How Does an Antique Appraiser Determine The Value of Antiques?
Appraisers rely on their training and experience when evaluating antiques.
Appraising of antiques and personal property is largely unregulated by the United States government; in lieu of official regulations, the industry has chosen to self-regulate its appraisers. There are trade organizations, such as the Appraisal Foundation (a link has been provided in the resources section), that determine the kind of experience and knowledge an appraiser needs to have prior to being eligible to sit for a certification exam. Moreover, there are courses designed to hone appraisers' skills (a link is posted), and the overall method of becoming an appraiser requires an apprenticeship with a highly qualified individual. This allows appraisers to draw on their formal training, apprenticeship training, and also industry insider information to arrive at the value of antiques.
After their training and during their apprenticeship, appraisers choose an antiques specialty.
The overwhelming majority of appraisers specializes and chooses to hone their skills in their specialty. This leads to some appraisers being considered authorities on the subjects of wooden antiques, oil paintings, ceramics, antique lace, or antique books. Through experience and continuing education in their chosen discipline, the appraisers learn the little identifying telltale signs that help them to arrive not only at a positive age appraisal of the antique item presented to them, but also to a qualified opinion as to the authenticity of the item. Since these highly specialized appraisers know this particular niche of the antiques market very well, they are also aware of similar items being in existence and even for sale, and thereby they can arrive at a reliable fiscal appraisal of an item.
When presented with an antique in his specialty, an appraiser follows several steps.
In order to arrive at a realistic appraisal and determine the value of an antique, appraisers have found that following several steps in the appraisal process greatly reduce their margins of error. The first step is a cleansing of the antique. Depending on the material, this may be little more than a dusting with a small paintbrush or a wiping of the surface with a moistened, soft cloth. In some cases the appraiser will double-check appraisal manuals and catalogs--such as pottery or china catalogs--that contain color photographs of similar items. The essential tool of the trade is the magnifying glass, which helps to determine imperfections and defects, all of which affect the value of antiques. Depending on the antique at hand, the appraiser will search for the manufacturer's signature or mark on the item; absence of the mark may indicate a forgery or a copy, which greatly lessens the value of an antique. Finally, the appraiser will issue an appraisal, take photographs of the item appraised, and write up a detailed report that includes the reason for the value assigned to the antique.
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