Antique and Art Appraisal Workflow: Value and Evidence

Start with intended use and value type

The same object can require different value conclusions depending on why the appraisal is needed. Scope comes before research because it controls which market evidence is relevant.

• Insurance: usually asks for retail replacement value and replacement availability.
• Estate or resale: usually starts with fair market value and realized sale evidence.
• Donation or tax: requires a defined effective date, intended users, and a defensible workfile.
• Collection planning: may need marketability, risk, conservation priority, and future sale strategy.

Identify the object before pricing it

Identification is the point where many valuation errors begin. Document what the object is before asking what it is worth.

• Record object type, maker or attribution, period, culture, material, dimensions, inscriptions, marks, labels, and accessories.
• Photograph front, back, underside, interior, edges, damages, repairs, labels, signatures, and hardware.
• Separate object dimensions from frame, plinth, shade, stand, or case dimensions unless those parts are integral.
• Transcribe marks exactly and keep unclear characters visible in close-up photos.

Map condition in value terms

Condition notes should explain market effect, not just describe damage. A small repair in an acceptable area may matter less than a cleaned surface, replaced part, or unstable structural issue.

• For paintings, note support, ground, craquelure, varnish, retouching, relining, tears, flaking, and frame issues.
• For furniture, note surface, finish, joinery, shrinkage, replaced hardware, veneer, structural repairs, and later alterations.
• For silver and metalwork, note dents, solder repairs, plating loss, weighted components, engraving, and polish wear.
• For ceramics and glass, note chips, cracks, restoration, firing flaws, glaze loss, crazing, and matched replacements.

Select comparables after the evidence file is stable

Comparable sales should mirror the object's market identity. A sale is not useful just because the category sounds similar.

• Match maker, attribution tier, period, medium, size, condition, subject, provenance, and venue level.
• Use realized prices when possible and note whether buyer's premium is included.
• Keep dealer asking prices separate from auction evidence unless the assignment is retail replacement.
• Explain why each included comparable is relevant and why tempting but weak comparables were rejected.
• Use wider ranges for thin markets, uncertain attribution, or condition that is hard to price.

Reconcile the final value

Reconciliation is where the appraiser explains the value conclusion rather than averaging numbers. The best report states which evidence carried the most weight and why.

• State the final value as a range or point conclusion appropriate to the scope.
• Explain adjustments for condition, size, venue, date, provenance, and attribution certainty.
• Disclose extraordinary assumptions, tests not performed, and limiting conditions.
• Keep the source file so the conclusion can be reviewed later.

Run legal and market risk checks

Before a value is final, check whether the object has saleability limits that a price chart will not show. Ivory, tortoiseshell, coral, protected woods, feathers, antiquities, archaeological material, and objects with wartime or colonial-era provenance gaps can require extra documentation or may be hard to sell across borders.

• Record any restricted materials and whether they are structural, decorative, or removable.
• Keep import, export, CITES, estate, or prior-sale paperwork with the file when it exists.
• Search provenance clues such as collection labels, dealer stock numbers, exhibition tags, and auction stickers.
• Flag uncertain title, repatriation risk, or stolen-art concerns before recommending a sale channel.

These checks do not replace legal advice, but they help the appraisal explain why two visually similar objects may have different marketability and value.

Write the workflow into the report

The final report should make the workflow visible. A reader should be able to see the object description, the evidence gathered, the market selected, the comparable sales weighed, and the assumptions that remain. Avoid unsupported certainty when attribution or condition is still unresolved.

• Use attribution language consistently: by, attributed to, studio of, circle of, follower of, after, or unknown maker.
• Keep excluded comparables in the workfile with a short reason for exclusion.
• Separate observed facts from owner-provided history and appraiser opinion.
• State the effective date and do not imply that a past value is current after major market changes.

Reference links

• The Appraisal Foundation: USPAP overview
• Getty Provenance Index
• Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute: painting care and condition context
• American Institute for Conservation: find a conservator

Get an appraisal built from your evidence

Upload the object photos and any records you have. A specialist can review the file, select relevant comparables, and prepare a signed appraisal for the intended use.

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