Caroline Ashleigh Appraisers & Auctioneers

In the following clip, Caroline Ashleigh appraises a James Dean yearbook: The yearbook is from James Dean's junior year in high school, and the owner brings the item to Caroline Ashleigh with obvious enthusiasm. Immediately, Ashleigh and the woman find the picture of James Dean in the yearbook, which is accompanied by the nickname, "Rack." More importantly, however, at the back of the book is a signature page, where James Dean's signature appears, along with his nickname. Caroline Ashleigh explains that the signatures of celebrities such as Dean can fetch between $1,500 to $2,000 on their own. Its appearance in the yearbook greatly increases the value. Had the yearbook been of his senior year, Caroline Ashleigh explains, it would have been worth over $4,000. However, she still appraises the item between $3,000 and $3,500. More information on Caroline Ashleigh and additional video clips from her television appearances can be found at www.apprai...

Do you collect antiques or other unique items? Would you like to know if they're worth something? On Saturday, November 6th, 2010, Caroline Ashleigh will be appraising at the Rotary Vintage Antiques & Collectibles show in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Come visit between noon and four and and bring your treasures. For more information, visit the Caroline Ashleigh Auction Blog .

Appraisals are not certificates of authenticity; these are very different documents. An appraisal is an opinion or statement of the value rendered by a professional appraiser who acts as an independent, impartial third party. A certificate of authenticity is an opinion or statement of authenticity . In preparing the appraisal an appraiser may rely on a certificate of authenticity as well as on third parties and/or published information, including catalogue raisonnes, exhibition catalogues, auction catalogues or other available information. Third parties might include scholars, museum curators, conservators, descendents or associates of an artist. Appraisals are done for a variety of reasons, but all are related to establishing the value of an item or a collection, often for insurance purposes, for IRS reporting or for liquidating an estate. A certificate of authenticity is done to establish the authenticity of an item or items, and the COA may be provided to the appraise...

I’m thrilled to announce that I will be a regular guest blogger on the Antique Trader blog. My most recent post is about the liquidation by Christie’s of the collection of movie memorabilia owned by Debbie Reynolds. Over the years, Ms Reynolds collected numerous items and the collection has been valued at over $50 million. I have always been impressed by the foresight that Debbie Reynolds showed in preserving this memorabilia. Many of her contemporaries scoffed her collection of movie posters, costumes, props and other items. But today, the collection represents a glimpse into our culture. To learn more about Ms Reynolds' extraordinary collection, read the full post by Caroline Ashleigh at the Antique Trader Blog: Appraiser Caroline Ashleigh pays respect to major Hollywood memorabilia sale on her new blog And, for more information about the Debbie Reynolds collection, read: The Final Curtain Goes Up, As The Auction Hammer Goes Down, On Debbie Reynolds' Collection

Liquidation value is defined by the AAA as “the price realized in a sale situation under forced or limiting conditions and under time constraints. This action may be initiated by the property owner or a crediting institution.” In calculating two previously discussed valuations—marketable cash value and fair market value—it is assumed that the seller will have time to sell the property. In the event of liquidation, however, one cannot wait to market the property properly. In such instances, creditors may be willing to accept something less than full marketable cash value for the convenience of receiving cash in hand immediately. Related Posts Types of Appraisal Valuation: Marketable Cash Value Types of Appraisal Valuation: Fair Market Value Types of Appraisal Valuation: Replacement Value

Marketable cash value has been defined as “the value realized, net of expenses, by a willing seller disposing of property in a competitive and open market to a willing buyer, both reasonably knowledgeable of all relevant facts and neither being under constraint to buy or sell.” This is similar to fair market value (FMV), but the essential difference being the phrase “net of expenses.” This term is most often used in equitable distribution situations such as divorce. In these cases, one partner is willing to receive ownership of property in lieu of cash. However, the person needs assurance that, should they decide at some point to sell, the money received would be close to the amount of cash originally sacrificed. Thus, the value used in this type of appraisal should be net of any sales commission or fee connected with the sale of the property. Related Posts Types of Appraisal Valuation: Liquidation Value Types of Appraisal Valuation: Fair Market Value Types of Appraisal Valuation: Rep...

Fair market value (FMV) is favored by the IRS and is defined as “the price that property would sell on the open market between a willing buyer and a willing seller, with neither being required to act, and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.” FMV is what a property owner would expect to receive if they were to sell a newly purchased object at a later date. This is frequently less than what was originally paid, especially if top price had been paid. As a result, fair market value is most frequently a lower value than replacement value. The IRS has determined that fair market value is a gross value and may include sales commission or buyers premium. Related Posts Types of Appraisal Valuation: Liquidation Value Types of Appraisal Valuation: Marketable Cash Value Types of Appraisal Valuation: Replacement Value

Depending upon the purpose of appraisal, the value assessed to an item or items of personal property may differ. The four major types of valuation used by personal property appraisers are: Replacement value for insurance purposes Fair market value for IRS purposes Marketable cash value for equitable distribution (e.g. divorce) Liquidation value in bankruptcy situations In a series of blog posts will address these four types of appraisal valuations. Replacement Value Generally, the highest value used in appraising is replacement value. This value is most commonly used for insurance purposes and has been defined by the AAA (Appraisers Association of America) as “the amount it would cost to replace an item with one of similar and like quality, purchased in the most appropriate marketplace within a limited amount of time.” In the event of a loss, a person would not be expected to wait a long time for a bargain to appear or to do extensive shopping. It’s assumed that the person would go...