Expanding Your Comparables Resources: A Fresh Look at Sources

By Suzanne Houck, ISA CAPP

If you’re like me, you often get stuck in a rut with your tried-and-true comparable research sites. Lately, I’ve been expanding my resources, and I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few of my finds with you. Some may be familiar yet forgotten. Others, hopefully, will be new and helpful additions to your bank of research sites.

Everything But the House (EBTH)
This is a full service online estate sale model for everything in the home but the house (hence the name!). It provides photos, and active and realized prices from estate sales around the country. It is searchable by region, category, and can be filtered/sorted by best match or prices high to low. And… it’s free!

If your appraisal services include consultations for selling items but not actual brokering (including estate sales), this might be a good resource to share with your client. They handle sorting, cataloging, photographing, payment, pickup and delivery.

Barnebys
An online auction platform similar to Live Auctioneers, Barnebys has realized prices. You can submit an item for what they call a “free appraisal,” which goes to participating auction houses (and consequently provides you with an auction estimate rather than an appraisal). Like EBTH, this is free.

Bidsquare
An online auction site with live auctions and past auction prices, this free service includes a sortable search function.

Bidsquare was launched with six renowned auction houses (Brunk Auctions, Cowan’s, Leslie Hindman, Pook & Pook, Rago, Skinner) who joined forces to provide buyers, sellers and auction houses with a place to sell high quality items. Many of their specialists are Roadshow experts; perhaps you’ve even met a few of them. I have found sales on Bidsquare that were not on Live Auctioneers, even in the case of auction houses that are represented on both sites. I’d advise checking both sites for comparables.

the saleroom
An online auction site similar to Live Auctioneers, this site is entirely searchable, has realized prices and photos (particularly of Asian items) and has a nominal fee for use.

Applications (Apps) available through your smartphones, tablets, and iPads
There are plenty of Classified Ad-type apps that may prove helpful when determining regional and local asking prices for more depreciable items commonly found in the home (washers, golf clubs, dishes, etc.). For those of you who don’t have time or desire to frequent garage and estate sales and want to see more searchable classified ads, complete with photos and asking prices, consider the following apps:

Trove Marketplace: A place to buy and sell. For sellers it has a unique social feature, in which viewers can vote between two items that developers claim helps with future pricing.

Close 5: Great for reviewing asking prices for ordinary household items. Prices included on photos for easy viewing. No prices realized.

Offer Up: “Buy. Sell. Simple.” Requires clicking on the photos to see the asking price. No prices realized.

Letgo: “Buy and sell used stuff.” A Craig-classified sales (as in Craigslist). Not as easily searchable as the others, in my opinion.

I hope you find even a few of these resources useful. If you know of others, please share them in the comments. And if this subject interests, you be sure to attend the ISA Conference, “The Architecture of Appraising,” slated for March 31-April 3 in Chicago. Pip Deeley, author of How Data Will Keep Transforming the Art Business, will be presenting “Remodeling Business for the Future: Utilizing New Tools of Technology,” covering a range of topics from apps for image capture, collection management, the impact and potential of price data, and the latest developments in 3D scanning, virtual reality and visualization. We’ll see you there!

Meet the Next Director of Education

Meredith Meuwly, ISA CAPP

By Christine Guernsey, ISA CAPP, President

On behalf of the International Society of Appraisers Board, I am delighted to announce that Meredith Meuwly, ISA CAPP, (member of ISA since 2009), has been appointed as the new ISA Director of Education, effective January 1, 2017.

Meredith earned her Bachelor's degree in Classical Studies and Art History from Duke University in 2000, and a Master's degree in Modern Art, Connoisseurship, and the History of the Art Market from Christie's Education in New York in 2001. She spent the next five years in the Christie's New York Antiquities Department as sale coordinator and cataloguer of ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Near Eastern works of art. During her time at Christie's, she worked on numerous high profile auctions, including the Doris Duke Estate, Ancient Egyptian Art from the Harer Family Trust, and the John W. Kluge Morven Collection of Ancient Art.

Meredith joined Heritage Auctions in 2007 as Senior Consignment Director in the Fine & Decorative Arts Department, overseeing two auctions each year. In January 2010, she became the Director of Appraisal Services, preparing formal appraisals for 40 specialist categories beyond fine art.

In addition to her duties at Heritage, Meredith participates as an appraiser for Antiques Roadshow on PBS, specializing in Antiquities, Glass, Silver, and Decorative Arts. She serves on the ISA Fine Art committee and is the lead instructor for the ISA accreditation pathway, Fine Art Course. Meredith is the recent past President of the Foundation for Appraisal Education and a guest lecturer at museums, institutions, conferences, and multiple civic organizations. In 2015, she was honored with the ISA Distinguished Service Award for her contributions and dedication to the field of personal property appraisals.

In asking Meredith about her new position she stated, “I'm honored to be appointed to this position. I have big shoes to fill, but I look forward to continuing Leon Castner's legacy. The entire education team is excited for 2017 and dedicated to assisting ISA members to be the top most appraisers in the industry”.

The Director of Education position for ISA is a three year rotating position. The Board would like to thank outgoing Director of Education Leon Castner for his years of service and contributions to the education of our members.

A Real 'Name'-Changer

by Maureen S. Winer, ISA CAPP, Chair of Antiques, Furnishings + Decorative Arts (AFDA)

Say goodbye to "ARC" and hello to "AFDA!"

I am thrilled to announce that the ISA Board has approved the Antiques & Residential Contents (ARC) Committee’s recommendation to change the name of the ARC division to Antiques, Furnishings + Decorative Arts, otherwise referred to by its acronym AFDA.

Why the change? For years, I have believed that ARC did not properly reflect my appraisal business, nor that of most of my fellow appraisers. Sure, it is primarily an internal name and the general public is not aware of the title. Still, we are. So why does this matter? The answer is, we should be represented by a name that is consistent with our desired image; it should state our expertise and should last the test of time. The name should also represent the majority of our members.

The (former ARC) committee members agreed unanimously that a name change was necessary; therefore, we embarked on a mission to find the right name. Through much discussion and debate, and with welcome input from Libby Holloway, we chose Antiques, Furnishings + Decorative Arts. It should be noted that we had an extensive discussion regarding our Gems and Jewelry appraisers; although they remain a part of the AFDA division, we recognize that we need to help them reestablish their own voice over the coming years. The Annual Conference Committee has made sure that there will be plenty of relevant presentations and breakouts to please our Gems and Jewelry appraising members at the upcoming Assets 2017 in Chicago, March 31 – April 3.

Many thanks to our committee members—Bridget Donnelly, Kurt Soucek, Mary Alice Manella, Rudy Pena, Sanjay Kapoor, Lisa Duke and Catherine Sanky. If you would like to become a part of our committee, please contact me at maureen@pwpusa.com.

Oh, The Tours You Can Take

Assets 2017, now open for registration, is coming up March 31 – April 3 in Chicago. There are few better ways to further enrich your Assets experience than by participating in the hands-on tours we have planned at some of Chicago’s most famous art and antiques institutions. Both the Fine Art Tour and the Antiques & Residential Contents Tour will take place Friday, March 31. Let’s take a closer look at each of them:

FINE ART TOUR
Our first stop is Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, an auction house with a worldwide reputation for its full service approach and the noteworthy expertise of its specialists. Founded in 1982, it became the largest auction house in the Midwest in just a matter of years and has only continued to grow, having handled property from the estates of Rose Movius Plamer, Melville N. Rothchild, Frank J. and Mary Mackey Jr., among others.

Following a breakout session on Fine Art, attendees will then depart for the Museum of Contemporary Photography, an institution that collaborates with artists, photographers, and
communities both locally and internationally, embracing a wide range of contemporary aesthetics and technologies to establish itself as the leading photography museum in the Midwest. Attendees will be split in half; while one team visits the print room, the other will be given the opportunity to see the exhibition.

Participants will then walk to the Art Institute of Chicago, where they will have lunch before being guided through the AIC’s highlights, including the pieces from the Edlis Donation.

ANTIQUES & RESIDENTIAL CONTENTS TOUR
The tour will begin with Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. Participants will enjoy breakout sessions—choosing between ARC, Jewelry or Couture—before heading to the Art Institute of Chicago, where they’ll find themselves engaged in lectures on European Decorative Arts and Provenance, before getting the opportunity to explore the world-renowned institute.

We are excited to provide Assets 2017 attendees with auxiliary programming like this year’s Specialty Tours—just one more way to enhance your conference experience and advance your learning within the industry. Spouses/guests are invited to participate, but space is limited and is first-come, first served. Sign up for either tour during the registration process now while spots are still available.

* In the case of either tour, those in need of alternative transportation may contact ISA Headquarters for special accommodations.