GUEST: I got this carpet from my mother.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: And it was part of her grandmother's dowry.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: She had it for about 40 years.

APPRAISER: Well, I'll fill in some of the blanks for you.

Okay.

Um, the rug is in the Ushak style that... GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: Ushak rugs were decorative carpets woven in Turkey.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: Going back to the 15th century.

They were very popular throughout Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Alexander Morton and Company was a Scottish firm that made textiles.

So, they were approached... APPRAISER: by the Congested Districts Board of Ireland.

Their purpose was to promote industry in some heavily populated areas.

APPRAISER: The board went to Alexander Morton and Company and proposed that they would set up looms in the town of Killybegs, in County Donegal in Northwest Ireland.

And they were promising affordable labor, subsidize the construction of multiple factories, and provide a deep seaport for shipping their carpets all over the world.

So it was a great offer, and Morton and Company jumped at it.

So, starting around 1900, they were, started weaving pile carpets like this, in the Ushak style, with an Arts and Crafts influence, in Killybegs, Ireland.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: Okay?

Now, Morton and Company had their own designers, and the design of this carpet was done by Gavin Morton and G.K.

Robertson.

APPRAISER: And in their designs... GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: ...really, what they wanted to do was show the contrast between the intricate floral elements and plain areas of color, a more dramatic effect to the eye.

So, do you have any idea how much this carpet is worth?

GUEST: Well, I know it's a special rug.

I, as far as how much it's worth, I was told by a rug guy that I took it to in Eureka that it was worth about $3,000.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: My boyfriend thinks it's worth $2.2 million.

APPRAISER: $2.2 million.

GUEST: (laughs) APPRAISER: This is a pretty big range, between $3,000 and $2.2 million.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: This Donegal carpet, in auction, would sell for between $20,000 and $30,000 today.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: Yeah.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: So, thank you so much for bringing it in.

GUEST: Wow, that's great.

Thank you so much.

APPRAISER: Thank you.