Keep a documentation packet
Print or retain the packet. No appraisal action is required.
Open this path →A calm evidence desk
Prepare condition and provenance evidence for an appraisal
Record only what is safely visible. Gather what documents or named sources say, keep gaps and conflicts visible, and leave unknowns unknown. Do not clean, repair, disassemble, test, authenticate, prove title, diagnose condition, or estimate value with this checklist.
Stop before handling
Fewer views are better than unsafe views.
Stop if the item appears unstable, too heavy, sealed, mounted, actively flaking, mold-like, pest-affected, sharp, leaking, powdery, unusually odorous, electrically hazardous, weapon-related, or otherwise unsafe. Do not move, lift, turn, unframe, open, disassemble, clean, repair, test, wrap, or isolate it based on this checklist. Contact the appropriate qualified professional or authority for the specific concern.
One bounded workflow
Observation, source, uncertainty, next step.
- 01
Identify only what is safely visible.
- 02
Photograph the item in place without added handling.
- 03
Describe location and extent without diagnosing cause.
- 04
List records, sources, gaps, and conflicts.
- 05
Protect private details in a separate shared copy.
- 06
Print, stop, seek a specialist, or route by intended use.
Condition documentation
Write what you see, not what you think happened.
A professional condition report may require trained examination and specialist judgment. Record safely observable location, extent, visible state, known treatment records, and the limits of each view. Cause, age, depth, stability, treatment need, grade, and value may remain unknown.
Open the safe photo checklist →Provenance documentation
A sourced chronology, not proof.
Provenance records ownership and custody history over time. Attribution, authenticity, possession, legal title, and value are different questions. A receipt, label, signature, certificate, story, catalogue entry, or prior appraisal may still require verification.
| Period | Recorded event | Source | Uncertainty or limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1990 | No direct transfer record | None | Explicit gap; no authenticity, title, theft, or value inference |
| Circa 1990 | Reportedly acquired from a regional seller | Later synthetic family note | Seller and transfer not verified |
| 2019 | Hanging wire reportedly replaced | Synthetic copied note | Supports the described frame work only |
No-score gap review
Unknowns stay visible. Nothing is failed.
The interactive candidate uses only Available, To prepare, Unknown, and Not applicable. It never stores answers, creates a result URL, uploads a document, or calculates a readiness, authenticity, title, condition, acceptance, or value score.
- Identity views: Record only identifying information and overall views already available without guessing or added handling.
- Dimensions: Record known dimensions, or measure only when this can be done without touching, moving, opening, or disassembling the item.
- Marks and labels: Photograph only marks or labels that are already safely visible. A mark is a clue, not proof of authorship or authenticity.
- Condition observations: Record visible location and extent in neutral language. Do not diagnose cause, stability, treatment, grade, or value.
- Restoration records: Gather existing treatment or repair records and keep visual suspicion labeled unverified. Do not test the object.
- Provenance records: Create a sourced chronology and mark gaps, conflicts, and unknowns. The checklist does not establish authenticity, ownership, or title.
- Intended use: Identify the decision a report would support before starting. Documentation only and no action are valid outcomes.
- Unanswered questions: Keep unresolved archive, authenticity, title, legal, cultural-property, conservation, and appraisal questions visible for the appropriate professional.
Printable evidence packet
Twenty prompts. No account or email required.
Purpose after preparation
Choose a bounded next step—or stop here.
General or sale planning
Use a standard appraisal only when a documented value decision is needed.
Open this path →Insurance
Review the insurance purpose first; the receiving insurer controls its requirements.
Open this path →Charitable donation or tax
Use the qualified-appraisal guidance; this packet does not determine tax acceptance.
Open this path →Inherited or estate decision
Compare the current appraisal paths. Do not force an estate question into tax or insurance.
Open this path →Free preliminary orientation
Use the Free First Read for orientation, not authentication or a signed appraisal.
Open this path →Sources, review, and limitations
Limitations: This evidence packet is owner preparation, not a professional condition report, conservation assessment, authenticity or attribution opinion, ownership or legal-title determination, cultural-property clearance, or appraisal value conclusion. Absence of documentation does not prove that an object is false or valueless. Possession of a receipt, label, signature, story, or prior report does not prove authenticity.
Content reviewed 2026-07-29 against Canadian Conservation Institute, American Institute for Conservation, Yale, Getty, US National Archives, and current Appraisily product boundaries. External specialist review has not been obtained; use this as preparation guidance, not a specialist condition or provenance opinion.