GUEST: I actually purchased it at a garage sale. There was a professor who was moving to assisted living. And this was in his foyer, and he refused to sell it to me. Two weeks later, he called me and said, "It won't fit in my new apartment, would you like it?" So I said yes immediately, and went and got it.

APPRAISER: How much did you pay for it?

GUEST: $250. It appealed to my sense of design.

APPRAISER: Right, but probably not to your sense of symmetry.

GUEST: No, not at all because every one of these medallions seems to be different.

APPRAISER: Exactly. Well, the rug is a very nice soumak rug. Soumak refers to the technique, which is a very intricate chain stitch. These were made in the Caucasus in the late 19th century, and are still made today. The value as is, I would say, is about $8,000.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: We could very realistically say this would have a retail value of $15,000 after restoration. Probably $2,000 to $2,500 would take care of everything and it would be just smashing.