This is exactly correct. Never give a value, even a "rough" one. For those of you who have watched the History Channel's Pawn Stars, their local museum director, the "Beard of Knowledge" Mark Hall-Patton, always identifies what an item is and when it dates to, but NEVER gives a valuation. Of course, he is not as informed as they present him to be as he has the advantage of doing research before he arrives to give an opinion - it is not off the top of his head. And even recommending appraisers can create legal issues. When I was recommending conservators (essentially the same as recommending appraisers) when I was on staff at the Smithsonian Institution, we sent out a list of 50+ names we felt comfortable with, with the explicit instructions that the owner needed to do their own interviewing and selecting. I have seen institutions recommend a list of three appraisers, but that seems like too few to choose from, since if the owner gets bad information they can sue you even if they do not have a serious claim suggesting that you were biased in your recommendations. More choices always are better. And make the list nationwide - there is no reason that appraisers need to be local. Marc From: Paul Stromdahl Sent: Friday, August 17, 2018 10:29 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Valuation Form Needed They aren’t licensed appraisers they shouldn’t provide appraisals. As a charity that (might) have a “vested interest” in the donation you risk your status. Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 17, 2018, at 11:23 AM, Anne Lane <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Hello - I am writing this for a colleague who works for a nonprofit that is not a museum. They are frequently approached to help owners determine a value for artworks that they are interested in selling. They need a form that would include information about the owner and the items they want evaluated, as well as a strongly worded disclaimer that this valuation is NOT an appraisal and that the organization and its staff are NOT licensed appraisers. It would also provide information to guide the owners in locating and contacting a licensed appraiser. > > If any of you use a similar form that you’d be willing to share, I’d appreciate it if you’d send it to me. > Anne Lane > [log in to unmask] > Sylva NC > ========================================================= > 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). ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).