Antique rugs

Maksoud of Kashan wove the date 1540 into his carpet. Zuriah Caswell carefully embroidered 1835 into hers. It would have been a great help to the United States Customs and to the gen­eral public if every weaver had done the same.

The customs authorities define an antique as an object at least one hundred years old. One-hundred-year-old rugs are as scarce as Napoleon brandy.

But many gallons of brandy have been called "Napoleon," and many rugs have been foisted on a credu­lous public as antique.

Not that a rug that is fifty or sixty or seventy years old isn't as good. It's probably better, except in the eyes of a collector, because it is usually in better condition, and is more useful as a floorcovering.

But you should know what you're getting and what you're paying for. You shouldn't pay an antique price for a rug that is not an antique.