If you google “free art or antiques appraisal” plenty of options can be found. But if the consumer digs a little deeper, they will soon discover that the entity advertising a free art or antiques appraisal most likely has a biased interest in your property.
Most entities offering free art appraisals are individuals that are looking to eventually sell the object (i.e auction houses, dealers, galleries). The art world is highly competitive. Dealers, brokers and auction specialists work hard to win consignments to be placed up for auction or private sale. In other words, when these entities offer a free appraisal, their motive is to hopefully get you to commit to sell the work with them. This limits the consumer’s possibilities in many ways.
When appraising art and antiques, the client should first seek out an unbiased source like What’s it Worth. We are a team of experts who are not looking to eventually sell your item. We are unbiased experts who have intimate knowledge of the objects in our area of specialty (i.e. paintings, prints, antiques to name a few). We are devoted to properly identifying the object so that we can then is the discovering its full value potential.
It is also imperative that the client understands the multitude of markets (not just one) that art and antiques can sell. For example, sometimes a Tiffany Lamp could be sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars more through a private dealer over selling it through an auction house.
Here at Veritas we put the client and the object first. Period. If a client’s objects reach a certain value and they want to sell, we then tap into our vast experience and knowledge of ALL markets so that the most ideal platform is found for YOU and YOU only.
In other words, it is a no brainer to skip the free appraisal and instead invest in obtaining an unbiased identification and appraisal so that the client can make the most informed decision possible.
Carrie Baker
President
Veritas Fine Art Appraisals & Consulting LLC
