Major Autumn Auction, 16th November 2002
As prophesied by the press and feared by collectors, the prices of two Yomud Asmalyks - catalog numbers 88 and 89 - reached dizzying heights in Rippon-Boswell's autumn auction on November 16, 2002 in Wiesbaden. These extremely rare collectors' items had been in a Frankfurt private collection since 1979 and 1980 and came to the market only because of the death of the owner. Moderate estimates prompted hopeful potential buyers from Europe, America, Singapore, and Toronto to come to Wiesbaden to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire these rare Turkmen trappings. Bidding for each of the pieces opened at 20.000 Euro and quickly advanced.
A German collector triumphed bidding against four telephone bidders and much determination in the house; he secured the pieces for 105.600 Euro(#88) and 132.000 Euro(#89). This last price is a new record! The previous record price was for a Saryk Asmalyk which brought 236.000 DM in an autumn auction in 1990 in these same rooms.
A leading Italian dealer paid 112.800 Euro - the second highest knockdown of the day - and a record price - for an oversized artful ivory Serapi with mysterious abstract animal forms.
In a certain way, even more spectacular, was the price of 33.600 Euro which a Geman collector shortly thereafter, paid - against much competition from bidders in the house from California - for a Shahsavan Sumakh bag-face (#128) with the "Arrow"-Gul design. This price was considerably higher than the 46.800DM paid for a similar piece from the "Orient Stars" Collection auctioned by Rippon Boswell in October, 1999.
Other small pieces also fared remarkably well: lot 33, a Sumakh bag-face, only 47x46cm, brought 8.160 Euro, half of a Gashgai-Khordjin (#70) 13.200 Euro, and a Gashgai bag-face woven of the finest wool and silk, lot 109, was sold for 10.200 Euro. An exquisite Khamseh-double bag (#112) with the chicken-motif and splendid striped kelims, never used, therefore in perfect condition, found a new home in Chicago for a price of 14.400 Euro. Indeed the high prices are not to be attributed to a sudden improvement in the market, but to the extraordinary quality of the offered pieces - well informed collectors take advantage of the opportunity of the moment!
As always there was a great demand for antique carpets and kelims from Turkey. A Kirshehir prayer rug (#50) went for 10.800 Euro to an Italian dealer, similarly a Dazgiri, lot 119, with a Transylvanian design brought 15.600 Euro.
Two very different kelims, dated pre-1800, illustrated the spectrum of Anatolian flat-weaves from both nomadic and commercial production. A Saf from Konya (#56) at 24.000 Euro was a good value to a German collector( in 1997 a fragment of this type sold for 132.000DM in the Kailash-auction in Wiesbaden). 
The Ottoman striped kelim (#61), whose subtle elegance fascinated many visitors to the exhibition, was also a good buy at 25.200 Euro.
Towards the end of the auction an unusual Khotan, lot 148, promulgating much discussion because of its two-color field, caused a stir in the room as its estimated price of 9.500 quickly went by the wayside and, as all observed, was sold to a telephone-bidder for 60.000 Euro.
In spite of not to be ignored dire predictions prior to the auction of the new government's announcement of a tax to be imposed on the profits from the sale of items from private collections in the future - something of great concern to the art-market- the sale went very well: the chief reason being the quality and rarity of the important offerings. Roughly 60% of the items sold with simply little attention paid to Caucasian and Persian rugs of average quality. It is, indeed, not to be ignored that many of the high prices, with certain significant exceptions, were paid by large numbers of foreign bidders both in the room and on the telephones. The German public was rather conservative in bidding, probably due to a consequence of their general discomfiture in the economic downturn in the country.
(November 27, 2002. All prices include commission of 20% not including VAT
Responsible for contents: Detlef Maltzahn)