6/20/16 Politically correct is “fur” the weak and wretched !
6/20/16
To Whom it may concern !
Comments on comments ?
When I mentioned that I ran across quite a few noteworthy items in NYC on the last few excursions there that’s about as good as it’s gonna get unless you visit O.C.G. inperson . I am not much for posting fresh , noteworthy pieces on the Internet or forwarding photos to people who will possibly post them “on the line” without permission . If you do turn up at O.C.G. you will certainly get to examine some of them in the flesh but that’s again about as good as it gonna get.
All visitors both Foreign and Domestic are always welcome , but by appointment , please !
As for things i hear about that have appeared at shows and get sold then resold again it’s the same thing it’s none of my business to publish or talk about them unless I am the new owner . If you really feel the need to know every little thing visit O.C.G. or attend the shows yourself and it’s possible for you to be privy to the details of what’s happening ! In the end it seems you just might be fishing for information/ gossip which is not a bad thing but is it really your business ?
The man in black is back!
For the first time in 19 years Ritchie Blackmore’s “Rainbow” played live at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Freilichtbuhne in Loreley , Germany on June 17th . A much anticipated and “Welcome” return .
Good Luck on your new tour !
6/21/16
Very quite and very HOT !
6/22/16
John McInnes Auctions of Amesbury , Ma is holding an onsite sale scheduled on July 8th in Hopedale , Ma that features 20 + oriental rugs and carpets none of which are anything to get excited about but there is one none oriental lot that certainly merits a few words .,
Lot # 40, North West Coast Chilkat Dance blanket . Pre-sale estimate $ 6- 10,000.00 with a very realistic starting bid of $ 3,000.00 . Not in perfect condition with some possible damage in the black on the right side but not something you see in a 2nd tier auction house everyday so if this your area of interest definitely worth your time to take a quick look .
6/23/1
Another intriguing item has surfaced at an out of the way auction house in Peterbourgh , N.H. The Cobb’s have a general antique sale scheduled on July 9th that features 20 lots of various rugs and textiles from many different weaving areas one of which is somewhat notable .
Lot # 29 , as Antique Turkoman Prayer Rug but is in fact an Arabatchi Ensi from most likely the 2nd half of the 19th century . Pre- sale estimate a very conservative $250-400.00. This date is in my opinion because some of the detail illustrations of the prayer arch conceivably indicate there maybe a small amount of synthetic dye . The only real way to know for sure is to see the piece in person so if your in the area check it out . A good looking piece and if the dyes check out it could be a winner !
6/24/16
Still silent !
6/25/16
Out of town visitors . And commerce .
6/26/16
Another lackluster Sunday , but there is always another Monday to look forward to !
Pleasure or out right pain , what will be the effects of the possible upcoming “New World Order” , time will tell ! , Sheik Frederich , 2016 .o
Song o the week , Rainbow , Intro , Over the Rainbow / Kill the King ( Live) on On Stage , 1977 .
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6/13/16 It’s been a slice , now cut the pie !
6/13/16
With the summer doldrums in full swing there’s not much to blog about so for your rug-dumb reading pleasure I approved another moderately amusing comment . Not sure where these things are “coming from” or where they are going so check it out and form your own conclusion !
6/14/16
More feedback from this last weekends ART’s fair and it turned out for the most part as I expected. Fairly low public attendance which lead to weak sales for the exhibitors so one wonders if there will be another show next June ? One thing worth noting , a couple of above average collectors items did turn up and were promptly sold and then sold again so that’s something .
6/15/15
Thoughts on the state of the rug business heading into the summer slow period .
After the modest success of the spring auction season , the changes at the Sotheby’s rug dept. and less than stellar turn of events at the Boston ART’s show we are now moving into July and August and up to this point nothing is scheduled of any significance till the fall so it looks like we are in an extended quiet period at least for the unforeseen future . This could nevertheless change !
Concerning in a general way what’s moving and whats not , noteworthy pieces in distressed or even fragmented but unrestored condition continue to sell well because they are usually for the most part affordable and collectors are looking for very good to great examples damaged or not. The market is however overloaded with people trying to jettison late good condition rugs ( so called German condition ) made at the end of the 19th century , from most all weaving areas . This has been a stagnate part of the market for quite a while with prices remaing depressed because of the lack of interest coming from the “somewhat” educated collector / decorator buying public .
As for the very best items that appear in the marketplace being “fresh to the market” has a very big impact on what’s moving in this arena but unrealistic expectations do have an effect on even the superior examples out there right now . Note the difficultly Rippon- Boswell had with their high end lots that had aggressive starting points . There is certainly a hunger for the most desirable items that turn up but if they are not fresh to the market or from recognized collections the price ask has to reflect that. Once to many times around the block has a big influence on the price you can achieve in any area of collecting world .I have already seen that item a few times is a real buzz kill , over exposure really hurts an item.
As for where we go from here and how things advance only time will tell but not till the fall season begins , that’s for sure !
Again these are my thoughts and you may not agree so keep that in mind and any REAL comments are always welcome !
6/16/16
6/17/16
Rippon Boswell has finally posted the audited results of their May 28th major spring rug and textile sale and they are only slightly better than the immediate ” Liveauctioneer’s ” posted results . The sale total moved up to 148 items from the previous 144 so Mr Maltzahn must have worked the phones a bit for an added + 4 pieces sold . Not a big deal but every little bit helps . None of the big ticket items were among them but it does improve the sold percentage from 53% to right at 55%. As we all know , all improvements are welcome. And that folks is the proverbial that .
One more minor thing worth mentining . Netherhampton Salesrooms , Salibury , U.K. has still not posted the results from their last sale back on May 18th which may indicate it did not turnout in a positive fashion ? Time will tell !
Preparations for the upcoming Cali heatwave are in full swing !
6/18/16
6/19/16
Fathers Day for all you daddies out there !
Heatwave arrives in SoCal !
Bollocks or B.S. only lead to turmoil and oblivion , avoid this path at all costs ! , Sheik Frederich , 2016.
Song o the week , The Dead Daises , Long Way To Go on Make Some Noise , 2016 .
Read More5/30/16 Sloppy Joes ” N ” Sloppy Right-in !
5/30/16
Memorial Day , Reflect !
5/31/16
Quiet on the western front .
6/1/16
One more travel day in a long line of travel days !
On time and smooth take off.
Early but very bumpy arrival.
6/2/26
By far better weather in NYC than back in the O.C. but traffic is some of the worst I have encountered the city. Construction delays on all the main streets all over town.
First up , business is still on the slow side but everybody i came into contact with is in a good mood . Unlike my visit here last April no whining or complaining so far on this trip.
Numerous fresh and interesting items have already surfaced this morning so I get the feeling this excursion is gonna turn out fairly successful.
6/3/16
Rain in the forecast for today so that’s going to slow things down a bit , however commerce will move forward.
Rain turns out to be a none event but business concludes in a very positive manner , so another successful sojourn to the East Coast is in the books.
6/4/16
Travel Day and it’s looks good so far !
Concerning the deluge of critical comments on the grammar and content of the Rapistan Review let me just say this . I am not a trained English journalist so I am going to end up “spelling” some words wrong so if that really bothers you that much I suggest you pass on following the blog because I am NEVER going to use an editor and accept any advice or input on the content . My blog , my opinions so if it doesn’t live up to your standards so sorry. As for the grammar / punctuation errors re- read the posts , many of them are intentional and for entertainment purposes . As always all comments are still welcome but they must be worth publishing and I prefer the sender to supply a real e mail address !
Spoke to soon late take off and screaming little kids . Happy flying !
6/5/15
Groganco’s sale general antique including 18 rugs and flat weaves is under way but as is his m.o.they don’t come up till the end of the auction so we are in a holding pattern for now .
Well the rug portion of the Grogan sale just wrapped up and it turned out to be a decent but not stellar preformance by Mr Grogan and the staff. Out of the 18 rug & carpet lots run over the podium 13 ended up finding new homes . Certainly not their best sold percentage but at about 72% not so bad either . Nothing in the way of upside pops but then there were no notable items in the modest inventory to spark excitement so it was to be expected . The prices fetched were for the most part within their pre- sale estimate ranges , a few a little over, a few a little under and that’s about all , folks .
6/6/16
6/7/16
J.T. at “Rugtracker” is back on the job with a new post titled “Re-entrant Carpets” . As usual with him another excellent article well worth your time to check out !
6/8/16
6/9/16
6/10/16
First reports are coming in from the ART’s , Boston get together and it appears there is a reasonable crowd and modest amount of commerce being transacted . The photo spread on R.R. also looks pretty good . Let’s just hope this initial burst of business continues through out the weekend ,
6/11/16
Lack of fresh rug world news other than the Art’s show is a buzz kill at the Rapistan Review but it’s more or less the same every year heading into the summer doldrums. But then again there is more to life than rugs or textiles !
6/12/16
Shattered Sunday Silence !
Je Suis , Fort Hood , Charlie Hebdo , Boston , Bataclan , San Bernardino and now Orlando , Fla. !
Enough is infact enough . When will you recognize Radical Islamic terrorism as a threat Mr O.? , Sheik Frederich ,2016 .
Yuppies for the most part I can coexist with but millennial’s live in a bubble and for the majority of intents and purposes are possibly part brain brain dead ! , Sheik Frederich , 2016 .
Song o the week , Halestorm , Mayhem on Into the Wild Life , 2016 .
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