Credentials

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm second generation in the antique business and third in the furniture business. I got my start in 1963, and anyone that stays in the business that long is definitely Certifiable ;~)

I am full time Appraiser, all the sales data I use is from the same sources that all the major auction houses such as Sotheby's, Christies and Bonhams use to determine value. These area mix of subscription based databases of past auction sales, current and archived auction catalogues and current retail values from Specialist Dealers.

Lovejoy 

Dcundieff,

In response to your question about credentials, we have a variety of antique, memorablia, and art experts on board at Instappraisal who actively complete appraisal requests. Please be aware that Instappraisal is community-driven and you too can review and comment on any other appraisal requests that members have requested. As you can see by our intro on the home page Instappraisal is open for everyone to review and comment on appraisal requests - expert appraiser and the public alike. We have found that opening an appraisal request to the public and allowing anyone to comment on a request is one of the best ways to learn about the valuation and history of an item.

There are many expert appraisers out there and even the experts can be fooled. One (of many) famous examples is the Greek sculpture that was purchased by the Getty Museum which had some of the most world renowned expert appraisers evaluating. The reviewal process was of course done before initial purchase and after much review and extensive scientific testing the sculpture was deemed to be an original kouros from sixth century B.C. carved from marble from the Greek island of Thasos. The Getty bought it for around $9 million as all the experts were so sure that it was an original. Well, after some time had passed it was realized that the sculpture was in fact fake, mostly determined by looking at the provinance and paperwork trail throughout its history of existence.

In my years in the antiques business I have seen countless examples of "the experts" being completely wrong. One personal experience that I had was taking a "Rolex" watch that I had received as a gift to one of the world's most noted watch collectors and appraisers. This collector carefully looked at my watch, holding it, opening it up, and analyzing it. He then asked me what I paid for it. I didn't say anything, but he went on to tell me the value was somewhere around $23,000. I laughed to myself knowing that it was nothing more than a very well made Chinese made Swiss watch. It looked authentic, but was not.

Now this does not mean that in all circumstances appraisers are wrong or that you should not take an item, particularly a fine piece of art, to an appraiser for valuation. In fact, I highly recommend that you do so if just for documentation purposes for your insurance company. Many appraisers are expert at what they do and will give accurate representation. There are also many who are expert and will give you inacurate representation. So, our philosophy at Instappraisal is that by opening up an item for the public and expert appraisers alike to review and appraise an item is often your best and most accurate option. Not everyone deemed an "expert appraiser" will have the most correct information, and those deemed "novice collectors," or just old Joe down the street may actually hold the best information of what your item is, its history, and the most accurate valuation.

Happy Collecting!
Joseph