The short answer: keep the evidence, question the number
An old appraisal can remain valuable as a record of your item. Its value conclusion, however, belongs to an effective date, an intended use, the item’s recorded condition, and the market evidence available then. Preserve the report. Then ask whether its number still answers today’s question.
| Decision | Use it when | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Keep | You need historical photographs, measurements, marks, provenance, or a record of earlier condition. | Preserve the complete report and every attachment, even if the value is no longer current. |
| Update | The item and purpose are substantially the same, but the effective date, market evidence, or condition needs a new review. | Ask the appraiser whether a current update is appropriate and what new inspection or research is required. |
| Replace | The purpose, value definition, ownership unit, attribution, completeness, or report requirements have materially changed. | Order a new assignment built for the present decision instead of asking someone to extend the old number. |
Start with the report’s date and purpose
There is no single expiration date for every personal-property appraisal. The practical test is whether the old assignment matches the decision you need to make now.
Find four things on the report: the effective date, the intended use, the type or definition of value, and the exact property interest or group of items that was appraised. A report prepared for a retail-replacement insurance question is not automatically an answer to a resale, estate, donation, or equitable-distribution question.
Same purpose, stale date
The report may be a strong starting point, but current market evidence and present condition still need to be reconciled.
New purpose, new assignment
If the intended use or value definition changes, the appraiser may need to build a new report even when the item has not changed.
Recipient requirements first
Ask the insurer, attorney, accountant, charity, or other recipient what it accepts. An updated report is not guaranteed to satisfy rules you have not checked.
For example, an insurance appraisal may need current replacement-cost support, while a potential sale calls for evidence from the relevant resale market. The item is the same; the question is not.
Keep the evidence that still describes the item
An old report can preserve facts that are difficult or impossible to reconstruct later. Do not discard it just because the value date is old.
- Photographs: overall views, backs, bases, interiors, labels, and details.
- Measurements: dimensions, weight, count, and how a set was grouped.
- Materials and construction: what the appraiser observed and how it was described.
- Marks and inscriptions: signatures, serial numbers, labels, dedications, and transcriptions.
- Condition observations: repairs, losses, wear, replacements, and completeness at that date.
- Provenance: ownership history, family records, exhibition labels, and publication references.
- Supporting documents: invoices, certificates, correspondence, conservation records, and receipts.
- Scope and assumptions: what was inspected, what was not, and any limiting conditions.
Keep the full PDF or paper report, not only the value page. A prior photograph can prove that a frame, clasp, component, or set member existed years ago. That historical comparison may matter more than the old total.
Recheck what may have changed
Now compare the old description with the item in front of you. The fastest way to waste a new appraisal is to ask for “an updated number” before confirming that the underlying object evidence is still accurate.
- Condition and restoration
- New damage, cleaning, conservation, refinishing, mounting, or replaced parts can change both identification and market response.
- Completeness
- Count every volume, plate, attachment, certificate, box, key, accessory, and matching component. A set can change without looking dramatically different.
- Attribution and scholarship
- Research can strengthen, weaken, or refine a maker, date, or edition attribution. Preserve the old wording so the new analysis can explain the difference.
- Relevant market
- Buyer demand, venue, geographic reach, and the supply of close substitutes may be different. Market change must be supported, not assumed.
The same discipline applies across categories. Gold content and weight drive one part of a jewelry comparison, as shown in our 14k versus 18k gold value guide. Edition state and completeness matter in a different way for a numbered publication; our limited-edition book-set guide shows the kind of details that need to travel with a comparison. A current appraisal should follow the item’s actual market, not a generic inflation multiplier.
Compare like with like before using a sale
The five reviewed Salvador Dalí Divine Comedy records below teach one point: the same artist and publication title do not make two copies interchangeable comparables. Read the edition state, completeness, extras, condition, and venue before using any result.
| Comparable | What sold | Auction house | Date | Lot | Reported price realized |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Six volumes; 100 color wood engravings; no. 1475; one of 3,900 standard copies on Rives; described as very good (Appraisily database record 95552073)Source access blocked; immutable pipeline provenance matched | Artcurial | 2014-06-04 | 305 | EUR 3,791 reported result (premium basis not stated) |
 |
Deluxe twelve-volume no. 106; one of 150 with line and color suites, color decompositions, and an additional resin plate (Appraisily database record 119148811)Source access blocked; immutable pipeline provenance matched | Artcurial | 2017-04-04 | 78 | EUR 13,000 reported result (premium basis not stated) |
 |
Six volumes; no. 2659/4765; only 99 plates noted; sold as is (Appraisily database record 168514902)Source access blocked; immutable pipeline provenance matched | Osenat | 2022-02-25 | 257 | EUR 2,600 reported result (premium basis not stated) |
| No auction photo supplied | Twelve-volume deluxe copy, one of 150, with complete suites, color decompositions, an inked resin matrix, and documented provenance | Artcurial | 2025-04-02 | 63 | EUR 9,557 reported result (premium basis not stated) |
| No auction photo supplied | Twelve volumes, no. 333, one of 350, with an additional color suite and color decompositions; some foxing and case wear | Artcurial | 2026-03-24 | 94 | EUR 5,139 reported result (premium basis not stated) |
Observed auction results, not a like-for-like price index. Copies differ in edition state, completeness, extras, condition, and venue. Prices are reproduced as stored or displayed; buyer-premium treatment is not consistently stated.
How these auction records were verified
Each row retains its exact source URL, lot identity, retrieval time, access result, and immutable record hash. Live source access was blocked; the exact record matched Appraisily's immutable pipeline provenance. Inspect the public comparable provenance record.
Disclosure: prices are shown as reported by auction houses and are provided for appraisal context. Learn more in our editorial policy.
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Review the old report in ten minutes
- Write down today’s decision. Sale, insurance, estate planning, donation, curiosity, and family division are different questions.
- Find the effective date and intended use. If either is missing, flag that before relying on the old value.
- Match the item to the report. Confirm measurements, photographs, edition numbers, components, and ownership unit.
- Photograph the item now. Capture the same views as the old report, plus any new damage, restoration, labels, or missing parts.
- Gather later documents. Add invoices, conservation records, exhibition history, correspondence, and provenance acquired after the report date.
- Ask what the recipient requires. Get the report format, value definition, timing, and appraiser-qualification requirements in writing when possible.
- Request the right scope. Ask whether an update is suitable or whether the changed purpose calls for a new appraisal assignment.
A clean evidence packet saves time and makes disagreements visible. It also helps the next appraiser explain why a current conclusion differs instead of presenting a new number with no bridge to the old record.
Choose an update, a new report, or no report
Preserve and organize
Choose this when you need the historical record but have no current value decision. Scan the report, retain attachments, and keep the original safely.
Get a preliminary photo check
Use the free screener when the first question is what the item appears to be and whether further work looks worthwhile.
Request a current written appraisal
Use the written-appraisal path when a present value conclusion must be documented for a sale, insurance, estate, donation, or another formal decision.
If your item is art, the art appraisal overview explains the report path. For furniture, silver, ceramics, books, and other objects, start with the antique appraisal overview. Neither route means you automatically need a new report; it means the scope can be matched to the question.
Frequently asked questions
Do personal-property appraisals have a universal expiration date?
No. An older report has an effective date and an intended use. Whether it is suitable now depends on the current decision, changes to the item, market evidence, and any requirements set by the person or organization receiving the report.
Can I use an old appraisal for insurance?
The old report may help identify and document the item, but an insurer may require a current value, a particular value definition, or a specific report format. Ask the insurer what it accepts before ordering an update.
Should I give the old appraisal to the new appraiser?
Usually, yes. Share it as historical evidence, together with new photographs and any later invoices, conservation records, or provenance. A new appraiser should make an independent current analysis rather than copy the old value.
Does one recent auction result update the old value?
Not by itself. The sold item must be compared for edition, maker, size, material, completeness, condition, provenance, sale venue, date, and price basis before it can support a current conclusion.
Search variations this guide answers
- Is a ten-year-old personal-property appraisal still valid?
- How often should an art appraisal be updated?
- Can an old appraisal be used for insurance?
- What should I keep from an expired appraisal?
- Do I need a new appraisal after restoration or damage?
- Can an appraiser update another appraiser’s old report?
- Does one recent auction sale change an appraised value?
- What documents should I send for an appraisal update?
Sources and method
- Artcurial, 2025, lot 63: Dalí and Dante, La Divine Comédie
- Artcurial, 2026, lot 94: Dalí and Dante, La Divine Comédie
- Appraisily auction database records 95552073, 119148811, and 168514902, retained with immutable record provenance in the public comparable record linked beside the table.
- Appraisily editorial policy and auction-data disclosure