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San Francisco, CA

Oriental rug appraisal in San Francisco

For Bay Area collectors, tech-executive households, and estate counsel across Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, the Peninsula, and Silicon Valley. Our Certified and Legal/Estate appraisals are 100% remote — from $125; instant valuation available for $35.

Why The RUG Index

San Francisco’s rug market — and why standardized appraisals matter

San Francisco has an unusual rug market for a U.S. metro of its size, with two distinct collector bases. The first is the long-established Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights households, where antique Persian, Turkish, and Caucasian rugs have moved through Victorian and Edwardian houses for over a century. The second is the more recent tech-executive demand for both contemporary design pieces and museum-grade Asian rugs (particularly Tibetan and Khotan) that has reshaped Peninsula collecting since the late 1990s.

We work with Bay Area estate attorneys on large-trust estates that frequently include rugs as a significant personal-property line item, with private-banking and family-office clients needing scheduled appraisals for fine-art riders, and with individual collectors preparing pieces for Bonhams San Francisco or Clars Auction Gallery. Our reports are formatted to meet documentation requirements commonly requested by carriers and probate courts; acceptance is subject to individual requirements.

Insurance valuations for San Francisco collectors

The most common gap we see is insurance under-coverage. A rug purchased two or three decades ago at fair market is now often worth 3–6× its original price at retail-replacement — the figure your insurer actually needs. A current RUG Index appraisal corrects the schedule before a loss event. Formatted to meet documentation requirements commonly requested by U.S. insurance carriers. Acceptance is subject to individual carrier requirements and policy terms.

Estate & probate appraisals nationwide

For collections inherited or being settled in California, our Legal/Estate report ($195) is a RICA Certified Appraisal formatted for potential use in probate proceedings and IRS filings; admissibility and acceptance are determined solely by the court or agency. The signed PDF is delivered remotely.

Common rug types in San Francisco collections
Persian City Rugs
Tabriz, Isfahan, Kashan — common in Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights
Tibetan & Khotan
Antique Tibetan and East Turkestan pieces — signature Bay Area collector category
Caucasian Antiques
Kazak, Shirvan — long-held Victorian-house collections
Turkish Oushak
Late 19th-century pieces in Atherton and Hillsborough estates
Contemporary Design
Tibetan-knot and modern Persian workshop in tech-executive homes
How It Works

Four steps from booking to report — from anywhere in California

Our Certified and Legal/Estate appraisals are 100% remote. Submit photos and rug details online; we handle the rest.

1
Submit photos online
Upload clear photos of your rug — top surface, back, fringes, and a tape measure for scale. Fill in dimensions and known history.
2
RICA appraiser evaluates
A RICA-certified appraiser applies the five-pillar RUG Index formula to your rug’s origin, material, age, condition, and knot density.
3
Report prepared
Your RICA Certified report is signed and includes four certified value outputs: resale, insurance, retail, and auction estimate.
4
PDF delivered by email
3–5 business days for Certified; 5–7 for Legal/Estate. Rush turnaround available for the Legal/Estate tier, quoted on request.
Pricing

Two report types — all available remotely in San Francisco

No travel fee, no in-person required. Same prices as anywhere else in the U.S.

Certified
$125
Five-pillar grading · Comparable sales analysis · Four certified value outputs · RICA Certified Appraisal · Formatted for carrier documentation requirements
Legal / Estate
$195
Everything in Certified · formatted for legal use · Formatted for IRS Form 8283 · Wet signature · Admissibility determined by the court
FAQ

San Francisco rug appraisal questions

Not yet. Our remote Certified and Legal/Estate appraisals serve the Bay Area today — submit photos and receive a signed PDF by email. An in-person RICA appraiser for the Bay Area is on the expansion roadmap.
You upload clear photos of your rug — the entire top surface, the back, any damage or repairs, and a tape measure laid across the rug for scale. Submit your rug’s dimensions and any known history (where it was purchased, when, and any documentation). A RICA-certified appraiser reviews the submission, applies the five-pillar formula, and prepares your signed PDF report. Most clients receive their report within 3–5 business days.
Our Certified and Legal/Estate reports are RICA Certified Appraisals formatted with the insurance replacement value and retail replacement cost that underwriters typically request to schedule personal property. Formatted to meet documentation requirements commonly requested by U.S. insurance carriers. Acceptance is subject to individual carrier requirements and policy terms.
Yes. Our Legal/Estate report ($195) is a RICA Certified Appraisal formatted for potential use in probate proceedings; admissibility is determined solely by the court. This includes California. The report includes the qualified-appraisal language required by the IRS for Form 8283 charitable-donation deductions over $5,000.
For high-value antique pieces, we offer a video review call as part of the Certified and Legal/Estate tiers — the appraiser walks you through specific angles, knot-back close-ups, and provenance markers. This is included at no additional cost. For collections of 5+ rugs or unusually valuable single pieces, contact us to discuss a tailored on-site arrangement.
Near you

Rug Appraisal Near Me in San Francisco

If you have been searching for a rug appraisal near you in San Francisco, you can skip the in-person visit. The RUG Index appraises San Francisco rugs entirely online — submit photos and measurements, and a RICA-certified appraiser returns a signed report in 3–5 business days. It is the simplest way to get an oriental, antique, or Persian rug appraised in San Francisco without leaving home. Compare coverage in other metros on our rug appraisers near me directory, or start a certified rug appraisal now.

Book your San Francisco rug appraisal

Submit photos online and receive a certified report by email in 3–5 business days. Plans start at $125.

Questions? Contact us · See pricing details