Art appraisal is the process of evaluating the quality, condition, rarity, provenance and source of a particular piece of art in order to establish its value. The items appraised can range from paintings, sculptures, rugs, furniture, jewelry and any other decorative items that are either one of a kind or produced in limited numbers. Art appraisals can be categorized as the fine art wing of personal property appraising, and both have the primary purpose of informing an owner of the item’s value. In terms of value, both fair market and retail replacement values are examined depending on the appraisal’s purpose. Appraisers may be able to give an approximate value based on a series of photographs but prefer to appraise an item first hand in order to better judge the item’s condition and peculiarities. Auction houses generally have an appraisal department dedicated to determining the value of items scheduled to be sold at auction in order to set an appropriate bidding price on an item. Besides the appraisal of items already submitted for auction, auction houses often offer brief verbal assessments on appointed dates free of charge. The purpose of the free verbal assessments is to sell [ - ]

Art appraisal is the process of evaluating the quality, condition, rarity, provenance and source... [ + ]