Appraisals versus Condition Reports
Both appraisals and a condition reports are valuable documents. One is not better than the other, but simply different.
Bear in mind that conservators are not appraisers and vice versa. It’s best if conservators do not engage in appraisal even if they do hold a license for appraisal as it’s fertile ground for a conflict of interest. For the same reason, it’s best that both appraisers and conservators refrain from the business of buying and selling art and antiques.
An appraisal is a document, written by a certified or licensed professional, that documents why the object in question is worth what they say it is worth. An appraiser’s specialty is being able to give a value based on sales of objects similar to the one in question. They go through extensive training, strict licensure and continuing education to be able to practice. They often consult conservators, museum curators and research libraries to help them describe, attribute and assess the condition of the object. Appraisal take time which is why they cost money. Appraisals are primarily useful for determining the dollar value of an object for the following reasons:
insurance
selling the object
equitable distribution in divorce or estate settlement
A condition report provides very detailed information about an object:
period of design and/or manufacture
attribution to geographic location and/or maker
materials (wood species for example)
techniques of construction
presence of previous repairs or replacements
options for treatment and costs
A condition report’s primary use is useful for deciding whether or not to purchase an object as it can not only uncover previously unknown issues, but also help attribute or authenticate the object. It is a long term preservation tool for present and future stewards and scholars and an excellent road map for treatment, should it be needed. Good reports have images, measurements, written descriptions and sometimes analysis of the materials. Because most conservators are trained craftspeople as well, they can offer a craftsperson’s viewpoint of how the object was made. Furthermore, conservators perform so many repairs, they are arguably the best at identifying previous repairs and replaced parts.
After almost 40 years of in-depth contact with objects, it makes sense that I frequently find things on objects that owners, collectors and museum curators never knew existed.
