Few cities in the world have as long and complex a music history as New Orleans. Rich in cross-cultural currents from Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, New Orleans is the birthplace of several musical forms and many famous musicians. Preserving and honoring its music history depends on the accurate evaluation of the memorabilia and artifacts found in the archives across the city. That is why the expertise of an appraiser with an accreditation specifically in music memorabilia can be extremely helpful.
Few cities in the world have as long and complex a music history as New Orleans. Rich in cross-cultural currents from Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, New Orleans is the birthplace of several musical forms and many famous musicians. Preserving and honoring its music history depends on the accurate evaluation of the memorabilia and artifacts found in the archives across the city. That is why the expertise of an appraiser with an accreditation specifically in music memorabilia can be extremely helpful.
Legal Disputes and Litigation
A common need for music appraisal comes from insurance companies that need appropriate and fair assessment of damages and relevant litigation disputes. If the Preservation Hall Foundation (https://www.preshallfoundation.org/, 726 St Peter St, New Orleans, LA 70116, (504) 522-2841) is searching for the right insurance coverage for potential damage or loss, the best solution is to contact a credible music appraiser like Stephen M.H. Braitman, ASA of MusicAppraisals .com (www.musicappraisals.com) to professionally evaluate the Foundation’s collections.
Preservation Hall Foundation’s Archives programming protects and preserves the tens of thousands of documents, instruments, artwork and other historically important artifacts collected by Preservation Hall over the past 50 years. This essential collection of materials ultimately will be accessible to researchers, students, and jazz aficionados.
Music Collection Evaluation
Most public collections have other competitors within their genre or area, and there is a need to determine the strength and authenticity of their archives in relation to other institutions. A music appraiser would review the condition, format, and editions of recorded media and printed artifacts. An institution such as The Hogan Jazz Archive (https://jazz.tulane.edu/) at Tulane University Jones Hall, (6801 Freret Street,New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, (504) 865-5688), would find a music appraising service to be advantageous to their works as a jazz archive in New Orleans, the place where jazz was born more than 100 years ago.
The Hogan Jazz Archive is the leading research center for the study of New Orleans jazz and related musical genres, including New Orleans ragtime, gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, and Creole songs. Among its holdings are 2,000 reels of oral history interviews with musicians, family members, and observers that document the stories surrounding the emergence of jazz in New Orleans from the late 19th century forward. Other holdings include sound recordings, film, photography, sheet music, personal papers, records of the American Federation of Musicians local 174-496, ephemera, and realia.
Similarly, The Jazz & Heritage Archive (https://www.jazzandheritage.org, 901 Toulouse St. New Orleans, LA 70112 (504) 558-6138), another institution that focuses on the history of jazz, would find valuable the services that a professional music appraiser offers.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive is an educational resource that identifies, collects, preserves and protects materials of cultural and historical significance to New Orleans and Louisiana.. A large portion of the collection consists of recordings from Jazz Fest — from the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage, as well as the African, Folk and Food Heritage stages. These sessions provide exclusive information relating to Louisiana’s culture and its impact on the world.
Donations and the IRS
Often with music collections and archives, valuable instruments are donated or exchanged, which calls for assessment for insurance and deduction reasons. The collectibles that someone donates to a public archive also need appraisals required by the IRS. These situations are cases where a music appraiser would be contacted to determine the values for the collectible. For example, the New Orleans Jazz Museum at Louisiana State Museum (http://nolajazzmuseum.org/, 751 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70116, (504) 568-6968), is an emerging international repository of New Orleans and Louisiana music. It would benefit from the expertise of a professional music appraiser when important donations are made.
The Louisiana State Museum, allied with the Louisiana Museum Foundation and other educational and programmatic partners, has initiated a new fundraising campaign to build the world’s premier jazz museum. It will highlight the tremendous influence of New Orleans jazz on the cultural fabric of the nation and world. The Museum will place the world-renowned New Orleans Jazz Club Collections of the Louisiana State Museum on permanent display. The New Orleans Jazz Club meticulously collected this extraordinary assemblage of jazz artifacts over several decades and donated it to the Louisiana State Museum in the late 1970s.
About Stephen M. H. Braitman, ASA
If you or your institution need professional music appraisal services, Stephen M. H. Braitman, ASA is an Accredited Senior Appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers. He is the ONLY accredited appraiser in the country with a specialty in Recorded Media (LPs, 45s, CDs, all formats) and Music Memorabilia (Posters, Photos, Signed Instruments, Promotional Items, Artist-Owned Objects, Sheet Music & Scores). His services consist of:
Professional Appraisal Services for Individuals
- Insurance Replacement Cost Coverage
- IRS Charitable Donations
- Equitable Division of Property in an Estate or Divorce
- Estate Planning
- Expert Witness
- IRS Federal Estate Tax
- Loss of Value Claims
- Opinions of Value
- Settlement of Damage
- Valuation and Settlement
Expert Appraisal Services for Collectors and Professionals
- Record Collectors and Dealers
- Archives, Libraries, Auction Houses
- Insurance Agencies
- Executors for Estates
Stephen M. H. Braitman can be contacted at 415-897-6999 or email at braitman@musicappraisals.