Our Deed of Gift form does have a line about Museum staff not
being able to appraise donated objects, and I find myself explaining
this policy
many times a year to members of the community

I often get asked what museum staff should tell potential donors who
request an appraisal.  One response that seems to do the trick is that
the Internal Revenue Service looks askance at appraisals performed by
the donee, because the donee has a clear self-interest in inflating the
value -- that is, the higher the value of the gift, the higher the tax
deduction for the giver, and thus the more likely that the donor will
actually make the proposed gift.  This often comes as a surprise to
donors, who usually think that a museum appraisal will carry more weight
with the tax man, rather than less.

Also, of course, U.S. museums are positively forbidden from performing
appraisals of gifts worth more than $5,000.

Andy Finch
AAM Government Affairs
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