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 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, 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.
Marc
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2018 10:29 PM
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
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