Building and maintaining a significant collection involves decisions that benefit from independent valuation perspective. What is a work actually worth in the current market? Is the asking price supported by comparable data? How has the collection's value changed since acquisition? What are the implications for insurance, estate planning, or a potential sale?

These questions arise throughout the collecting life — when considering a major purchase, evaluating disposition options, updating insurance coverage, or integrating holdings into broader financial and estate planning. The answers require analysis grounded in current market conditions, not assumptions based on purchase price or gallery representations.

We provide appraisal services for collectors across the spectrum of valuation needs. Our role is to deliver independent, documented analysis that empowers you to make informed decisions — whether you are acquiring, holding, donating, or selling. For insurance, we prepare appraisals establishing replacement value — the cost to acquire a comparable work through appropriate market channels. Coverage based on current, defensible valuations protects against underinsurance while avoiding unnecessary premium costs. We offer annual update cycles aligned with policy renewals, building on initial inventory and research rather than starting fresh each year.

For estate planning, we prepare qualified appraisals meeting IRS requirements for gift and estate tax purposes. Collections acquired over decades often present complexities — works with limited documentation, fractional interests, holdings spread across locations — that require careful analysis and thorough documentation.

For charitable contributions, we provide the qualified appraisals required under IRS regulations, navigating the timing requirements, threshold-specific documentation standards, and related-use considerations that determine deductibility. For significant donations, our reports are prepared with IRS Art Advisory Panel review in mind.

For collection planning — when you are considering whether to acquire, hold, sell, or donate — we provide valuation grounded in current market conditions. This includes pre-acquisition assessments for works under consideration, where independent evaluation of asking price against comparable data is essential before committing significant capital. The appraisal report serves as a risk management tool, entirely independent of any transaction or interested party. We do not broker transactions, represent artists, or hold inventory. Our only role is to provide accurate, defensible valuation. This independence is central to the value of the engagement — and to the reliability of the analysis you receive.

To discuss your collection, contact us directly.