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FAQ's
TO THE PUBLIC: NEVER ACCEPT AN APPRAISAL WITH MY NAME OR THE TAAA'S NAME ON IT UNLESS IT IS EMBOSSED WITH
THE TAAA AND MY SIGNATURE ON A RAISED SEAL (you can see and feel it - that is your protection against fraud).
How do I get my artifacts to you? Due to the liability involved I accept your artifacts only through the mail or carrier or if I am at an artifact show and set up, I will photograph the piece there and mail the certificate to you.
What if I have a large collection? You will have to personally deliver them. I do not have time to do large collections at the shows. Maximum of ten (10) pieces at a show.
Will you come to me if I have too much to travel with? Yes, I can schedule a date(s) to do large collections. You will be responsible for the travel expenses (gas and motels - sorry I do not stay overnight in the homes of my clients), time etc. I will lay out all expenses you will be responsible for in advance.
How do you handle modern pieces? If I feel a piece is modern I will not appraise it other than as a modern piece. If you do not want it appraised as modern then you will be required to have the piece authenticated by a TAAA approved authenticator before I can appraise it.
What about restored items? Artifacts with restoration will be designated on the appraisal.
Why does the color look different than the actual artifact? Color matching is different in cameras, computer programs, computer monitors etc. Exact matching is impossible. I attempt to get the color as close as possible. In some cases I tweak the color a tiny bit to enhance its beauty. These papers are actually a work of art - computer art.
In large collections, do you photograph each piece individually? No, in large collections it is impossible to photograph each piece individually. I do photograph each frame. Higher dollar pieces I photograph individually.
Why do you give a Retail and a Wholesale price? The Retail price is what a piece might bring in the market if sold as an individual piece to a collector. The Wholesale price is what a dealer might pay if he is wanting to buy the piece for resale.
Why do I see some pieces go for higher dollar amounts than the appraisal? These appraisal prices are only estimates and are given from what I have experienced like pieces to have sold for in the past. Use these prices as a guide only. I have seen a piece that would normally sell for X amount of $'s go for many times that price because the future owner was willing to ABOVE retail for it because the owner did not want to sell it.
Why do I see some pieces sold for lower prices than your appraisal amounts? Sometime dealers have a glut of artifacts in their stock. They have bought collections just to get the most collectible pieces out of it. Sometimes they will have a "Fire Sale" at artifact shows and on the Internet sites trying to get rid of the pieces they do not want.
At times, why do artifacts sometimes seem slow to sell, even the higher dollar pieces? The artifact market is a volatile one. When commercial diggers put large amounts of artifacts on the market it can have an overwhelming affect on the market. Especially on the "common" market (lower priced pieces). Occasionally, large old time - high end collections - are dispersed back into the market due to the death of a collector or other reasons. When a high end collection hits the market those pieces are bought by the high end collectors. So, that softens even the high end market at artifact shows, Internet sales etc. Eventually, the high end collectors get over the "shock" of spending large amounts of money (sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars) and the market starts to move again.
Another thing that affects the high end market is when we get a "new" interested collector with deep pockets. They go on a buying spree for a while but eventually their collection starts to grow and they slow down their buying. All this affects the prices of artifacts, that is why there really is no price of an artifact as any of these things affect the market day to day.