Join me as I embark on a new adventure. Well, perhaps it is a continuation of an adventure that began with an interest in antiques.
First, a brief background of my path to becoming an Appraiser of Antique and Residential Contents.
Liberal Arts Major. Enough said. Ha! Just kidding.....
Many years ago, a friend introduced me to the world of antique shopping. We spent time scouring antiques malls, flea markets, thrift stores, auctions, anywhere "junk" or "treasure" (depending on your taste) might be lurking. Our favorite spot was the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, California, where you can see anything and everything from junk to high end all in one stadium parking lot on the 2nd Sunday of every month.
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The old friend faded, but my interest in antiquing and vintiquing remained. In 2009 I had the good fortune to meet Lynn Roberts, owner of AZ Family Estate Sales and Appraisals, LLC in Tucson, Arizona. A new interest in Estate Sales developed and a friendship blossomed. Lynn and her Mom, Hildy, shared their antiques expertise freely and indulged my new hobby by including me in weekends filled with Estate Sales. Below a photo of yours truly (left) and Lynn.
What impresses me most is the amount of research Lynn puts into her pricing preparation for Estate Sales. A family entrusts their possessions to an Estate Sale professional and Lynn always makes sure to balance the best value for the selling family as well as her buying customers. As I started learning more about Estate Sales with Lynn's mentorship, I further developed my "eye" for quality, condition, rarity and price.
Our mutual interest in the topics of value research and market pricing led to our decision to become appraisers of antiques and residential contents and we created an appraisal business partnership. We selected membership and education through International Society of Appraisers (ISA) and today we are both Accredited Members (AM).
Our clients benefited from our association with the gold standard of appraisal organizations and our adherence to the USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) in writing appraisals for purposes of estate distribution, resale, insurance and personal information. We also participated in continuing education coursework through New York University and the ISA.
In addition, I opened my own resale booth in a Tucson antique mall and eventually expanded to two locations. It was an eye opening experience to learn how the trends within a market influence value and price. For those who supported retro.ranch.resale, thank you!
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Today I live in Vienna, Austria. I'm still an ISA AM generalist appraiser, but my role in my new city is evolving. Although, I can't think of a better opportunity to continue an educational journey in both the arts and antiques. I invite you to join me.
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What a thoughtful exploration of what it takes to appraise antiques well—your points on provenance, condition, and historical importance really resonate. As someone who deals with assessing value in many forms, I see the same principles apply beyond just collectibles—whether you're appraising a rare vase or even making an offer for a car. Speaking of which, businesses like Cash for Cars Sydney rely heavily on transparency and fairness—just like proper appraisal does. Great read!
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