Assigning a dollar figure to archival items is awkward, but can be done. I know first-hand, as I too have to do it for our archival collection here at the Canadian War Museum. I know too well the difficulties you are experiencing, especially with assigning a dollar figure to Holocaust related materials. It usually involves my regular scanning all the auction catalogues to which we subscribe (in our case militaria auctions from sotheby's, Christies, Wallis & Wallis, Glendinnings, etc) and compiling lists of estimated and actual prices, surfing the internet auction sites (ebay, ruby lane, and a variety of sites specializing in auctions of paper materials), and patrolling the websites of militaria dealers and other auction houses. I currently have about 20 inches of photocopied sales and auctions results that we go through regularly trying to for canadian archival militaria. I have also compiled lists of the most common items that we come across and their average price. When I exhaust those avenues, then its time to pay someone to do an appraisal. A few years ago I had to get a scrapbook of correspondence from prisoners at the Theresienstadt camp appraised, I wound up contacting the Holocaust museum in Washington for someone qualified to appraise it, and they put me in touch with a couple of people. If you would like more information on the catalogues and internet sites I use, please do not hesitate to contact me directly, and I can send you a list or help in anyway I can. Good luck Carol Reid Collections Manager, Archives Canadian War Museum 330 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1A 0M8 www.warmuseum.ca tel: (819) 776-8661 fax: (819)776-8657 e-mail: [log in to unmask] Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 11:01:40 -0500 From: Lisa Moellering <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Insurance I know this has been asked before, but cannot seem to find my notes on this. I am looking for guidance for insurance values. We are asked to place a value on every item - including archival collections as well as artifacts (the artifacts are not a problem) but collections of documents, photographs, etc... are quite difficult. How do others assign values or do you have to place a value on each item? Thanks very much for any advice. Regards, Lisa Moellering Curator of Collections/Registrar Holocaust Museum Houston 5401 Caroline Street Houston, Texas 77004 713.942.8000 x110 713.942.7953 (fax) [log in to unmask] ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).