The Personal Property Appraisers Post

Appraisers and collectors please take notice!

At first glance it may resemble a Classic Navajo child's blanket or serape circa 1865 or a Germantown weaving, but check the warp threads along either side. They shift from double to single strand and are not contiguous.

Examine more closely the character of wool, its relative lack of sheen. Review the quality of colors used, particularly the red. Are the end cords handled in a traditional Navajo fashion?

The condition of the weaving on my appraisal was suspiciously perfect, but as I had not heard of this type of product being generated, I really did not anticipate this problem. Luckily I consulted with three dealers, each with more than 20 years in the business of Navajo weavings, all of whom were able to recognize the weaving as new and not Navajo made.

A dealer in the United States selling antique Navajo weavings sent his textiles to be repaired in Turkey, as this country has a long tradition of weaving. Now these talented conservators are creating the entire weaving themselves, as opposed to repairing damaged old ones.

The wool in the weaving in my appraisal looked different. It came from Anatolian sheep indigenous to the central highlands of Turkey and other places in Russia. Unfortunately, a source came to learn that large shipments of churro wool are headed for Turkey.

This new cottage industry is judged to be less than 10 years old. To date, I have not learned of these ultrafine textiles (96 wefts per linear inch X 12 warps per linear inch) being sold as what they are: replicas or copies of antique Navajo weavings.

Reputedly several have sold successfully through the top tier auction houses in the U.S. One of these evidently was deliberately soiled and exposed to extreme UV light to support its having been made more than 10 years ago.

Most appraisers encounter Asian ceramics. Problems abound. What is real, what is a reproduction, what is an outright fake? Where was the work produced, who was the intended audience, what was the intended use? Has the ceramic always stood on its own, or is it originally part of a larger set? Is its mark (if any) correct, is it significant, how is it read? Is the ceramic well-potted for its period and style? Etc. There is no substitute for handling the "real thing", but there are a number of websites which can help in an initial analysis of a ceramic object. Several of these websites are noted here. They are not listed in any particular order.

1. www.gotheborg.com

An indispensable site, with extremely useful pages on marks which may appear on Chinese and Japanese ceramics.

2. www.e-yakimono.net

Hosted by Robert Yellin, this site is devoted to modern Japanese ceramic artists, and has brief definitions of various types of Japanese ceramics.

3. www.mingwrecks.com

As it states, this site is devoted to Chinese ship wreck ceramics.

4. www.gbouvier.com

A subscription site devoted to Kutani ware, with many hard-to-find marks.

5. www.richardgouldantiques.com, www.chinese-porcelain-art.com, and www.cohenandcohen.co.uk

All sites which specialize in Chinese export ceramics.

6. www.eastfurniture.com

And finally, leaving you with the thought that one expert states that 75% of what comes out of Hong Kong is a fake, let me mention one site (of many) that advertises new reproductions of traditional ceramic forms. It takes time to load. The site has many pages illustrating reproduction Chinese furniture as well. For the pottery/porcelain, click on that area in the lower left listing on the home page.

More sites another time.

Daphne Rosenzweig, Ph.D, ISA CAPP

This is the first in a series of articles on how to use technology to enhance your professional appraising practice.

In the first 10 years, the Internet was mainly used for email, instant messaging, and web sites. Some companies built powerful web-based applications such as banking and information exchanges. A couple of years ago a seemingly new use for the Internet exploded in the media. Of course I am talking about MySpace and some other social networking sites. While MySpace has received considerable negative press (much of it deserved), there are other services that allow a professional to promote their practice in a business-like manner.

This article will discuss a free web service called LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a professional networking site. Appraisers can create a professional profile and connect with other professionals in the appraising, insurance, and legal professions. The idea behind LinkedIn is to promote your practice in a professional and consistent manner. LinkedIn also allows you to stay connected with your peers, clients, and business partners quickly and easily.

Back in the 1980’s a saying was; “It is who you know”. An appropriate saying for this century is; “It is who you know, and how much you know”. How do you let people know how much you know? One way is to provide information that shows you know your business, and that you are an expert in your field. This can be done through email, newsletters, and snail mail. (Click Read More for the rest of the article)

By Tom Helms

Making a living appraising can be challenging and a daunting task for anyone who is in the business. Besides marketing, joining business organizations, networking, ringing doorbells, writing summary and self-contained reports, there is another type of a report that can create business for you that can be added to your arsenal: “a preliminary narrative appraisal” akin to the restricted report, but in memo style.

Attorneys, bank trust departments, and fiduciaries many times handle lower-end estates but still need an evaluation of worth. The problem confronting them was that the assets could not handle the full-blown expense of an itemized and detailed report especially with smaller accounts. The representative wanted a third knowledgeable party to do an overview of the estate noting items that might have “some worth” and then determine a preliminary value for the total estate.

Most of the time, the liquidation of the estate determined the estate’s value; however, what had happened in the past was that some heir might “remember” and complain to the representative, “what happened to the $2500.00 painting that was hanging over my aunt’s bed?” And that is when the trials and tribulations would begin for the representative of the estate. Almost every attorney, trust officer, and certified fiduciary agent has faced that crisis. The problem existed and a solution was needed. (Click the Read More tag for the rest of the article)

By Denise Levy

I often wonder what other appraisers experience just before a first visit to a client. What are the appraiser's preparations that are made for the visit. We walk into our clients' lives often not knowing them and unfamiliar with the contents of their collection (s). What we do know are the facts gleaned from the telephone interview. It is always smart to do some research for the items to be examined. This will help allay the excitement and nerves that usually kick in pre-visit. Once in the client's home, all of that melts away and you, the appraiser take charge.

Diplomacy is the first rule. Never disparage the client's personal property. How many of us have viewed what we perceive to be junk, yet the client may have inherited this or that from a beloved relative? It may not have great monetary value, but to the client it means the world. It's best not to divulge off the cuff values even if you know. Tread delicately and with authority so that when a question of value comes up, choose words carefully to avoid misinformation. Avoid commenting on the home itself and other contents. If the view is wonderful or the location is special, fair enough to mention that. Your mission is to focus on the items at hand for the appraisal.

The first visit can be a bonding experience. It may also be the only visit required with the bulk of work following the visit that includes: research, contacting other experts, composing the report, and so forth.

The necessary tools for examining artworks include; a loop, tape measure, note pad, pen, camera, extra batteries for digital cameras, and a memory card. For household contents take the same items, but add a large magnifying glass and a long tape measure. Shoot plenty of digitals which will serve as reminders of what you have examined and will document the contents.

Building confidence is key during the first visit and spending the time needed to adequately examine the personal property is vital. You need to convey pride in your work and that you are a professional.
Appraising is an old world activity and has grown into a modern industry supported by the most sophisticated technologies, methods, and tools. It is an endlessly fascinating profession.

By Stephen P. Sweeting, ASA

Like the rest of the world the Canadian art auction market entered a period of recession in the autumn of 2008. Fewer quality lots, lower prices, and an overall softening of the market indicated that Canada’s auction market was feeling the effects of the global recession. As the season opened in the spring of 2009 many were expecting a continuation of the depressed autumn 2008 prices. And indeed, this played out with the first two major auctions of the season at Sotheby’s Canada and Joyner-Waddington’s – both in Toronto. According to news sources, Sotheby’s sold 3.5 million Canadian dollars worth of art including buyer’s premium, while Joyner-Waddington’s take totaled 1.6 million dollars. These are extremely modest if not depressed sale results.

This falling market pattern was not continued, however, with the last major sale of the season at Heffel Fine Art Auction House in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their two catalogue-auction sale produced a total of 11.3 million dollars – more than double the combined results of the two major competitors. Although down from the heady days of 2007, this result does not speak of recession.

Observers of the Canadian auction scene are asking whether Heffel’s successful sale is the harbinger of better times – or merely a reflection of the company’s more aggressive and resilient business model. I want to propose a different hypothesis behind Heffel’s rise to the top of the Canadian art auction scene and its apparent stability in an undeniably soft art market: Heffel Fine Art Auction House more successfully connects with the changing culture underpinning the Canadian art market and is in effect the country’s first postmodern (PoMo) auction house.

Several years ago when attending a Heffel Canadian art auction in Toronto I felt that something different was going on with this firm – a relative latecomer on the national auction scene. The salesroom crowd reacted uniquely to the proceedings and there was an almost electric combination of theatricality and state-of-the-art technology in the Park Hyatt ballroom where the sale was being conducted. I walked out of the auction feeling like I had just observed a definitive break with the ossified model of first-tier Canadian art auctions. The staid old auction salesroom with its cast of regulars and measured proceedings suddenly looked very quaint and out-of-date. A changing of the guard was taking place. (Click Read More for the rest of the Article)

by David J. Maloney, Jr., AOA CM

The primary reason for an appraiser to personally inspect a property is to gather information about the characteristics of the property that are relevant to its value. (In general, these are referred to as relevant property characteristics and consist of quality characteristics as well as value-relevant attributes of the property.) But is a personal inspection by the appraiser required to gather the necessary information? The answer is "No" (though it is advised whenever possible.)

Though appraisers almost always conduct a hands-on inspection of the property which is the subject of the appraisal assignment, on some occasions such as in the case of a theft or loss, the property is no longer available for inspection. In such cases, a personal inspection simply is not possible. On other occasions, the high cost or risk of loss of shipping a valuable property to the specialist appraiser for examination might necessitate an appraisal being conducted without the benefit of a personal inspection. For items that remain available for inspection and which require special testing procedures or equipment to prove genuineness or quality, or which require authentication, or which are potentially so valuable as to warrant the expense of a hands-on inspection, the specialist appraiser should insist that arrangements be made for a personal inspection either by him/herself or by some other qualified appraiser. Otherwise, the appraiser should abandon the assignment.

The following discussion addresses USPAP's requirements regarding the appraiser's responsibility regarding "identification." ...read entire article

The Appraisers Post brought to you by the Appraiser Workshops is a new site which incorporates elements of both a webzine and a blog . It is our hope for the site to become a destination on the Internet for all personal property appraisers. As we start this new venture we foresee it becoming a self sufficient site for content. We expect that because it is designed and conceived around the idea of having a large list of contributors from the personal property appraisal profession posting on topics of interest within the field on a regular basis. If this can be achieved, there should always be a fair amount of new content on the site from a cross section of the profession.

The contributor postings will be a mixture of content, including product knowledge, appraisal theory and methodology, current events, exhibit review, course reviews, opinions and commentary. We expect the site will eventually grow into an interactive forum with postings and follow-up comments and discussions posted to the site and individual blog posts.

The site will take a little while to build, so please be patient, and if you are interested in being a contributor, please contact me for additional information. Expectations for contributors is one post every 4-6 weeks (more of course if you so desire). The content can be very flexible, but we do wish it to be related to the personal property appraisal profession. The post do not need to be overly long, as it is an internet site and attention spans are short. In the event there is something more substantial that requires a lot of posting space, we should be able to fine ways to handle this as well with links to the full article. The site is also not only for those in the large personal property associations and societies, but for all appraisers as we hope to have representation and contributors from all groups including independent appraisers.

As you can see, the site is visually interesting with scrolling bars, a large headline area, a section for four article or items of interest, perhaps conference updates etc, and below that is the actual posting section for the blog. The site has a side column for a featured video along with contributor spotlight area and the list of contributors/bloggers with bio's who will post on a regular basis.

Should the site work the way I envision, it will be almost self sufficient with only a few changes every so often. The list of bloggers posting on a regular basis will be

If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to call me at 703-836-1020 to discuss or email by clicking HERE.

I hope you become a regular reader and visitor to The Appraisers Post.

Best regards,



Todd