Large handmade rugs are difficult to sell privately. They don't photograph well, won't fit on a car, and most dealers don't have the space or the buyers. We specialise in exactly this problem: room-size Persian, Oriental, and antique carpets, with collection arranged anywhere in the UK. Free valuation, no fees.
Large Format Pieces We Specialise In
A large handmade carpet presents a unique set of challenges for a private seller. It is too bulky to take to a dealer, too large to photograph on eBay, too heavy to post, and too significant to simply give away. Many people with large antique carpets simply live with them indefinitely, unable to find a practical route to sale.
Auction houses may accept exceptional large pieces, but they require transport to their saleroom, charge buyer's and seller's premiums totalling 25–35%, and results are unpredictable. A specialist dealer may express interest but offer trade prices that reflect a 50–60% discount to collector value.
We have designed our service specifically around the practical challenges of large piece sales. We value from photographs, we collect from anywhere in the UK, and we pay fair market prices — not trade prices. The process involves nothing more from you than taking photographs and providing dimensions.
Each of these categories is actively sought by collectors and interior buyers at significant prices.
The great Persian weaving cities — Tabriz, Kashan, Isfahan, Heriz, and Kerman — produced large-format carpets as a matter of course. Room-size pieces (3×4m and above) were the staple of the 19th and early 20th century export trade to Europe and the US, and many of these pieces ended up in country houses, gentlemen's clubs, hotels, and large private houses across Britain.
These are precisely the pieces we seek. A large antique Tabriz carpet from 1880–1920 in good condition, with natural dyes and good structural integrity, may be worth £8,000–£50,000 depending on design, quality, and condition. A large Kashan medallion carpet of comparable age could be worth similar sums. These are pieces that deserve specialist assessment — not a clearance company.
Key types: Tabriz (geometric and floral medallion), Kashan (classic arabesque floral), Isfahan (fine medallion and garden designs), Heriz/Serapi (bold geometric, very popular in the US market), Kerman (floral, often in room-size format for export), Sultanabad/Mahal (large-format, good commercial quality).
Oushak rugs are among the most sought-after pieces in the current antique carpet market, and the largest format Oushak — pieces of 4×6m and above — are among the rarest and most valuable. The classic Oushak palette of terracotta, ivory, soft gold, and faded blue, combined with open field designs that fill large rooms beautifully, has driven extraordinary demand from designers and collectors in the US and Europe.
Many large Oushak pieces were imported to Britain in the late 19th and early 20th century and have remained in the same houses for generations. If you have a large room-size rug in warm terracotta and ivory tones with a relatively open field design (not densely packed with detail), it is well worth having assessed — it may be an Oushak, and it may be significantly more valuable than you realise.
Sizes most sought: Above 3×4m. Pieces of 4×6m and above are exceptional finds. We handle transportation of any size.
Sultanabad (now Arak) was the major commercial weaving centre of central-western Iran in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Ziegler & Co. workshop, active in the region from the 1880s, produced large-format carpets specifically for the European market — pieces with soft, naturalistic floral designs in warm, faded palettes that integrate beautifully into European interiors.
Ziegler Sultanabad pieces are now among the most actively traded categories in the specialist carpet market. Large pieces (above 3×4m) in good structural condition with characteristic soft palette regularly achieve £15,000–£60,000 at specialist auction. "Mahal" is the general trade name for good-quality Sultanabad commercial production of the same period.
Agra was the major centre of Indian carpet production in the Mughal period and remained an important weaving city into the 20th century. Large-format Agra carpets — often 3×5m and above — are characterised by bold, geometric-influenced floral designs, rich jewel-tone palettes, and a robust pile that has survived heavy use exceptionally well.
Antique Agra pieces from the late 19th and early 20th century have seen significant price appreciation over the past decade, driven partly by strong demand from US and European interior designers who value their scale and robust character. A large antique Agra carpet in good structural condition with good natural dyes can be worth £10,000–£40,000.
Large rugs present a genuine photographic challenge — most rooms don't allow for a straight-down view from enough height to capture the whole piece in frame. Here is our recommended approach:
You do not need professional photography. Smartphone photos taken in good daylight are sufficient for an initial assessment.
We have designed the process around the practical challenges of large piece sales.
Follow the photography guide above. Upload your photographs via our quote form along with the dimensions (measured with a tape measure — length and width in metres, with fringe excluded). Tell us where the rug is located and any history you know about it.
Within 48 business hours, our specialists will assess your photographs and provide a full written valuation — identifying the piece, explaining what affects its value, and making a fair market purchase offer. For exceptional pieces, we may request additional photographs or arrange a viewing.
If you accept our offer, we arrange professional collection at a time that suits you. We work with specialist carpet carriers who roll, pad, and transport large pieces safely. Collection is free for pieces we purchase and covers any location in the UK. Payment is made promptly on collection.
Oushak, Sultanabad, Tabriz, and Agra are the categories with the strongest current market. Heriz and Serapi also command excellent prices. Origin determines value bracket before any other factor.
Pre-1920 pieces are where collector interest and value concentrate. Antique large carpets are considerably scarcer than smaller pieces of equivalent age — large pieces were harder to store and transport, so fewer survive.
Beyond approximately 3×4m, larger genuinely adds value in most categories. Pieces above 5×7m are exceptional and rare. Accurate dimensions are essential to valuation — use a tape measure, not estimation.
For large Oushak and Sultanabad pieces, the softness and warmth of the palette is a primary value driver. Natural dyes that have mellowed to warm golds, terracottas, and faded blues are particularly sought by interior buyers.
Even wear is acceptable. Large holes, significant weft breakage, or sections where the pile has completely worn through are more serious in large pieces as repair costs are proportionally higher. Edge condition and fringe integrity also matter.
Large carpets that can be traced to notable houses, estates, or collections attract collector interest. Any documentation of history — photographs in situ, auction records, estate inventories — is worth including in your submission.
Specialist buyers for pre-1900 pieces at full collector market value.
All Persian rug types and periods purchased across the UK.
From Turkish Oushak to Indian Agra — all Oriental types purchased.
How our online valuation process works — quick, free, no obligation.