Appraisal Services
Helen and Christine Griffiths are both accredited personal property appraisers and are professionally trained in appraisal theory, principles, procedures, ethics and law. All reports comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) of the Appraisal Foundation and the Appraisal Report Writing Standard of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA).
Appraisal Purposes:
Insurance
Charitable donation
Donation of certified cultural property
Resale Value
Estate
Disposition and Division of Assets
Acquisitions - Purchase and Sales advice
Art Management
Appraisal Process:
The scope of work includes the examination of the artwork(s); the art market, value research, analysis; market data research for comparables; and, writing the Appraisal Report. To provide you with the valuation we will typically arrange an inspection of your items. The inspection will include taking photographs of the items being appraised, and gathering information such as: physical condition, characteristics, size, medium, artist, date, signature and provenance. If a personal inspection is not possible, we ask you to provide us with detailed photographs, front and back, and provide us with any details listed above. Whether you have a few items or large estate, we look forward to assisting you.
Documentation such as receipts, other appraisals, transfer of owner or galleries associated with the artwork will provide us more of a context as to which market should be researched and where comparable items have been sold. Providing this information will limit your cost for the appraisal.
Art Valuation involves comparing data from multiple sources such as international, local or regional auctions houses, galleries, corporate collectors, art dealers, sales by artist and other specialized market analysis. Sources of data for our value conclusion will also include data bases, auction sales and sales by retailers. We will examine the most relevant markets, frequency of sales and sales levels.
We are specialists in fine art and have an extensive network of colleagues with varied expertise in fine art. This ensures that each personal property being appraised is accurately identified and researched. If the authenticity of an artwork is in question we will consult with a recognized expert to make a determination as to its authenticity. This would typically require a physical examination and may also require scientific testing.
Clients can relay on confidentiality and objective research and development of appraisal values.
Appraisal Fee:
The cost for Appraisal services depends on the amount of time we will spend on your project, and much research is needed to form an opinion of value and write the Appraisal Report. We will charge an initial fee for the inspection, consultation and preliminary research of the set artworks you wish to appraise.
Once we have completed the preliminary research we will then provide you with the estimated hours it will take to complete the project. At this time you can decide how you would like to proceed with the appraisal.
Charges for an appraisal whether it is for fair market or replacement value are based on time and incurred expenses but never on the value of the artwork.
We care about our clients and feel it is important to inform you, before proceeding with an appraisal, if there are artworks that may have a value of $500 or less. If you wish to only have artworks appraised that are above a set number of value, we will adhere to your guidelines. This will cut down our hours to complete the project and limit the cost for our services.