Tag: in person antique appraisal

Use an online appraisal for a quick, low-cost opinion from photos; book an in-person appraiser when an insurer, estate or tax return will rely on the value.

This guide compares what each route delivers, what the services publish about price and turnaround, and which purpose each one fits. It is based on the services’ own pages, an insurer’s guide and IRS guidance, all read on 25 September 2026; no appraisal service or app was tested for it.

What an online appraisal gives you

An online appraisal is an opinion formed only from the photos and details you send, which is why it is fast and inexpensive and also why it has limits. The paid expert services publish their terms. Mearto’s FAQ says: “We charge $25 per item for a standard online appraisal, which you typically receive within 48 hours of purchase.” Its report “includes a brief description of your item and two values”, and the fair market value “is expressed as a range (a minimum and maximum estimate)” based on recent auction results for comparable items. Two lines on the same page are worth reading before you pay: Mearto says that “our focus is on providing online appraisals to help customers sell their items at auction through Catawiki”, and that when a result is marked conditional, “the value provided is what the item would be worth if we assume that it is authentic.”

ValueMyStuff’s pricing page offers an expert appraisal in 24 or 48 hours for $28 or less, paid in credits that get cheaper in larger packs. Its home page says the report includes “an attribution of the item, detailed auction house catalogue description, current fair market value and insurance value”, worked out from the photos you upload.

Auction houses offer a free route for pieces they might sell. Christie’s selling guide invites owners to “Request a complimentary estimate”, and adds that “Estimates are provided in 3–4 weeks for items for which Christie’s has a category of sale and which meet our minimum consignment value.” That estimate is a forecast of an auction result, not a formal appraisal, and a modest piece will not qualify for one.

A photo identification app is the quickest first step of all. This site publishes one, Antique Identifier - Antiqly, which is free to download with in-app purchases on the App Store and on Google Play, runs on iPhone and Android, and needs no sign-up. We did not test it or any other service against objects of known value for this article, so treat any online answer as a lead to check. Our article on whether a free antique valuation app actually works explains what such apps can and cannot do.

Every one of these routes sees only what the photos show. Weight, the feel of a surface, hidden repairs, replaced parts and the inside of a joint are judged at second hand or not at all.

What an in-person appraisal adds

An in-person appraisal adds a physical examination by a specialist and, when you commission a written report, a signed document with a single value that someone else can rely on. The insurer Chubb’s collector’s guide to appraisals says that “Appraisals should comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), which are the Congressionally-authorized and widely recognized standards for appraisers.” Its list of what a comprehensive report contains includes “Relevant dates including date of inspection, appraisal and report issuance” and a “Firm statement of value (not a valuation range)”, and it adds that “the appraisal document should be printed, not handwritten, and should always be signed by the appraiser.”

Handling the object matters because condition drives value. The IRS, in Publication 561, states that “The physical condition and extent of restoration are both relevant in determining the valuation of art and antiques”, and an appraiser who can turn a piece over, open its drawers or test its metal sees far more of that than a camera does. A written appraisal is not automatically an in-person one, though, so ask whether the appraiser will examine the object or work from photographs.

Choosing the appraiser is your job. Chubb notes that “There is no government regulation of appraisers”, and points to the major accredited organizations; the American Society of Appraisers directory says the society “has thousands of designated appraisal professionals throughout the world”. Pick someone who works in your object’s category: Chubb’s own example is that “an appraiser who specializes in contemporary art may not be the best choice to appraise an Impressionist painting.” Appraisers set their own fees, so ask for a written quote before you book. For appraisals that support a US tax deduction, the IRS adds that “Generally, no part of the fee arrangement for a qualified appraisal can be based on a percentage of the appraised value of the property.” Our guide to how appraisers determine antique value walks through the method a written report follows.

Online and in-person routes side by side

The routes differ less in accuracy, which none of these providers can promise from photos, than in what they deliver and who will accept it. The costs below are the providers’ own published terms, read on 25 September 2026; they can change, so check the page before you pay.

The value you need decides the route

The purpose of the number decides the route, because a sale price, an insurance figure and a tax value are different values. Chubb explains that fair market value “is often used for IRS appraisals or if you want to sell the item”, while “Replacement Value is most often used for insurance on fine arts and collectibles”, and that “replacement value is higher than fair market value” because it assumes buying a similar piece at retail. An online report that lists both a market value and an insurance value is giving two answers to two questions; Mearto, for example, describes its insurance figure as “an automatically calculated insurance value”. Ask your insurer which kind of appraisal it accepts before you rely on one.

Tax rules are stricter still. In the United States, the IRS states that a charitable donation of “art and collectibles for which you claim a deduction of more than $5,000 must be supported by a qualified appraisal and a Form 8283”, and that a qualified appraisal must describe “The physical condition of any tangible personal property”. Some categories also call for a specialist from the start: the IRS says that “Gems and jewelry are of such a specialized nature that it is almost always necessary to get an appraisal by a specialized jewelry appraiser”. Our guides to appraising antique jewelry online and valuing antique furniture online show what photos can and cannot settle in those two categories.

When to go straight to an appraiser

Go straight to an in-person appraiser when someone else will rely on the number, when authenticity is the real question, or when the object has to be handled to be judged. In practice that means:

• Insurance. Chubb writes that an appraisal can “help you make sure your valuable items are insured to their current replacement value”; confirm what your own insurer requires.
• A US charitable donation claimed above $5,000. The IRS requires a qualified appraisal and a Form 8283.
• An estate or a division between relatives. Chubb notes that an appraisal can “help settle an estate”, and a signed report gives every heir the same figure.
• Doubts about authenticity. An online value that assumes the item is authentic does not answer whether it is.
• Jewelry, metals and anything whose material must be tested. A photo cannot weigh a stone or test gold or silver.

For everything else, a free or low-cost online opinion is a sensible first filter. Our guide to how to tell if an antique is worth money lists the early signs that justify paying for more.

How to get a useful online opinion

An online opinion is only as good as the photos and facts you send, so give the reviewer what an appraiser would look at in person. Take these in daylight before you submit anything:

1. The whole object from the front, back, sides and underneath, on a plain background, with its measurements noted.
2. Every mark, label, signature or stamp, close and sharp, from two angles.
3. Construction details: joints, fittings, the inside of drawers or the back of a frame.
4. Any damage, repair, replaced part or retouching.
5. Any papers, receipts or family history that came with the piece.

When a value comes back, ask what it is based on. The IRS says that “The sales prices of properties similar to the donated property are often important in determining the FMV”, and warns that “a dealer may sell an item for much less than is shown on a price list”, so a figure built on completed sales of comparable pieces carries more weight than one built on asking prices. Our overview of online antique valuation tools lists the archives where you can check sold prices yourself.

What to do with your antique now

Work through these three steps and stop as soon as the answer is good enough for what you need.

1. Decide who the number is for. If it is only for you, an app or a low-cost online appraisal is enough to start; if an insurer, executor or tax authority will rely on it, plan for a written appraisal.
2. Get a first opinion from good photos. Send the five kinds of photograph above, and note whether the value you get back is a range, a single figure or conditional on authenticity.
3. Book a specialist when the stakes justify it. Choose an appraiser in your object’s category through a professional directory, ask for a written fee quote and whether they will examine the piece, and bring your photos and papers.

Method and limits. This article draws on the published pages of Mearto, ValueMyStuff and Christie’s, Chubb’s collector’s guide to appraisals, IRS Publication 561, the American Society of Appraisers directory and the two app store listings linked above, all read on 25 September 2026. No appraisal service or app was tested, prices are the providers’ own published terms and may change, and the tax rules described are United States rules.