8/13/18 When RAGE finally sets in !
8/13/18
Still on the slow side for the next couple of weeks .
8/14/28
8/15/18
8/16/18
8/17/18
Saturday Fun !
8/18/18
8/19/18
8/20/18
8/21/18
8/22/18
Via con Dios , Ed King original member of Strawberry Alarm Clock band and founding member of the legendary Southern rock band “Lynyrd Skynyrd” . Co- writer of the classic rock anthem “Sweet Home Alabama” , your legacy will live on !
8/23/18
8/24/18
8/25/18
8/26/18
8/27/18
So here we go with the first hit of the fall rug auction season and unfourtunately it’s starting out on a somewhat weak note !
Nagel Auction , Stuttgart , Germany’s major fall sale scheduled on Sept. 11th is live “ on the line” now and after a few passes through the auction inventory i would have to say this is for all intents and purposes very mediocre overall presentation .
This sale consist of 200 lots of rugs , carpets and textiles and 45 lots of ethnic items .
The first portion of the sale ( 50 lots ) is apparently from 2 private collection and includes Tibetan , Chinese and a few unusual ethnic textiles at the end of the group . Most of the pieces are not particularly exciting and some are in poor condition but if this is your area of interest this might be an opportunity to add to your collection .
One thing of note the pre-sale starting points are very reasonable , in my opinion . I did notice one lot # 22 that although in rough condition looked very good with an enticingly low pre-sale starting point .
Lot 22 , Khotan . Pre- sale starting point € 600.00 . An elegant wreck but very good !
Next up the main body the group 150 lots of all manner of rugs , carpets and textiles .
Well as i stated earlier i did not find much to get the “ rug mob “ buzzing in this selection either . Yes , it’s varied group but it lacks anything in the way of real barn burner grab peoples attention . There are some better items included but nothing really stellar. On a positive note i again feel the “Nagel rug dept.” has for the most part has kept the starting points on the conservative side even on the better lots which could lead to a buying opportunity !
That said i did notice 2 pieces i though were worth a mention .
Lot # 89 , Carpet fragments . Pre- sale starting point € 300.00. Possible “ Cheap Thrills” for someone !
Lot # 130 , Salor torba . Pre-sale starting point a very reasonable € 3,500.00 . Published in W. Loges , Turkmen Carpets . Best Turkmen piece in the sale and should do well unless it’s already been flogged , internet or European shows ! As always , in my opinion only !
8/29/18
8/30/18
Next up the Sept. 24th rug and carpet auction at the “Palais Dorotheum” , Vienna , Austria .
Well i don’t exactly know where to begin on this one .To start with it appears to be 218 lots of items clearly aimed at the European retail , decorative market . Newish , good condition , no soul pieces for the most part . Yes there a very few pieces that have a moderate amount of integrity but not many . Just an over abundance of an amount glitzy “Stuff” . And they did NOT get the message to try and keep the opening prices conservative so as to promote sales so it will be interesting to see how the sale ends up. If your a serious collector this sale may not be for you unless your bored and have extra time on your hands .
I did notice one lot that i felt was at least worth a line .
Lot # 23 , Pope – Bernheimer , Khorasan cpt. Pre – sale starting point € 20,000.00 . Who knows where this will lead ?
8/31/18
Start of a long Labor Day holiday weekend in the U.S. of A.
9/1/18
9/2/18
The mighty “Brimfield” takes flight !
9/3/18
9/4/18
And now we proceed with the next installment from “Austria Auction Co.” and their much anticipated “major” fall rug extravaganza scheduled on Sept. 29th in Vienna , Austria . Well this time around for your viewing and possibly bidding pleasure Mr Langauer and staff have assembled 212 total lots from most all the weaving areas .
So after a few passes through the sale inventory i did not notice anything in the way of a serious top shelf collectors item to create pre- sale excitement but there are plenty of decent pieces for buyers to consider . One thing worth noting , seems Udo got the message that the Dorotheum folks did not and at least for the most part kept the starting bidding points on the conservative side which is a big plus in a spotty market . Yes there is still a bit of unwarranted filler items but for once and the first time in my opinion A.A.C. has done pretty good job and if your not holding out for a “ world class “ addition to your collection this group is certainly worth your time to check out.
Two lots i thought were at least mildly noteworthy are featured below .
# 11 , Yomut mafrash . Pre-sale starting point € 300.00 . Not the oldest but looks like it has pretty good color and condition.
Lot # 79 Yomut juval . Pre- sale starting point € 400.00. Again not so old but this design is fairly scarce .
9/5/18
9/6/18
9/7/18
9/8/18
Looks like Brimfield ended with a wimper this year !
If you new what i know you would be scared to an early death ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018.
Dog o the week !
Shitty movie o the week , Guns , Girls and Gambling , 2013 . 4.5 poopsickles out of 5 . So bad it’s almost good , but unfourtunately not this time around . Gretzky’s what were you thinkin ?
Movie o the week , Lynyrd Skynyrd , If i Leave Here Tomorrow , 2018.
Song o the week , Greta Van Fleet , When the Curtain Falls , 2018.
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7/23/18 Voodoo Evil Princess , Shine – Shine !
7/23/18
Hot and humid with the rug market stuck in the mid- summer doldrums !
7/24/18
Celebrate , “National Tequila Day” , 2018 !!!
7/25/18
7/26/18
Diversity at it’s worst !
7/27/18
7/28/18
7/29/18
7/30/18
7/31/18
8/1/18
8/2/18
8/3/18
8/4/18
Still COOL in all the heat !
8/5/18
8/6/18
Via Con Dios , Joel Robuchon . Chef of the Century and a true innovator in the culinary world . 32 Michelin stars amongst his 13 world wide restaurant empire , most ever , quite an accomplishment.
Gone now but never to be forgotten !
8/7/18
Lightning strikes in Peabody , Ma. today at Defillpo auction .
Lot # 36 , Tekke , Salor , Turkmen mat pre-sale estimate $1-200.00 ended up selling for $16,750 plus 23% comm.
The item !
Detail back.
Detail showing material quality.
Detail showing the thin center.
Decent condition , a scarce but not particularly popular design but very good quality. It caused quite a commotion during and after the sale with plenty more to be said with lots of opinions floating on the internet concerning the piece !
That said even under the controversial circumstances a pretty good and fresh piece , in my humble opinion !
One more thing good luck to # 10 , the winner !
8/8/18
8/9/18
Hot , humid and the sky turned orange for awhile today !
8/10/18
Reports from the Santa Fe shows are starting to trickle in and the initial reports are positive with decent crowds and moderate business being conducted but it’s just the beguinning. Still a good start hoping for a strong finish !
8/11/18
Road trip and possible commerce !
8/12/18
Still hot and humid , but with time for a little Sunday metal !
It appears the whole world is trying to knock back the U.S.A. However it does not appear to be working , nice try though , hater’s ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018
Dog o the week ,
Shitty movie o the week , Taco Shop , 2018 . 4.75 poopsickles out of 5. I feel bad for whoever put the cash for this loser !
Movie o the week , Baby Driver , 2017.
Song o the week , Cruzados , Bed of Lies on Live at the Roxy , 2009 .
Tweet Read More7/2/18 , Fake , Progressive , Liberal B.S. keeps flowing !
7/2/18
Slow and getting slower !
7/3/18
7/4/18
The miracle of your “Independence Day” respect it !
7/5/18
7/6/18
Go with God , Saman Kunan , Thai Navy seal who gave his life in the rescue effort . A valiant attempt but an unfortunate and tragic ending . You will most certainly be remembered !
7/7/18
Pay attention !
7/8/18
7/9/18
7/10/18
7/11/18
Gaba Gaba Hey !
7/12/18
7/13/18
7/14/18
7/15/18
7/16/18
7/17/18
7/18/18
So today’s Groganco auction in Boston , Ma. of the “Ned Long collection plus added items signals the end of the spring, early summer 2018 rug auction season and judging the results of the sale we end on a relatively high note . Out of the 134 total lots run over the podium only 23 failed to find new homes . A sold percentage of right at a very respectable 84 % . Unfortunately concerning the resulting prices fetched there was not much in the way of upside fire works . Most of the items that sold , sold in the vicinity of their pre-sale estimates with only a couple of lots , #’s 25 & 43 showing anything in the way of upward surprises . As for the rest of the unsold Ned Long items the ones that should not have garnered any interest did not .
All in all another good job by Mr Grogan and the Groganco staff , keep up the good work ?
As for the 2 lots i featured in the previous blog post , both sold .
Lot # 43 ,Tekke Torba . Pre- sale estimate $ 5 – 1,000.00 . Sold for a well deserved $ 6,000.00 + comm. The high water point of the Turkmen group .
Lot # 65 , Turkmen frag ( Yomud ) . Pre- sale estimate , $ 1-2,000.00 . Sold for 1,300.00 + comm. My favorite piece in the group , looks like it has great wool and quality . The new owner might have got a pretty good deal !
7/19/18
7/20/18
7/21/18
Summer Fun !
7/22/18
Sunday and the end but never fear the fall season is only approximately 60 days away and so far there is plenty of action on the horizon with these opportunities on the calendar so far .
Sept. 11th , Nagel , Stuttgart , Germany.
Sept. 19th , Netherhampton Salesrooms , Salisbury , U.K.
Sept. 24th , Dorotheum , Vienna , Austria .
Sept. 29th , Austria Auction Co. , Vienna , Austria .
Oct. 21st. , Skinner’s , Boston , Ma. The Ronnie Newman Coll. Pt. 1 . Looks like L.K. landed a big one !
Oct. 24th , Sotheby’s , London , Arts of the Islamic World .
Oct. 25th , Christie’s , London , Art of the Islamic World including carpets .
Nov. 6th , Sotheby’s , London , Rugs and Carpets .
Nov. 17th , Rippon- Boswell , Wiesbaden , Germany .
And that as they say is that but i am sure there is more to come !
Loneliness is next to godliness and they are both hard to find ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018
Dog o the week ,
Shitty movie o the month , Gangsterland , 2017.
Movie o the week , Soldier in the Rain , 1963 .
Song o the week , Loudness , Soul on Fire on Rise to Glory , 2018.
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6/25/18 Trapped in-na diversity bubble ?
6/25/18
We forge smack ahead into the summer doldrums !
6/26/18
Last battle till the fall season !
Grogan Co , Boston , Ma’s early summer sale featuring 60 lots from the “Ned Long” collection plus aditional added lots is live “ on the line” now for your viewing pleasure .
After a multitude of passes through the sale i have come to this conclusion . The “Ned Long” group of items is decent but unfortunately does not include any top shelf pieces to get the “rug mob “ buzzing. Plenty of nice clean mid-level items but not one serious collectors piece. Don’t get me wrong it’s my opinion Ned Long has been part of the rug collecting scene for quite awhile and i expected at least a few real barn burners but alas that’s not the case this time around .
Holding some back or already sold, who knows but i just expected a few stellar lots in the sale inventory .
Nothing particularly interesting in the added lots either but still a reasonably nice group with a good amount of clean respectable merchandise to consider at the end of the spring season and nothing serious on the schedule till the fall .
On a positive note , as is Mr Grogan’s M O the pre-sale estimates are on the conservative side for the most part and this may well be a collection offered with out reserves so the market will set itself and maybe there will be a bargain to be had !
A couple lots that did peak my curiosity are posted below.
Lot # 43 , Tekke torba. Pre- sale estimate a very fair $ 5-1,000.00 . Negligible condition but still a very good example , in my opinion.
Lot # 65 , Turkmen frag. Pre- sale estimate again a realistic $ 1-2,000.00 . So if it matters to anyone of the 2 pieces i featured it was close but this is my pick of the litter !
6/27/18
6/28/18
6/29/19
The beginning of the 4th of July holiday week celebration .
Lets get the bang- in going !
6/30/18
7/1/18
Sunday’s come and gone !
In the free world today “FREE SPEECH” is the most important thing but keep in mind you must also be ready to back up what you say at all costs ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018.
Dog o the week !
Shitty movie o the month , American Made , 2017. Another Tom Cruise bomb if you know the real story !
Movie o the week , The Pursuit of Happiness 2006 . The Chris Gardener story . Easily one of Will Smith’s best endeavors !
Song o the week , Holiday 2-fer :
Grand funk Railroad , We’re an American Band on Caught in the Act , Live , 1976 .
Jackyl , We’re an American Band on Choice Cuts , 1998 .
Tweet Read More6/18/18 Riding the range in an ethnic nightmare ?
6/18/18
It’s the end of the road for today’s Austria Auction Co. “Fine Antique Oriental Rugs XI” sale and a bit of a lonely road it was for Mr Langauer and the A.A.C. Rug dept. According to“Liveauctioneer’s”posted results out of the 103 total lots offered for sale only 37 ended up attracting any bidding attention . A dismal sold percentage of right at 35 %. Hardly a money making proposition ? And unfortunately for A.A.C. most all the items that did sell , sold at or below their low pre- sale estimates .
Granted, i am sure Udo and Co. are working the phones in the after sale to pump up the numbers but it appears they have plenty of ground to make up.
That said it’s still nice to see they are still in the game and continue pitching , better Luck next time !
As for the lot i featured in the previous post it did find a new home , but well under the low pre- sale estimate .
Lot # 44 Eagle Gul Torba . Pre- dale est. € 15-20,000.00 . Sold for a very realistic € 12,000.00 + comm. Nice for the new owner , not so much for the unlucky consignor !
6/19/18
Palais Dorotheum’s “A.Besim Coll.” auction just wrapped up and considering it was just the day after the A.A.C.sale it still managed to put up somewhat better numbers . Out of the 152 lots run over the podium 83 ended up finding new homes. A sold percentage of 54%. Better than the previous days sale but unfortunately nothing to get excited about either . Going over the results there were no real up side surprises to spark excitement but for the most part the lots that sold , sold over their pre-sale starting points which is a positive outcome in my opinion. All said and done just another run of the mill rug auction !
As for the items i featured in the previous blog post both sold .
Lot # 78 , Tibetan khaden . Pre- sale stating point , € 1,200.00 . Sold for € 2,750.00 including comms. Over the realistic opening point but not a surprise .
Lot # 120 Khorasan frag . Pre- sale starting point € 350.00 . Sold for € 450.00 including comm. Very reasonable .
As i figured lot # 58 , Selendi Bird Ushak , pre-sale starting point € 500,000.00 failed to attract any bidding action . Maybe this ones been around the block once to often !
Next in line !
John Moran Auctioneer’s , Pasadena Ca. held a sale titled “Art of the American West” today that featured one lot worth a mention .
Lot # 2202 . Navaho Classic period child’s blanket . Pre-Bosque Redondo , prior to 1850 . Pre-sale estimate $15-25,000.00 . Sold for a well deserved $ 93,750.00 including comm. Not in the best condition but certainly the most interesting Navaho textile to turn up in the last few years ! Easily the highlight of an otherwise mundane sale.
6/20/18
6/21/18
Via Con Dios , Charles Krauthammer . Your incite ,humor and knowledge with be both missed but also remembered .
6/22/18
If this bothers you , you have to much time on your hands . Get busy and do something !
Protect “FREE SPEECH” at alll costs !
6/23/18
More bad news in the metal world to end the week .
Rest in Peace , Vincent Paul Abbott AKA “Vinnie Paul” founding member and dummer extraordinary of metal giants , Pantera , DamagePlan and Hellyeah . Far to young at 54 !
6/24/18
Heading into the summer slow period !
As you can see even “ignorant” comments are welcome ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018.
Dog o the week.
Shitty movie o the month , Knight and Day , 2010 . 5 poopsickles out of 5 , dumb and dumber ! Easily one of the worst Tom Cruise movie’s ever .
Movie o the week , Finding Forrester , 2001.
Song o the week , Madball , Rev Up on For the Cause , 2018.
Tweet Read More5/14/18 The beginning, the end , then life is gone !
5/14/18
Things are starting to move !
5/15/18
5/16/18
Well todays spring “Netherhampton Salesrooms” rug auction is in the books and unfortunately for Ms Barrett and the rug dept. it’s one more mediocre turn of events similar to most of their previous outings . Out of the total 417 lots offered up for sale only 214 items attracted any bidding attention . A hardly passable 51% sold total . Not a complete and total disaster but getting close and slightly worse than the previous few Netherhampton sales . One other thing worth mentioning only 6 items popped over the £ 1,000.00 level. Also nothing at all in the way of an upside surprise to garner any excitement !
“Kudos” to Ms Barrett and the Netherhampton rug dept. but unless they start getting better quality merchandise to create a buzz how much longer can the continue down this path with the rug market flooded with low end merchandise . How could this possibly worth the time and effort other than cash flow ?
5/17/18
5/18/19
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5/22/18
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5/30/18
5/31/18
Viva Dinesh D’Souza
6/1/18
6/2/18
Liveauctioneer’s results are live “ on the line” now for today’s Rippon – Boswell “Major Spring Sale” and if these posted number are even close to accurate the auction did not go well at all. I expected a better outcome from this sale but it was not to be , at least up to this point but i am sure Mr Maltzahn is working the phones after the sale to get the numbers up a bit and by the time he post the audited results they may be a bit better .
As for the 2 lots i featured in the previous post both sold.
Lot # 48 , Baluch bag face. Pre- sale estimate € 5,4- 5,500.00 . Sold for € 4,800.00 plus comm. Slightly under the low estimate and what seems to be a decent number for the new owner .
Lot # 60 , Tekke Ensi . Pre- sale estimate € 14,9 – 15,000.00 . Sold for a very strong € 23,000.00 plus comm. I did not think much of this piece but i was totally wrong and someone out there really liked it ! Time will tell on this one .
6/3/18
6/4/18
Go with God , Dwight Clark , 49er’s great . Super Bowl Hero and Hall of famer . Your at peace now!
6/5/18
6/6/18
6/7/18
6/8/18
6/9/18
Henry’s Auction House , Mutterstadt , Germany held an antique and decorative rug and carpet sale today and outcome was something of a surprise to me considering the timing of the sale. To start with the sale inventory was all over the place . A little high end ,a little low end ,new stuff , old stuff , a bit of everything. A truly eccentric mix which may have created interest and things sold well across the board. Out of the approx. 324 total lots run over the podium only about 64 failed to find new homes according to Liveauctioneer’s unaudited , posted results . A sold percentage of right at 80%. A very good turn of events for Henry’s if the numbers hold up . And there were a number of nice upside pops too . Note lot #’ 7194 , 7207 , 7264 , 7312 and lot # 7253 which i did not think much of , but again i was wrong on that one ! One other thing worth noting there were a large number of mediocre Tibetan and Chinese pieces in the sale and they sold well which is a bit of a surprise for 2nd tier German auction house .
They are in fact staging another rug auction on July 6th 2018 if your interested .
So there you have it a job well done by the Henry’s rug dept. Keep up the good work !
6/10/18
6/11/18
6/12/18
6/13/18
6/14/18
6/15/18
6/16/18
Austria Auction , Vienna , Austria has their next sale titled “Fine Antique Oriental Rugs XI” scheduled on June 18th live “ on the line “ now . This time out Udo and the gang are presenting 103 total lots of all manner of rugs and carpets but unfortunately not really much to get excited about just another decent group along the lines of the previous A,A,C. endeavors , interesting but not spectacular items. Still worth a quick look .
That said one lot did peak my interest .
Lot # 44 Eagle Group II torba .Per- sale estimate € 15-20,000.00 . Realistic in my opinion .
6/17/18
Last but not least the “Palais Dorotheum” Vienna Austria has a rug and carpet auction scheduled on June 19th , (as one would have it the day after A.A.C’s sale ) featuring the Adil Besim Coll. After going over the sale inventory a few times it leaves with with the feeling it’s a little on the commercial side and maybe a bit picked over . The group consist of 152 lots from most the major weaving areas but seems to be missing anything truly top shelf that you might expect from such a well known firm . Don’t get me wrong there are a few nice things but still leaning toward European retail goods .
One thing , lot # 58 , Selendi Bird Ushak , starting point € 500,000.00 . Good luck on that one it’s a bit road worn !
To be “fair and balanced” i did notice a couple of lots that did seem at least a bit interesting !
Lot # 78 , Tibetan Khaden . Pre-sale starting point € 1,200.00 . I always find these things interesting .
Lot # 120 , Khorasan Fragment . Pre- sale starting a very realistic € 360.00
Late update !
Grogan & Co., Boston, MA. have scheduled a summer oriental rug and carpet auction on June 18th that will feature approximately 60 pieces from the” Ned Long ” collection plus other selections from 2 more private collections .No details yet but it could be a highlight in the slow summer season !
Yo “Mama” new bett-a but you “neva” gots the message ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018 . Back after a short vaca !
Dog o the week.
Shitty movie o the month , Blade Runner , 2049. 4.5 poopsickles out of 5 . An insult to the original Blade Runner , 1982.
Movie o the week , Rebel in the Rye , 2017.
Song o the week , Doro , All For Metal, single , 2018.
Tweet Read More5/7/18 , Material Destruction of the BLU-Par-TAY !
5/7/18
Action boring action !
5/8/18
With the Spring auction season winding down the last serious rug and carpet auction is live “ on the line” now for your viewing amusement .
Here we go with the spring Rippon – Boswell “major” rug , carpet and textile auction scheduled on June 2 in Wiesbaden , Germany. What you have to look forward to paruse-in is 225 lots of a diverse collection of all manner of oriental rugs, carpets and textiles .
So after a few passes through the sale inventory it appears to be a pretty eclectic selection including a little high end , a little mid- range and of course some filler or low end items. Nothing really pops out as clear cut star but there are plenty of interesting pieces in the sale inventory that warrant a second glance . One other thing to consider , many of the items in the sale have what appears to be fairly conservative initial starting points . All said this is certainly not the most interesting Rippon sale i have seen but considering the market stagnation right now it’s a good opportunity to possibly acquire a slightly better item at a time when not much is turning up !
By all means , check it out !
A couple of lots did peak my curiosity for different reasons and are featured below .
Lot # 48 , Baluch bag face . Pre-sale starting point € 5,500.00 . Fairly aggressive starting point but better Baluch items have been in short supply lately !
Lot # 60 Tekke Ensi . Pre- sale starting point € 15,000.00 . Plenty of dialogue about this piece “ on the line” but unfortunately at this point i am not convinced !
5/9/18
5/10/18
Today was the last installment of the 7 part “Rockefeller Coll.” sale titled “ Travel and Americana” at Christie’s NYC. As with the previous 6 sessions the auction was a screamingly successful endeavor for Christie’s and the Rockefeller estate . Plenty of serious upside pops through out all 7 sessions .
As for the lot i featured in the previous blog post it defied all expectations ten fold+ and was one of the highlights of the session and possibly the whole sale .
Lot # 992 , Eyrie – Rockefeller , Buddhist Lion carpet . Pre-sale estimate , $12-18,000.00 sold for a well deserved $ 225,000.00 including comm.
5/11/18
Last but not least the latest rug and carpet debacle from the vaunted “Netherhampton Salesrooms”, Salisbury , U.K.is up and running to finish off the week .
This sale is scheduled this coming week on May 16th and includes 417 lots of for the most part about any kind of hand made oriental rug and textile you can think of and then some . Unfortunately as with all the recent Netherhamton productions there is nothing in the way of a bona fide collectors item in the whole group . Just an over abundance of an amount of shop stock and flea market type goods . That said , if your a bargain hunter or on a budget this may just be the opportunity your waiting for , so it’s worth a little of your time to take a quick look .
One last thing. KUDO’S to Ms Barrett and staff for staying in the game in a changing rug market !
5/12/18
The East Coast looms in the future ?
5/13/18
Sunday Mother’s Day fun and a short road trip !
Dog o the week !
Shitty movie o the week , The Gunman ,2015 . 4.5 poopsickles out of 5 . What can i say , you have to see this movie to see how really stupid it is !
Movie o the week , The Promise , 2017 .
Song o the week , Rev Theory , Hell Yeah on Light it Up , 2008.
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4/18/18 “ Posse” Comey Ta Ta’s
4/18/18
Auction gate is on the way !
4/19/18
Another case of gross misidentification
Blackwell Auction , Clearwater, Fl. April 14th 2018 .
Lot# 254 , listed as Kurdish carpet , pre-sale estimate $ 4-600.00 sold for $ 23,400.00 including comm .
Yes folks their still our there !
4/20/18
Get well soon , Joe Lynn Turner , ex vocalist , Deep Purple , Rainbow , Rising Force and many more!
4/21/18
4/22/18
4/23/18
That’s a wrap for Ms’s Douglas , Coulter. and the gang at Sotheby’s, London after their spring “ Major “ rug and carpet auction ended on a modestly successful note .
So where to start on this little excursion . Out of 127 total offered up for your bidding pleasure approximately 72 ended up attracting buyer activity. A sold percentage of right at 57% . Nothing to get excited about but not bad either . As i figured the Alexander Coll. items were the highlight of the offering but did not create quite the level of excitement that the first group did . As i said in the previous post just not quite as strong and possibly calmer minds prevailed ?
That said all the lots from the Alexander Coll. Consignment did sell and more than a few well over the pre- sale estimates.
Concerning the rest of the sale inventory all i can say is without the Alexander items the sale total would have something of a disappointment for Sotheby’s .
So what to do for a follow up for the fall season ? Who knows ?
The one lot i featured in the previous post an Alexander Coll. did sell but right in mid- stream of the pre-sale estimate .
Lot # 28 , “Karapinar” frag , pre-sale est. £ 50-80,000.00 . Sold for £ 65,000.00 to a very active American collector .
4/24/18
4/25/18
Bonham’s , London’s held their “Important Design” sale today featuring lot # 95 , 16th century Ushak carpet , which i illustrated in the previous post. Pre-sale estimate £150-200,000.00 . The piece sold for £ 181,250.00 . Landing in the pre-sale estimate zone.
If it matters the other 2 carpets and single textile lot did not find new homes !
4/26/18
“Fini” that’s all folks for today’s “Art of the Islamic and Indian World” auction today at Christie’s , London.
Where to begin on this one . For starters as i stated earlier i thought this was a decent , diverse but for the most part very uninteresting assortment with not much to get the serious collectors excited and from the posted results i think this was spot on .
2 of the 3 mediocre susani’s sold but the textile lots were very weak and did not sell well at all.
Concerning the 74 rugs and carpets included in the sale inventory 40 ended up creating buyer activity . A sold percentage of about 55% . A very pedestrian outcome for Ms Broadhurst and the Christie’s rug dept.
As far as upside surprises go the 3 “Lotto” carpets in the group i mentioned earlier all sold over their high pre-sale estimates but thats about it as far as highlights.
One other unusual thing worth a line . Lot 292 , late 19th century Baluch carpet , pre-sale est. £ 6-8,000.00 sold for £ 6,250.00 . A surprise because from the illustrations it appears to clearly have a “Hot’ red ? Good luck to the new owner !
4/27/18
TGIF, full of it yet ?
4/29/18
4/30/18
Skinner’s Day , and we are under way !
Well after multiple hours of bidding hi- jinx the spring Skinner’s “major” extravaganza is in the books and it’s a pretty successful outcome for Mr Kearny and the Skinner’s rug dept. Out of the 381 total lots run across the podium only 57 failed to garner any bidding activity. A sold percentage of right at 85% . So far the highest sold percentage of all the “general” rug auctions this spring season . That said said this was a for the most part a run of the mill rug sale with nothing much to get excited about . A few of the lots popped a bit but again nothing notable.
One thing worth a mention , some of the textile lots did very well.
Shawls were not as strong as in the past few sales but they were not as good either .
Still a commendable job by the Skinner’s crew , but one wonders just how good it could get if they included more high end pieces to spark serious collector interest ?
As for the lots i featured in the earlier post both found new homes .
Lot # 72 , Tekke Embroidered Asmalyk . Pre- sale estimate $ 6-8,000.00 . Sold for $ 7,995.00 including comm. At the high end of the estimate but questions linger about this piece .
Lot # 89 Ningsha “Altar” rug . Pre- sale est. A consevative $ 3-4,000.00 . Sold for a well deserved $ 20,910.00 including comm. My pick for highlite of the sale !
5/1/18
5/2/18
5/3/18
5/4/18
5/5/15
5/6/18
Another Bloody Sunday’s come , now gone !
A fitting end to a week of rug activity Cinco “De” Dave’s , B- Day ? , Boo ya !
The point is to agrivate the the D N C at all costs ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018.
Dog o the week !
Movie o the week , Man on Fire , 2004 .
Shitty movie o the week , King Arthur : Legend of the Sword . 4.75 poopsickles out of 5 . Unwatchable ! Can’t get any lamer than this.
Song o the week , Jet , Cold Hard Bitch on Get Born , 2003 .
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4/2/18 Life in’a Precarious Situation !
4/2/18
It appears there is plenty of rug / carpet action in your immediate future?
4/3/18
4/4/18
Sometimes a picture’s worth a thousand words !
4/5/18
4/6/18
Austria Auction Co. held their “Vienna Symposium” sale / book launch today and it was only modestly successful turn of events for Udo and the gang . As i said in the previous post i did not think there was much included in the sale inventory to get people excited and judging from the “Liveauctioneer’s” posted results i was on target . Out of the 131 total lots offered up for your bidding pleasure only 58 garnered any bidding action . A sold percentage of about 44% , slightly better than their last auction but truely nothing to be proud of .
That said i figure Mr Langauer is working the phones after the sale to possibly pump up the sales totals .
One thing worth noting all 8 of the book lots sold and for the longest time it seemed there not much interest in purchasing old rug publications , however maybe some folks our there still want to “ read “ about rugs and carpets . But i will also add the prices fetched on the book lots were for the most part on the conservative side .
4/7/18
4/8/18
Christie’s , London is on the boards with a sale scheduled on April 26th titled “ Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds “ that features 11 various textiles , susani’s and 74 rugs and carpets .
After going through the sale mix a few times i would say Ms. Broadhurst and staff have assembled a fairly diverse but not particularly interesting sale this time out .
Not repeat myself but after going back and forth through the sale numerous times i have say there are some pretty good pieces but nothing that really caught my eye . Yes there a few classic items , 3 Lotto’s and a good Ladik but no sumak bags or better Turkmens which are 2 of the hottest areas in rug collecting arena at this moment . Do not get me wrong this is good offering and i feel it should do pretty well just not much of interest for me at this time. Please do take time to check it out as this only my opinion .
4/9/18
4/10/18
Christie’s , N Y C general antique auction titled “ The Collector “ just wrapped up and from a rug and carpet standpoint it was only moderatly successful for them . Out of the limited inventory of just 11 lots only 7 managed to sell . A decent sold percentage ( 64 %) but on a very modest amount of items .Two roomsize French carpets ( lot#’ 349 & 364 ) did bring substancial prices but thats about it as far as fireworks go.
As for the piece i featured in the previous post , lot # 371 Caucasian Silk Embroidery , pre- sale estimate $ 15-20,000.00 it failed to sell .
4/11/18
4/12/18
Christie’s , NYC has a series of “Rockefeller Collection sales from May 5- 10th and the last one titled “Travel and Americana” has an early Chinese carpet that might , just might spark some international interest .
Lot # 992 , The Eyrie-Rockefeller “ Buddhist Lion Carpet” . Pre-sale estimate , $ 12-18,000.00 . May just pop up !
4/13/18
Skinner’s Auction house ,Boston , Ma , Spring rug and carpet production scheduled on April 30th is live “ on the line “ now to hopefully give the east coast rug a boost . This time around Mr Kearny has assembled approx. 355 total lots from most all the usual weaving areas and then some.
So after a few passes through the auction inventory it hits me the same as the past few Skinner’s offerings , still light on the high end. Plenty of mid- range Turkish and Caucasians but nothing as far as a clear cut winner. As with previous Skinner sales a profusion of mediocre Persian city pieces for the dealer crowd to feast on . Also like the past few sales a good selection of shawls and textiles if thats your area of interest . Turkmen’s for the most part are very weak in this group .
That said i did find 2 items i felt were interesting enough to feature .
Lot # 72 , Tekke Embroidered Asmalyk . Pre- sale est. $ 6-8,000.00 . Something good but questionable about this item ? Must be seen in person.
Lot # 89 Ningsha “Altar” rug . Pre-sale est. $3-4,000.00 . My favorite piece in the sale .
4/14/18
4/15/19
4/16/18
4/17/18
The majority of people in the U.S. do not care for this day !
A D N C stooge would sell you out for “Frankie’s” bag o donuts ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018.
Dog o the week !
Movie o the week , Valdez is Coming , 1971.
Shitty movie o the week , Black Panther , 2018 . Don’t like super hero movies in general , but i do not get the concept of this one at all . A big hit world wide but un rate-able in my opinion
Song o the week , Death Koolaid , Kids on Vol. 2 , 2016.
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3/5/18 Keep in mind , your fate hangs in the balance !
3/5/18
It’s still slow and looks to stay that way for the foreseeable future !
3/6/18
3/7/18
3/8/18
3/9/18
3/10/18
Rippon – Boswell , Wiesbaden , Germany held their “Poppmeier Coll.” sale today and initial “Liveauctioneer” posted reports make it look to be another rousing success for Mr Maltzahn and the Rippon rug dept . At this moment out of the 88 total lots offered for sale only 18 are left unsold . A very positive sale out come of right at 80%. As i figured the Moroccan items were weak . However as is the norm i am sure Mr Maltzahn is working the phones to move the unsold items .
As for the 2 lots i featured in the previous post both sold well over their high pre-sale estimates.
Lot # 14 , “Nidge” kilem frag. . Pre- sale est. € 3,5- 4,200.00 sold for a healty pop at € 9,000.00
Lot # 44 , “Yuncu” kelim . Pre- sale est. € 10- 12,000.00 . Sold for € 24,000.00 . A nice upside move but i still think the new owner got a decent deal on a great example , my favorite piece in the whole sale !
After a conversation since the sale concluded with Mr Maltzahn he told me he had a bit of luck with the majority of the unsold lots including the Moroccan items and only 6 lots remain unsold which pops the sold total up to 93% . A nice move to the upside on an already , job well done .
One more thing , if you have not seen the hard cover it’s first class too !
3/11/18
3/12/18
3/13/18
3/14/18
3/15/18
The truth , go Lizzy ?
3/16/18
3/17/18
Christie’s , N Y C has a general antique auction titled “ The Collector” scheduled on April 10th that includes 11 various rugs and carpets . Nothing earthshattering but one lot did attract my attention.
Lot # 371 , Caucasian Silk embroidery , possibly 18th century . Pre- sale estimate $15-20,000.00 . Blury illustration , piece is most likely far better in person !
3/18/18
3/19/18
3/20/18
Go with God , Frank Avruch , AKA the original “Bozo the Clown” , a true American legacy !
3/21/18
3/22/18
3/23/18
Christie’s , NYC held a two day sale titled “Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art” that concluded today which featured 3 pile carpets and 7 various textile lots . From an overall stand point the sale outcome was fairly strong for Christie’s with a sale total of $ 17,427,875.00 showing that even with the political turmoil the Chinese market is still running hot. As for the rugs and textiles in the sale inventory all sold and sold well at well . The one carpet i found most interesting is illustrated below .
Lot # 965 , Ningxia carpet , 2nd half 19th century . Pre- sale estimate , $ 20-30,000.00 . Sold for $ 18,750.00 including comm. Slightly below the low est. perhaps because of restoration . This piece had also been around the block before which could have also affected the price ?
The other 2 pieces were newer but in better condition and brought stronger prices . Condition still matters !
3/24/18
“Cottone Auctions” , Geneseo , N Y held a general antique auction today that included 14 various oriental carpets and rugs . Unfortunatly just one of said pieces warrants a mention .
Lot # 401 Chajli carpet , pre- sale estimate $ 8-1,200.00 . Sold for a very reasonable $2,200.00 plus comm. A very poor quality online illustration could have lead to what seems to be a very good buy for the new owner !
3/25/18
3/26/18
3/27/18
Bonham’s, London has a sale titled “Important Design” on April 25th that includes 1 velvet textile and 3 oriental carpets of which one is worth a line or two.
Lot # 95 , possibly 16th century “Ushak” carpet . Pre- sale estimate £ 150-200,000.00 . These are usually cookie cutter items but this one appears to be a far better example and in their poor quality illustration looks to be in pretty good condition which is a big plus !
3/28/18
Sotheby’s, London is back in the game with their major” spring rug and carpet auction scheduled on April 23rd featuring the 2nd portion of the vaunted “Alexander Collection” . Well for starters the first group of this coll. created quite a commotion last year . Unfortunately i do think this part of the group is quite as strong as the first and may not garner the same outcome . There is however one lot that did catch my eye posted below .The rest of the total 127 lots of rugs and carpets include some very good items but nothing in the way of a clear cut barnburner to get the “Rug Mob” buzzing !
Still a pretty good offering overall.
Lot # 28 Karapinar Rug Frag . Pre- sale estimate £ 50-80,000.00 . My pick o the litter !
3/29/18
3/30/18
Austria Auction Co. is back at it with their “Vienna Symposium Rug Auction” ? scheduled on April 7th at their “Palais Breuner” location. The sale includes 124 lots of rugs , carpets and textiles and 8 lots of rug publications .
So after a few passes through the sale inventory i can’t find even one notable lot to write about . This just looks like a mid to low end house cleaning assortment at best but if you have extra time on your hands check it out you may feel differntly about the selection than i do !
3/31/18
4/1/18
Happy D N C Day , !!!
In the real world today a Racist = anybody who disagree’s with the D N C ! , Sheik Frederich , 2018.
Dog o the week !
Movie o the week , Atomic Blonde , 2017.
Shitty movie o the month , Independence Day , Resurgence , 2016. 4.5 poopsicles out of 5 . Easy to see why Will Smith opted out of this one.
Song o the week , Jizzy Pearl , Your’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone , on All You Need is Soul , 2018.
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