Belfast, Ireland, October 27--U2 star Adam Clayton is to sell off his collection of exotic carpets worth over £200,000 at a special auction at Christies in London, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
The rugs, known as the Adam Clayton Collection, range from small kilims to intricate Persian rugs dating back to the 18th century.
Art dealers and antique hunters are more likely to be vying against each other rather than any rock band fans as the entire collection of 67 rugs is expected to make over £200,000 at the Country Furniture and Works of Art auction next month.
The carpets, which are from the U2 bass player's 20-room Rathfarnham home in Dublin, are expected to make anything from ?300 to over £12,000 each.
They furnished Danesmoate House, a Georgian mansion, which the star bought for £380,000 almost 20 years ago.
Many of the carpets were woven prior to the start of commercial production in Persia and many of the kilim rugs are from Anatolia, now part of Turkey.
The U2 star is known as a collector of fine arts.
A Christies spokeswoman said "The strength of the collection is in dating from after the end of the Safavid dynasty in 1741 but before the beginning of commercial production under the Qajars in the second half of the nineteenth century."
The Clayton carpets are mainly from northwest Persia with motifs of animals.
