Shaneybrook.com - Determining potential value: concerns & considerations

Determining potential value: concerns & considerations

On a daily basis, Shaneybrooks receives dozens of inquiries regarding the potential sale or representation of an individual's property.

As noted in the consignment and appraisal sections of this site, there are an extremely large number of variables and factors that can help or hinder the potential value of an item or items. When evaluating an item or items for insurance appraisal, replacement value, inspection of damage, or the consideration of an item or items for consignment or outright purchase sales, Shaneybrook's officers must take into account all concerns and considerations that might influence the potential value.

This page is intended for clients that wish to understand the many important concerns Shaneybrook considers during the process of evaluate a rug or carpet and its potential for consignment, out-right purchase and/or marketability.

The basics

The first four major considerations in selling or representing a rug or carpet for sale are the same considerations persons are concerned about when they are looking to buy: colour palette, pattern, condition and price.

Patterns and colour palettes fall in and out of favor. They become fashionable, and then fashion goes out of fashion. Luckily there is almost always someone looking for a particular decorative style and some styles are timeless...

Details for collectors and connoisseurs

Beyond the basic four factors, there is a very lengthy list of other criteria that is used in determining a rug or carpet's potential value. Many of these factors weigh heavily on collectors and connoisseurs minds when the are looking to sell or purchase. Some of these weigh more heavily than other and occassionally, one or a few variables may significantly influence and out-weigh the others.

All of the factors listed below can influence the determination of a potential value. In some cases, a rug or carpet can be evaluated on all of the criteria below, in other cases, only a few of the criteria concerns may be able to be addressed.

Some criteria concerns have there own associated related pages to help better explain or give examples for ease of understanding.

Manufacturing/weaving information :

1. What are the exact size/dimensions of the rug?
2. What material(s) were used for the pile? What material(s) were used for the warp and weft (foundation)?
3. Who/what company wove or manufactured the rug?
4. Is there any weave-mark present on the back of the rug? Click here to learn more›
5. Is the rug woven in strips? If so, how many strips and seams does it have? What are the width dimensions of each strip?
6. If the rug has strips/seams, are the seams glued, machine sown or hand-sown? Click here to learn more›
7. Are any of the corners mitred? Click here to learn more›
8. Do you know what weave was used in making the rug? Click here to learn more›
9. Does the pattern of the rug show through on the back? If so, is it a shadow, or a complete mirror image of the front? Click here to learn more›
10. Does the rug have a backing of any kind? Click here to learn more›
11. Are there any stenciled numbers on the back of the rug? If so, what are ALL the numbers (if in rows, identify each row separately)? Click here to learn more›
12. Does the rug have a paper label, cloth lable, or other type of label? What percentage of the label is intact? Click here to learn more›
13. If there is a label on the back of the rug, is it descriptive or generic? Click here to learn more›
14. Does the rug have a label sown into the fringe on either end? Click here to learn more›
15.Are the ends of the rug finished with a fringe, surging (wool wrapping), bound, or are the ends folded over and secured to the back of the rug? Click here to learn more›
16. If the rug has a fringe, is it cotton, linen, rayon, synthetic? Click here to learn more›
17. If the rug has a fringe, does it show any wear or loss? Click here to learn more›
18. If the rug has a fringe, what style is it (straight--without knots, single knotted, crossed and knotted, double knotted)? Click here to learn more›

Maintainance and environmental information
19. In what type of room was the rug used: kitchen, dining room, living room, bedroom, bathroom, hallway or stairs?
20. What type of heat was used in the room (forced hot air, radiator, etc)?
21. Was the rug stored? If so, how? Was the rug stored in an attic?
22. Has the rug been cleaned? If so, how? By whom?
23. What type of vacuum has been used on the rug?
24. Was the rug used in the home, office or room with a smoker?

History and documentation
25. Is there any physical documentation on where/whom the rug was originally purchased from?
26. Is there an accompanying catalog or brochure featuring the rug?
27. Is the original receipt available?
28. Does the rug have any provenance?

Colours and pattern:
29. What colours are in rugs palette?
30. Do any of the colours have shading or striation? Click here to learn more›
31. Are the colours in the palette complimentary (well planned)? Or, do the colours compete or fight with each other?
32. What pattern and/or pattern type does the rug have?
33. Is the pattern non-repeating or repeating?
34. If the pattern repeats, at what size interval? Is the repeat diagonal, if so, at what size interval?
35. Is the pattern generally geometric, floral, leaf, or comprised of other motifs?
36. Does the pattern have a border and a field or does the pattern extend all the way to the edges of the rug? Click here to learn more›
37. Does the pattern have an open field, center medallion or an all-over design? Click here to learn more›
38. If the rug has borders, are the borders well defined and straight, or interrupted (do the design elements protrude across the border into the field)? Click here to learn more›
39. What types of pets (if any) were in the same home or location as the rug? Click here to learn more›

Condition information
40. What is the general condition and consistency of the rug's pile?
41. Does the rug has any wear whatsoever? If so, how much, where, and is the source/cause of the wear obvious?
42. Does the rug have a wool wrapping on the sides? If so, is it original or was it added later?
43. If the rug has a wool wrapping on the sides, is there any loss, sections where the entire wrapping is pulling away from the rug? Click here to learn more›
44. What is the condition of the side/salvage of the rug?
45. What is the condition of the end and gaurd borders? Is there any loss, fraying, reduction? Click here to learn more›
46. When examining the pile of the rug, are any colours lower than any others (even ever so slightly so)?
47. Does the rug have any traffic areas and/or shading? Click here to learn more›
48. Are there any visible discolourations due to how the rug was used? Does the rug have any faded or areas lighter than the rest?
49. Does the rug have any tinting of colour? Click here to learn more›
50. Is there evidence of bleeding of any colour or colour transfer from one area to an adjacent colour?
51. Does the rug have any animal problem? If so, what kind of problem (stain, odor, discolouration)?
52. Are there any stains (watermarks, discolourations, etc) on the back of the rug?
53. Are there any stains on the front of the rug (coffee, tea, wine, soda, paint, rust, furniture stain, spills, etc)?
54. Does the rug have any evidence of being inappropriately wet at any time (roof leak, window left open to rain, overflow of washing machine, flood, etc)?
55. Does the rug have evidence or odor of heating fuel being spilled on the rug?
56. Has wax been spilled or dripped on the rug? If so, the wax still there?
57. Does the rug have any grease stains?
58. Has any rug dealer or other person "painted" or dyed any areas of the rug (to lessen the visibility of seams, wear, etc)?
59. Does the rug have any evidence of being burned or having been through a fire?
60. Are there any cigarette burns?
61. Is there any evidence of moth damage (on sides, near fringes, or within the body of the rug)? Click here to learn more›
62. Is the rug pliable (can it be easily creased or folded without breaking), is it dry, brittle, fragile or dry-rotted?
63. Can any breaks, fold damage, or abrassion marks be found on the back fo the rug? Click here to learn more›
64. Does the rug have any evidence of being tacked or nailed to a floor?
65. Is there any loss or abuse to the side salvages? Have the sides or corners been "kicked up"? Click here to learn more›
66. Does the rug have any holes or cuts?
67. Has the rug been reduced?
68. Is there any evidence of old repair(s)? If so, what kind of repair(s)? This should include possible replacement of original fringe.

If you would like to contact us regarding any of the information on this page, please use our email contact form or give us a call.

Education

Shaneybrooks education information center provides a vast knowledge base of materials for free use to visitors and clients.

Resources

Shaneybrooks resources information center provides helpful guides on how to purchase wisely, get the most from your decorating endeavours, and hot to maintain your rugs and carpets for the longevity of their use and beauty.

This page is provided as a limited resource exclusively for our clients as general information which is intended, but not promised or gauranteed to be correct, without interpretation, complete and/or up-to-date. More particularly, the information contained on this page (and this site) is provided as an educational supplement to, NOT to substitute for, the knowledge, expertise, skill and/or judgement of competent trained professional, expert, agent or similar councel. Information presented is NOT intended to be used for ranking for the purpose of comparison or to be used for legal opinion or legal advisement. Neither is this Web page intended to be a source of advertising, or solicitation; thus the reader should not consider this information to be an invitation for an business-client relationship, nor should any content information provided herein be used in place of competent skilled professional assistance. Shaneybrook, Inc. does not intend links on this, related or linked web pages to be referrals or endorsements of the linked entities.

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