Oriental rugs: price

For a good many years the import duty on Orientals was a minimum of twenty-five cents a square foot, usually averaging an addition of about 50 per cent to the cost of the rug.

Recently that rate has been materially reduced so that the duty in 1946 was around 22 per cent. This saving should eventually be reflected in the retail market.

Just before the war a top quality modern washed Oriental (Kashan) was retailing for around five hundred dollars in the 9 x 12 size, those of the middle quality (Sarouks) in the neighborhood of four hundred dollars, and the cheapest grade (Lil-ihans) for about two hundred and fifty dollars.

Because they have not been in as great demand the older unwashed rugs are often less expensive, though they are usually better buys and, in the opinion of most rug experts, very much more beautiful.