Anne Benedict is happy to give a free estimate by telephone. Naturally, rare and valuable items may require more research to accurately appraise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure that everything you would like to have appraised is accessible, preferably on tables in well-lit rooms. This includes boxes of objects and items that are currently in cupboards. Take large paintings down from walls. Gather any relevant documentation. If you know of any significant family stories, you may want to interview your best source for them, and/or put your own best recollections down in writing.
All appraisals begin with a free phone consultation. If it is determined that an appraisal is warranted, clients may make an appointment. If extensive services are necessary, a signed contract is required to begin work. Partial payment for the on-site work is required with the balance due upon completion of the job.
After determining that an appraisal is warranted, the most important question is “what is the purpose of the appraisal?” Depending on the circumstance, Anne Benedict’s appraisal may be typewritten or verbal.
Verbal appraisals are useful for sale purposes, division of property among heirs, for the planning of an estate, or if you are simply curious about the hidden treasures in your house.
Written appraisals are useful for insurance and for legal purposes; such as establishing the value of donations, common property in divorce, large or disputed estates, and probate. Using various resources, including antique shop retail prices, realized auction prices, and dealer prices, Anne Benedict creates a market model through which she can establish fair market value or replacement value.
While the fees for both verbal and written appraisals are determined hourly, verbal appraisals are less expensive. For certain appraisals, a retainer may be required. Please contact Anne for details.
Yes. While Anne Benedict generally appraises on site, you may make an appointment to visit her. Contact her for details.
No, rather than charge her full rate for travel, Anne Benedict charges a modest milage fee. Contact her for details.
By asking a few simple questions, Anne Benedict can discern whether it would be in your best interests for her to examine your property. Contact her to set up a telephone interview.
For antiques and fine art, history adds value. This is true even if a piece can be authenticated through its physical characteristics alone. Whatever paperwork or oral history you may have relating to an object can only help increase its worth to a collector or dealer.
Anne is a disinterested party. She does not buy or sell. Her appraisals are prepared under strict guidelines of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) of the Appraisal Foundation. As a senior member of the American Society of Appraisers, Anne must complete 100 recertification hours every five years; and must follow a strict code of ethics, helping to ensure the confidentiality and accuracy of her appraisals.
As a full-time and fully accredited appraiser, Anne Benedict is an expert in determining the value of a large variety of residential contents, arts and antiques. For cases where additional expertise is warranted, Anne has a wide network of specialists, both in the United States and overseas, whom she can contact. Art authentication, in particular, is so very specialized – not only by genre, but by period and by artist – that it often makes sense to approach a general appraiser who can help you to find the authority most appropriate to you.
Anne does not appraise jewelry with precious stones, prehistoric artifacts, coins/stamps, wine, vehicles, firearms, or books and manuscripts.