Posted by Samuel Gorden on June 12, 1999 at 22:13:08:
In Reply to: Re: 'Old and established firms' posted by Yon Bard on June 09, 1999 at 07:48:11:
: : I covered this subject in detail in my webpage "RugLore" under the titles of "Advice To New Collectors" and "Buying". The last might be most appropriate to the present discussion. All incipiant collectors must acknowledge that LUCK plays a decisive role. You must be in the right place at the right time! My webpage address is as follows : http://home.earthlink.net/~gordsa
: : Sam
: Sam, in your article you repeat the often given advice that you should buy from 'old and established firms.' To a collector of Turkomans, at least, that presents a problem: There are very few such firms that have a decent selection of old Turkomans. One is perforce left to buy at auction or from 'private' dealers. There is another problem with 'old and established dealers:' Sometimes their knowledge is outdated (to be charitable) or simply wrong (to be blunt). I don't want to name names, but I could cite the most egregious misinformation disseminated by 'old and established dealers.' Of course there are also knowledgable dealers, but how's a novice to tell?
: Regards, Yon
My recommendation that one should rely on "Old and established firms" applies particularly to neophyte collectors who have become entranced with the beauty of these weavings but who have neither knowledge nor experience necessary to start collecting. I assume that they have no other available source. It is far superior to the event of answering the doorbell and finding a young man who explains that he has heard that you are a rug collector. He avers that he is a student who is desparately in need of funds, that the rugs he is holding are family heirlooms and the he is prepared to part with these for a fraction of their market value. The proper thing is to thank him for his kind offer and send him and his delapidated "lemons" on his way. My advice was never intended for veteran collectors who have acquired the knowledge and experience to make their own decisions.
Sam