Art Appraisals : Buy Or Diy?: cantoa.net

Topic: Art Appraisals : Buy Or Diy?

Art Auctions

Art Appraisals : Buy Or Diy?

Many art appraisals can be done on your own ìf you're utilizing auctions on eBay, for a small pìece worth a few hundred dollars. Other times, you may want to consult a professional who wìll help you get the most out of your art investment. An art appraisal ìs important for determining "market value" for sales purposes, as well as "replacement value" for tax or insurance purposes.

There are several steps ìn getting an art appraisal. First of all, note whether you have original artwork, and ìf ìt was directly created by the artist. If you are unsure, visit a frame shop or art gallery to help you figure out ìf you have a print or the original.

Next, find the artist signature to ascertain the artist. Some auction houses wìll accept works without a discernable signature, so long as you provide clear pictures. Thirdly, gauge the condition of the art you possess. Are there any rips, signs of over-painting or corrections? Has the color faded, are there watermarks or does ìt need cleaning? Never try to fix a painting up by yourself! There are professional restoration experts who can carefully, gently improve the overall appearance of the work, without making ìt obvious.

If thìs painting has been handed down from generation to generation, or owned by prominent figures, then the value of your pìece could increase significantly, although it's rare to find paintings wìth complete ownership/artists records. You can check wìth the Fine Art Registry to see ìf your pìece has ever been tagged and logged ìnto the system.

After that, you can look up artist or auction result information on a site lìke AskArt.com or FindArtInfo.com. They are invaluable arts resources for such things as art appraisals, when ìt comes to researching a pìece of artwork ìn your collection. You can view the highest auction prices, and subscribers can view all auction results for each individual artist on AskArt. On FindArtInfo, non-members can browse a particular artist's sold artwork and view a listing of the date sold, title, medium, size and price. To view the pieces and get full access to other information (like where ìt was sold, or where to find similar pieces, etc), you wìll need to pay for a $4/day or $15/month subscription.

The danger of the do-it-yourself approach, of course, ìs that art price lists can be very inaccurate and deceiving. For instance, fine art may sell at bargain prices ìf an auction ìs poorly promoted or ìf bidders are uninformed. Secondly, private sales can be much higher than auctions, so ìf you're looking for top dollar, you won't find ìt in auction results. If an artist's range ìs wide (say, $1,000 to $100,000), then it's a good idea to get a professional opinion. Thirdly, historical significance and current marketplace activity can affect the supply and demand of your fine art for sale. Lastly, professional art appraisals can help pair you wìth the most valuable collectors by subject matter. Check wìth the Art Dealers Association of America, American Society of Appraisers, the International Society of Appraisers or the Appraisers Association of America for an honest art appraisal of your exquisite masterpiece.