The Personal Property Appraisers Post

The Journal of Advanced Appraisal Studies – 2010 will soon be published. Look for the 2010 edition to be available for purchase sometime in late March or early April. I am currently putting the master document together for final copy editing, formatting and printing. I am very pleased with the article contributions for this year and expect the journal to again be widely accepted as a thoughtful and insightful publication on personal property practice. The 2010 article mix and variety is excellent, with an interesting selection of product knowledge content, appraisal theory and methodology and practical appraisal information. The 2010 collection of articles come from both past journal contributors and new authors.

The 2010 edition of the Journal of Advanced Appraisal Studies will contain articles on the following topics:

• Folk Art
• Museum deaccsessioning
• Investing in antiques and art
• Appraising art
• Working with the moving industry
• The appraisal library
• Appraisal software techniques
• Appraiser versus authenticators
• Rarity
• Valuation
• Blockage
• Art crime
• Appraising church and synagogue collections
• Original research methods
• Furniture designers
• Appraising stamps and coins

I will of course post to both the Appraiser Workshops blog and the Appraisers post when the new 2010 edition is available.

The Journal is published by the non profit Foundation for Appraisal Education, and proceeds go to the educational initiatives of the foundation. I would like to thank all of the authors, volunteers and past and present Foundation for Appraisal Education board members for their help, continued support and loyalty to this important and needed project. If we as a profession expect to grow we need to cultivate and encourage those who practice personal property appraising to develop new ideas, theories and methodologies, and the share them with our peers.

As Charles McCracken, D.Ed wrote in the inaugural 2008 edition of the Journal:

Modern personal property appraisers do more than numerical calculations and tabulations. They generate prose that is engaging and explanatory. They write beyond the numbers to share knowledge with peers and a wider audience. The virtues of publishing are many. By contributing to the literature upon which all appraiser rely, they establish themselves as experts in afield, attract jobs well suited to their interests and expertise, and develop a network of colleagues and other professionals.

For the profession, publishing informative pieces about what appraisers do or telling the stories their research uncovers, promotes good will and public trust and demonstrates the rigor or the research conducted. As the appraisal practice evolves, writing for a broader audience, writing clearly, writing for publication is becoming more important.

The 2008 and 2009 versions of the Journal are still available, and can be ordered at www.appraisaljournal.org. As the editor of the journal I am always looking for interesting personal property related articles for the publication. If you think you have an article idea for the 2011 edition (publication estimate of March 2011) please feel free to contact me at toddsig01@gmail.com.