimates did not sell well. Oh-well live and learn on that one in a choppy rug market !
There were how quite a number of substantial upside pops to bring a bit of excitement to the sale. A few of the prominent are listed below .
LoT # 117 , Konya Yastick
Lot # 128 , Kazak prayer rug
Lot # 133 , Pinwheel Kazak
Lot # 140 , Sileh flatweave carpet
Lot # 157 , N.W. Persian carpet
Lot # 160 , Bakshaish carpet
Lot # 235 , (Shirvan) Akstafa prayer rug
To name a few .
As for the 2 lots i featured in the sale review one sold , one did not .
Lot # 102 , Ningxia square . Pre-sale est. $ 1,2-1,500.00 . Unsold . Prehaps the wear held it back .
Lot # Transylvanian prayer rug . Pre- sale est , $6-7,000.00 . Sold for a well deserved $ 67,650.00 . I guess there was no condition issue on the left side . The high water point of the whole sale .
So there you have it another job well done by Mr Kearney and the Skinner’s auction staff.
Hats off to you !!!
10/28/19
10/29/19
10/30/19
10/31/19
Halloween Hi Jinx !
11/1/19
11/2/19
Underway at today’s A.A.C. sale in their Vienna , Austria gallery featuring items from the “Azadi collection” and so far the “Liveauctioneer’s” posted results are right in line with this years previous 6 A.A.C. auction results.
Up to this point items are selling but at very reasonable figures and there is nothing at all in the way of an interesting upside pop what so ever liven up the production . Stuff selling for stuff prices , bargains galore.
Well the sale just finished up and my first thoughts are These two things .
Low end Turkmens were weak and also the Chinese lots in the group did not preform well at all perhaps the worst section of the sale. Granted they were for the most part very mediocre, commercial examples to begin with but they still under preformed , in my opinion !
As for the rest of the sale itself , out of the 231 total lots offered 176 ended up finding new homes according to “Liveauctioneer’s” unaudited posted results . A sold percentage of right at 76% in line with all the other A,A.C. sales this year .
From my eye this was another middle of the road rug auction with predictable rugs but you have to give “props” to Udo and the gang at A.A.C. for staging yet another fairly successful rug auction with more to come on Nov. 16th , hopefully some higher quality pieces for a change!
As for the 2 lots i featured in the auction review both sold. .
Lot # 125 , Saryk juval frag.Pre- sale starting point € 240.00 Sold for a very reasonable € 500.00 .
Lot # 172 , Serab mat . Pre-sale starting point € 400.00 . Sold for a well deserved € 1,200.00 .
Dog o the week !
Gracia’s , M.F. ?
Dimi – craps can only get away with the stupid uninformed act for so long before it blows up in their face , Cadaver beware !, Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Buried, 2010. 5 poopsickles out of 5 . Why Ryan Reynolds made this movie is a mystery to me !
Movie o the week , In the Valley of Violence , Beware when you cross paths with vengeance !
Song o the week, The B’zz , Get up Get Angry on Get Up , 2004 .
Read More9/3/19 , Disillusioned in the Lap of Luxury !
9/3/19
A day late and still short of fresh rugdumb news !
9/4/19
9/5/19
9/6/19
9/7/19
An other Kivo Sunday !
9/8/19
9/9/19
9/10/19
9/11/19
9/12/19
9/13/19
Sad but not unexpected music world news today .
You are with God now .
The great rock vocalist “Eddie Money” passed away today . Known for his hits like “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Shakin” his memory will live on through them for all time!
9/14/19
9/15/19
9/16/19
9/17/19
Nagel Auktion Gallery , Stuttgart , Germany held their”major” fall rug ,carpet and textile sale today and it turned out to be from a rug and carpet point of view a bit of a disaster for them .
As i said in the previous sale review this was about as an uninteresting group of rugs and carpets as you can put together and the sale results tended to show that to be true. Out of the total 170 lots run across the podium only 59 ended up attracting bidder attention. A sold percentage of right at 33% , certainly not what they were looking for !
As for excitement there were a couple of good upside pops but not enough to make the sale be considered a success .
Lot # 68a , Kashan cpt . Pre- sale est. € 3,000.00 . Sold for € 12,500.00 .
Lot # 113 , Anatolian multi arch kelim . Pre- sale est. € 2800.00 . Sold for € 13,000.00 . Published M. Volkmann , 1982 .
One minor bright spot at the end sale.
There were 31 lots of rug literature included at the tail end of the sale and 19 of those lots sold so it appears there are still some folks out there trying to learn a bit about the rug and carpet world which is good .
All in all decent try by the Nagel crew, better luck next time !
9/18/19
Travel day , NYC !
9/19/19
First thoughts are the market is more fractured than ever.
9/20/19
Better than expected results on this excursion to NYC !
9/21/19
Return day , on the way home !
9/22/19
This Sunday ?
9/23/19
Via con Dios , Robert Hunter . Song writer who along with with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead penned some of their most well known songs . A long and fruitful life, your songs will keep you memory alive !
9/24/19
9/25/19
Christie’s , London has their fall major Islamic Art sale scheduled on Oct. 24th , titled ” Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds” live “on the line” now for your viewing pleasure. This time around the rug , carpet and textile portion of the sale features 4 textile lots , 5 susani’s and 85 rugs and carpets.
Unfortunately from a collectors standpoint there are no Turkmen bags , Baluch items , South Persian trappings or sumak bags included in the sale .
There are however many many good to great pieces from all the other major weaving areas .
As usual with an L. B. production fancy city rugs and room size decorative carpets are well represented and there is a decent selection of collectable Caucasian and Turkish items a few of which are in the classic arena.
All in all up to this point in the fall rug auction Ms Broadhurst offering is the best looking sale so far , but the season is young !
A couple of lots that caught my eye are posted below.
Lot # 223 , Kurdish cpt . Pre- sale est. L 20 – 30.000.00. Decorative but snappy. .
Lot # 255 Anatolian long rug . Pre- sale est. L 4 – 6 ,000.00. Tribal and funky ?
9/26/19
Christie’s ,London has another interesting sale scheduled on Oct. 25th featuring the collection of well known collector / dealer “Oliver Hoare” that includes 5 oriental rugs one of which is worth a mention .
Lot # 68 , silk heraldic rug , possibly Kashan, early 20th. Pre -sale est. L 25- 30,000.00. A stiff estimate but a very unusual piece and it will be interesting to see where it lands ?
9/27/19
9/28/19
Udo and the gang at A.A.C. held what must their 6th rug and carpet sale of 2019 today and although not quite as positive a result as their last few sales still a pretty good outcome at this transitional time of the year . This offering featured the “Sailer” collection so it included a number of items other than rugs and textiles .
The rug, carpet and textile portion of the group consisted of 124 lots of all types items and from the “Liveauctioneers” unaudited posted results it appears 86 pieces found new homes. A sold percentage of about 70%. Slightly less than the previous A.A.C. outcomes this year but still fairly successful .
I did not think much of the overall rug / textile selection at first , thinking it included a few good items with a lot of leftover filler type items but there were a few pieces that caught my eye and faired well and they are featured below .
All said another good job by Udo and staff , keep up the good work !
Lot # , Saryk juval frag. Pre-sale est. ? € 8-1,200.00 . Sold for € 13,000.00. unless this is a typo ? A frag. of a pretty good juval. . 
Lot # , 153 , Hezar Jerib . Pre- sale est. € 30-40,000.00. Sold for € 34,000.00 . A surprise to me as i am not familiar with this type of weaving at all ! However you learn something new every day that keeps this business interesting !
Lot # 211 , Chodor juval .Per-sale est. € 1–1,500.00 . Sold for € 2,600.00 . Someone might have got a pretty good deal on this one !
9/29/19
Sotheby’s , London is also in the game now with a sale titled ” Art’s of the Islamic World ” scheduled on Oct. 23rd . Not much in the way of items for the rug and textile crowd with only 5 textile lots and 2 pile carpets , one of which is fairly interesting .
Plenty of “cool” Islamic artifacts to consider, if thats your area of interest !
Two lots that seemed like they were worth a line are posted below .
Lot # 232 , Kurdish garden cpt. frag . Pre-sale est. L 7-10’000.00 . Scarce theses days.
Lot # 248 , Mughal tile panel . Pre-sale est. L 15-25,000.00. Pretty snappy !
9/30/19
10/1/19
10/2/19
10/3/19
10/4/19
To end the week we have Skinner’s , Boston, Ma’s “fall” major rug and carpet extravaganza scheduled on Oct. 27th live ” on the line “at this very moment.
This time out Mr Kearney has assembled a total of approx. 370 lots of all manner of rugs , carpets and various textile items .
After multiple passes through the entire sale inventory my impression is it’s a wide and varied group . Some pretty good pieces , a large selection of “middle of the road” lots and a modest amount of filler pieces . Unfortunately nothing in the way of a clear cut , top shelf collectors item to get the “rug-mob” buzzing .
One good thing about this sale, Mr Kearney has kept the pre-sale estimates on most all the pieces on the conservative side except for a hand full of Chinese / Khotan pieces from a fairly well known dealer which in my opinion might hold them back a bit but , who knows ?
All in , ‘plenty” of things to ponder so it’s well worth your time to take a close look , who knows you might see something that fits into your collecting budget !
I couple of lots i went back to more than once are posted below .
Lot # 102 , Ningxia mat . Pre-sale est. $ 1,2-1,500.00 . Nice but not important . 
Lot # 115 Transylvanian prayer rug . Pre-sale est. 6-7,000.00 . Beware the left side on this one ?
Dog o the week ! a 2 fer !
One has to wonder if todays “Monumental Change” ends in a dismal failure will the “Cadaver and her crew” man up and take full responsibility ? , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , nothing particularly bad lately !
Movie o the week , Hunter Killer , 2018. I don’t particularly like submarine movies but but this is easily the best one i have ever seen!
Song o the week , Eddie Money , Shakin’ on No Control , 1982 .
Read More8/26/19 , One short mis-step from Oblivion ?
8/26/19
Still stuck in the 2018 doldrums !
One update worth a line .
Rippon – Boswell is now on the boards with a Major Autumn sale scheduled on Nov. 23rd at their Wiesbaden Gallery .
8/27/19
Since it’s so slow i am gonna try something different !
The week in photos in my “opinion” to keep the drive alive ?
To start with !
Unfortunate news in the racing world.
Via con Dios ,Jessi Combs perished today following a crash while trying to break her own Woman’s land speed record of 477.59 mph . You passed doing what you loved and will be remember for it !
The lack of activity just burns me up ?
8/28/19
8/29/19
You know the drill on this one ?
8/30/19
Tragically more unfortunate news from the racing world !
Rest in Peace , Anthoine Hubert , Formula 2 driver passed away in a crash today at Spa – Francorchamps 2019 Formula 2 championships prior to Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix . Far too young at 22 years of age.
TGIF !
9/1/19
9/2/19
Labor Day HyJinx !
Eye’s on !
Dog o the week .
Sorry folks , it’s holiday weekend but i for one am sick and tired of bad news on all levels day in and day out ! , Sheik Frederich , 2019.
Shitty movie o the week , Bohemian Rhapsody , 2018. 3 poopsickles out of 5 . Yes i am aware it’s a good cast and well made movie but it ‘s just not a good portrayal of the great Freddie Mercury , in my humble opinion !
Movie o the week , Hitsville – The Making of Motown , 2019 . This one’s a real winner !!!
Song o the week , Amon Amarth , Raven’s Flight on Berserker , 2019 .
Read More