Sometimes the only person who needs the answer is you.

In Short

What this appraisal is for

Not every appraisal answers to a court, an insurer, or the IRS. You may have inherited a piece and want to know what it actually is, or be weighing whether to keep, sell, or insure something, or simply want your own records to be right. We appraise a single item or a whole collection for personal use, prepared to the same USPAP standard as every other report here. What changes is who the appraisal is for, not how carefully it is done.

When You Need One

Who this is for

Not every appraisal answers to a court, an insurer, or the IRS. This one answers to the owner. Clients ask for it when:

• A piece has been inherited and nobody in the family knows what it actually is.
• You are deciding whether to keep, sell, insure, or donate something.
• You are downsizing, and want to know what is worth moving.
• A dealer or a buyer has made an offer, and you want an independent view of it before you answer.
• You simply want your own record of the household to be right.

The Report

What the report is used for

The standard of value depends on the question you are asking, so we settle that at the consultation. If you are weighing a sale, fair market value is the useful figure. If you are thinking about cover, replacement value is. We will tell you which one answers your question rather than assume it.

What changes here is who the appraisal is for, not how carefully it is done. The research, the report, and the USPAP certification are the same as for an estate or an insurer.

• A description of each item, and what the marks and evidence support
• The value of each item, and the standard of value applied
• The effective date of value
• The comparable sales and market data behind each figure
• The appraiser's certification, qualifications, and signature

How It Works

Four steps, start to signed report

Most assignments are prepared remotely, from photographs and documents. Where an item genuinely has to be seen in person, we say so before you pay rather than issue an opinion we cannot stand behind.

1. You send photographs and an inventory of the items, with any provenance, receipts, or certificates you have
2. We reply with a fixed quote, before any work starts
3. We research comparable sales and market data for each item or asset
4. You receive a signed, USPAP-compliant report you can file

Your Part

What we need from you

• Photographs of each item from several angles
• Close photographs of every mark, signature, stamp, and label, however small
• Any receipt, certificate, prior appraisal, or record of provenance you hold
• For a vehicle or a vessel: the VIN or HIN, the mileage or hours, and the service records
• What you want the figure for, so we can apply the standard of value that answers it

Start with the items you are most curious about rather than the whole house. A short list is quick to quote and quick to turn around, and you can always add to it later. Photograph every mark, signature, stamp, and label you can find, however small — those identify a piece, and a remote appraisal turns on them.

Price

What this costs

Items are quoted on the per-item schedule, from $10 for ordinary household goods up to $50–75 for fine jewelry and rare pieces, with a $150 minimum on any assignment. A vehicle, a vessel, or a machine is quoted on the asset schedule instead, from $250.

You get a fixed quote before any work starts, and the fee follows the research the assignment takes, not the value we find. If photographs cannot support the value, we say so before you pay — and if the fee would exceed what the property is likely worth, we say that too.

See the full pricing →