Our response to this sort of letter would be firstly "I'm afraid we
don't give valuations. Your local auction house will be able to help
you" optionally give them a list of reputable auction houses in the
area.

Then something like "The most comprehensive/best book I know of about
David Mann is ...... you should be able to buy this from your local
bookshop (if in print) or local public or university library."

For the Civil War relative question you might put together a fact sheet
on "researching what your relative did in the civil war" if you get a
lot of these.  Then you can just say "I enclose a copy of our fact sheet
on ...".  Again you can direct people to appropriate books for specific
regiments etc. 

Trevor Reynolds
Collections Registrar, English Heritage, Room 530, 23 Savile Row, London
W1S 2ET, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7973 3482  Fax: +44 (0) 20 7973 3209

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