Review Of Online Object Appraisals

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Shayla

Shayla

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Interesting article. Weird to see that one of them is 20 miles away.

Too bad art wasn't mentioned, because I would love to get people out the door faster by sending them to one of these, especially the one from Perth.
 
Indeed. I get people asking all kinds of questions, and the art appraisal thing is tricky. One appraiser I called said it was two hundred dollars for their service, and our customer was loathe to spend that kind of money and maybe find out it wasn't worth much. About 15 years ago, a customer came in with a pastel she'd bought at a local antique store and wanted cut up to frame. I didn't want to do that and suggested she find out what it was worth. She had it looked at by Butterfield & Butterfield and was happy to learn it was worth $3000.00. Sent it off to their auction, hoping it would sell and was very surprised with the results. The next time she came in, she said it hadn't sold, and then they'd billed her $500.00 for having put it in the sale. I felt badly for having pointed her in that direction.

I know a lady locally who's a licensed appraiser, but I'd rather send those with potentially valuable artwork to busy folks with a lot of practice, rather than someone who only does it now and then.
 
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Anything used -after the labor, materials, and mark-up have been paid for once- be it a house, a car, a painting by maybe Andy Warhol, a 'Bakelite' brooch, or a set of finger-bowl doilies- is supremely subject to supply-and-demand. Whatever it is, it is only worth what someone who's in the market and who happens to be looking at the moment is willing to pay, and this is impossible to predict.

I'm probably not allowed 'crapshoot", so I'll type 'dice-toss'. Stupid. 'Poo-shoot' would be even more stupid. Estimates for auctions are always a dice-toss.

Appraisals for tax purposes are different. I learned this first-hand.
 
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