At the end of the Appraisal Process, you’ll receive an in-depth document of valuation for insurance, donation, tax, and other legal purposes
THE APPRAISAL PROCESS:
- Initial Contact: Discussion about your collection.
- Letter of Agreement: This is a document that describes the detailed work process, specifically tuned to your needs. It lists all the steps we will take for your project and my estimate and time of cost for full transparency.
- Appraisal Draft: A draft of the appraisal will be submitted for your review before a final version is completed.
- Donation Appraisal: If your appraisal is for a charitable contribution credit with the I.R.S., we will guide you through the forms needed and donation process.
The methodology we use is based on the Uniform Standards of Official Appraisal Practice (USPAP for short). USPAP is the generally recognized ethical and performance standard for the appraisal profession in the United States.
- Examination: We wiill consider important value characteristics about the collection’s overall quality level (such as condition, pressing editions, cultural or historical touchpoints, desirability, etc.) This examination can be done in person or with a detailed list.
- Research: We conduct research to understand the current market value of the collection, based on recent sales figures, professional consensus, trend analysis, catalogs and guides, and other sources.
- Comparables: Items are found that are the same or similar to what is being appraised.
- Personal Expertise: With over 30 years of experience, Stephen Braitman certainly has an opinion. However we do not solely rely on his opinion when conducting an appraisal. It is the entire detailed document itself that provides the justification for the value estimate of a collection in the current marketplace.