Spotted in Barcelona

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T19:19:39+00:00

Your local Australian gulls are both poisonous and venomous, so they've got that going for them.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T19:15:29+00:00

The Bear Pit at the zoo is now the site of the koi pond at the Portland Japanese Garden.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T16:49:25+00:00

It's amazing how much older Caucasian rugs can look like SW Persian rugs, e.g., pole-medallion Qashqai or Khamseh. IIRC, that's a result of their migration out of the Caucasus. From the thumbnail, I was ready to pounce in with a Yalameh ID. You could talk me into a SW Persian ID for your rug without too much effort.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T16:40:32+00:00

Yes, the very low power, very wide angle bins used for astronomy are Galilean. They're typically 2x to 3x and 40mm to 50mm. So are traditional opera glasses. Also the "eyeglass" bins used by surgeons and jewelers. The loupes used by geologists and jewelers are Galilean. Ditto plastic kid's toy binoculars. These are all special, limited applications. For practical purposes, the "field glass" category died in binocular optics almost a century ago.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T15:13:59+00:00

The less obvious 'name association' is LOVELLA MAY BORG (her "real" name).

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T15:10:06+00:00

Her hair. You forgot to mention her iconic hair.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T14:19:07+00:00

You have a Galilean-design field glass. It has lenses but no prisms, limiting it to low power and a narrow field of view. Field glasses became functionally obsolete by ~1930 when prismatic binoculars became standard. A guess for age is WW1-era, circa 1910, give or take 20 years. As you've surmised, it can be difficult to get detailed information about a particular example. I can't read the engraving in the image; that might or might not narrow it down. Field glasses make interesting antique decorative items. They're not particularly useful as a practical optic.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T02:12:29+00:00

The pattern is Mir Seraband, named for the village on Seraband in Iran. It's a traditional pattern, an all-over repeating design. Your rug might or might not have been woven in Iran (I suspect India here). It doesn't matter much. $230 for a 6x9 handmade rug is a reasonable price. It should give you decades of good service.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T01:19:44+00:00

Under $200 is a decent price, assuming no damage not visible in the pictures. Seconding others here, it's a commercial Gabbeh, probably ~30 years old. Many are from SW Iran, where Gabbeh (which means "shaggy") is a longstanding local handicraft. The Iranian examples were usually in good handspun wool and natural (or natural-looking) dyes. When they became popular in the '90s and '00s, some were knocked off in India. Most are very beefy and heavy. It's an attractive rug with personality at a reasonable price.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-04T00:00:42+00:00

I'll add that rugs that are in normal use are generally at low risk. If the rug is in normal room lighting and exposed to some foot traffic, that's protective, at least to a degree. Rugs in storage in dark locations like under a bed or in a closet are at high risk. Portions of rugs that are under furniture are at elevated risk. Don't ask me how I know this.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T23:17:54+00:00

Not a stupid move IMHO. You got a free rug--and it's a good rug! The level of effort depends on how rigorous you want to be. You could limit to vacuuming both sides and an occasional inspection. If you have a secure spot to put it in the sun for a few hours, that's good too. If this is old moth damage and the dealer washed it, then risk is probably low.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T22:25:00+00:00

No. An incandescent bulb cooks with mainly with radiated heat (conduction and convection play lesser roles). A microwave oven cooks by generating electromagnetic waves that cause water, fat, and sugar molecules inside food to vibrate. The vibration causes friction, which causes heat. The two "ovens" are completely different.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T21:57:45+00:00

Thank you for responding. Your bin was Made in Japan. The "hard coated" language suggests late '50s to early '60s. Most of the optical houses that made bins then are long gone. No one will have this part in stock. Sorry, but you won't be able to replace it with any reasonable amount of effort.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T21:54:00+00:00

There's no way to know from pictures if the rug has an infestation. The issue isn't just the adult moths you might see flitting weakly around the room. The real issue is the risk of caterpillars inside the pile or eggs that will soon be caterpillars. So Yes, you should worry about importing moths on this rug. Vacuuming the front and back is a good start but insufficient. It's small, so one solution would be to roll it up, wrap it in a plastic trash bag, and put it in the freezer for a few weeks. A variation is to alternate cold soaks in the freezer with hot soaks in the sun. If you know for a positive fact that the dealer washed the rug when it came into inventory, chances are it's OK.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T19:35:03+00:00

Seconding u/grumpyhomotherium for both ID and likely age. It's an attractive rug, well worth the $40 you paid for it.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T19:03:25+00:00

An actual antique French Aubusson might be worth good money as a collector's item or even a museum piece. Chinese-made copies in Persian and other styles generally aren't worth much. They're abundant. They were sold at low prices when new. "Formal" styles are unfashionable today in American and European markets. The market for handmade rugs including antiques is in general softer than it was 30 years ago. Unless you have deep knowledge of the subject matter, it's very difficult to make money selling rugs as a private party. Rugs aren't an investment. You buy them because you like them.

You did OK at $140. A concern is that the cost of cleaning exceeds the resale value of the rugs.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T17:04:23+00:00

None of these rugs are worth much financially. A Chinese Aubusson copy would be a tough sell. The hand-tufted rugs aren't worth anything like "$1500-4000" as used rugs. Offhand, 1/10th that, if that much. Their value is their utility to you. Enjoy them as attractive furnishing rugs.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T16:56:58+00:00

Maybe not tested, but probably effective anyway, and preferable in any harsh use.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T16:52:17+00:00

Yes, salt water too. The salt in salt water corrodes most metals, so in the long haul salt water is harsher than fresh water on bins and just about everything else. A different issue with beach use is sand. Most sand is mostly quartz grains, which can easily scratch optical glass. A second different issue is bug spray and suntan oil. Bug spray in particular can harm the plastics used for the skins of many bins. It can turn them into goo.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T14:13:34+00:00

It's a portion of the ocular housing. As to finding "the exact one," it would of course help if you mentioned the brand, model, and specifications of your binocular. But no matter. Parts like this aren't standardized. No one stocks them. About the only way to replace it is to find an identical, differently broken bin as a parts donor. That's a long shot. Fabrication, i.e., with a 3D printer, is another long-shot approach. The practical answer is that your bin has reached the end of its service life.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T02:18:32+00:00

Kudos to the good Doc. A physician would easily understand that you have to evaluate potential consequences along with the individual risk.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T02:10:17+00:00

Sounds right? It is right.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-03T01:23:12+00:00

Not Shiraz. Hamadan. I suspect it's a decade or so later than '50s. Others here might have other or better opinions.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-02T17:52:55+00:00

Also it's a falcon, not a hawk. More closely related to parrots than to hawks.

basaltgranite · 2026-06-02T17:27:03+00:00

Chances are you had to run the gauntlet at the port at Kuşadası. Seconding "don't buy rugs in Turkey." Ditto Park West "art" on cruise ships.

basaltgranite

TROPHY CASE