Replacement Value: $25,000.00+

Persian Kashan Rug

Replacement Value: $20,000.00+

Georges Guerin Buffet with Display Case

Replacement Value: $22,000+

The collection is a real pleasure to appraise because it is so well organized and presented. The collector obviously had a strategic plan for her collecting as many of the annual  albums custom pocketed for stamp presentation and preservation are completely filled – hundreds of pages, thousands of stamps, in order, in place. It is quite impressive and very likely quite valuable.

Of course not all stamp collectors have the same passion, meticulousness, available resources, etc. The stamps that are new issues this year will very likely one day in the future have more collectible value than their current face value. And of course, the irregularly printed stamps of today can one day have significant collectible value.

As a stamp appraiser that has seen many stamp collections of varying amounts of value the following are basic considerations in order to enhance the enjoyment, effectiveness, return on investment, and collection longevity and preservation.

• Do it because you enjoy it and not just for an investment return
• Collect with an organized purpose either by date, country, subject, or type
• Collect diligently over time to avoid costly collection gap filling on a later date
• Invest in protective albums or stamp sleeves that preserve your collection

• Jadeite: Over $3 Million per Carat!

A pyroxene mineral, this gem appears bright green, like an emerald, or, sometimes a bluish green color and some appear a greenish white. Jadeites have a translucent look to them, as the thin top layer is colorless. The gems price comes from historical reasons, and its rarity is still undetermined.

• Serendibite: About $2 Million per Carat!

This rare gem consists of boron, and only two areas in the world have been able to produce this mineral, in Sri Lanka and Burma. Serendibites are commonly blue green, dark gray to black or grayish blue.

• Red Diamonds: About $2 Million per Carat!

A rare gemstone which is commonly purplish red, but sometimes crimson red, is loved by many. Located in Australia, these are very hard to come by, which justifies the price.

Source:

http://www.therichest.org/most-expensive/the-top-ten-most-expensive-gemstones-in-the-world/

STERLING SILVER, SILVERPLATE AND THE SILVER APPRAISAL

Marks on precious metals have been regulated by law since ancient times. From pharaohs, Roman emperors and continuing today, fineness, or standard marks, have been used to guarantee minimum amounts of precious metal in relation to non-precious metal.

At least that is the theory. But while most governments strictly monitor standard marks, very few regulate marks not related to the content of precious metals. It is perfectly legal, for example, to stamp silver with trademarks or brand names of company’s no longer in business or whose trademark is no longer registered. For this reason, a certified silver appraisal from an accredited appraiser is more important than ever.

Here is an example. It is legal for a new silver piece, fresh off today’s assembly line produced by “ABC Silver” to mark the silver “Unger Bros. 925” (a company from the 1800’s who were known for quality silver), as long as the silver content tests at 925.  This really can create problems for those interested in antique and collectible silver and silverplate.

In America, articles marked Sterling Silver must contain a minimum of 925 parts silver for every 1000 parts of total material; to say another way, items marked Sterling Silver must be 92.5% silver and no more than 7.5%  base metal.  This internationally accepted ratio is called the “Sterling Standard” and it has been used in the U.S. since the mid 1860’s.

Globalization of commerce has prompted most of the countries around the world to use the same units of weight, measure and standards simply because it makes international so much more efficient. For example, since 1973, the European Community agreed to recognize 925/1000 as the official Sterling Silver standard and 925 as the official standard mark. In fact, the vast majority of mass-produced silver reproductions today, whether made in Thailand, India, England, Europe or here at home, now include 925 in the mark.

Contact Us for more information about a silver appraisal

The vast world of personal property (tangible assets) includes most of the things that are a part of our everyday life. If they are in our personal space, we see them, touch them, enjoy them when we wake up and look around our residence in the morning and probably at least glance at them up until we close our eyes for the night. We may have been given the items as gifts, bought them as travel souvenirs, or seriously collected them as a hobby, avocation, investment, or a hedge against inflation. Collecting can be great fun and some people even manage to make a buck or two as a reward for the adventure and risk that is often involved.

That last sentence brings me to the point of this short article. Over the years as accredited appraisers, the Nugent Appraisal team has examined, documented, and provided collectible appraisals on thousands of items – and if there is one constant in the fickle world of collecting, it is that casual, shoot-from-the-hip, uninformed purchases of vintage and antique items that are not properly researched more often than not are over-priced and surreptitiously over-valued by the seller. You know the mantra – “caveat emptor.”

Now, sometime later you may need a collectible appraisal, whether it is for charitable donation, insurance, marital dissolution, or just plain old curiosity. Our role at this point is to examine the items, gather all the important details of description, perform a market analysis, and based on this exercise and imbued with our nearly four decades experience and expertise provide that pot at the end of your anticipated rainbow. After all, you surmise, I paid $100.00 for that ‘widget’ ten years ago surely it is now worth at least ten times that.

Unfortunately, sometimes we must reveal that it is not as originally offered – it is a fake or reproduction; or, the market for that design, size, or color is no longer fashionable and is out of favor with the current generation; or……..and we could go on endlessly citing reasons why today’s independent collectible appraisal changed your smile into a disappointed glower.

There is a remedy to this perplexing situation – do your homework. Gather as much information as possible before the purchase, and thanks to the giant world of the internet, this is not only simple but inexpensively prudent.

To many people around the world, the name Lladro conjures up delicate and colorful porcelain figurines; the country of Spain; and even perhaps thoughts of culture because most of the figurines are reflective of centuries past in their costuming and lifestyle.

The story of Lladro started in Almacera, Spain, a short distance from the city of Valencia where the three Lladro brothers were born. Tradition would have the brothers devoting their lives to agriculture, but their mother, Rosa, wanted more for her children. As the story is told, it was this tenacious and persuasive woman who guided them toward an education and occupation in the arts.

In 1951, Juan, Jose and Vicente built their first kiln, a Moorish type made of brick. Using rosemary and furze from the nearby mountains as fuel, they achieved the temperatures necessary to fire ceramics; soon making flowers for decorative lamps. It wasn’t long before a great demand for these small pieces developed and the Lladro brothers found it necessary to increase their labor force, and within two years they founded Lladro Porcelains. The brothers managed to negotiate a small loan and soon a new kiln was built that could produce the temperatures needed to convert the product into glass or a glassy substance namely porcelain.

Lladro porcelain products are now sold in 120 countries on five continents. Tavernes Blanques, a village near Valencia, is the home to The City of Porcelain, where all Lladro creations are born in the 100,000 square foot facility employing over 1,000 employees. The three brothers withdrew from the Lladro board of directors at the end of 2003 and a new board was formed with two children of each of the brothers.

Whether a single Lladro, a group, or a large collection, Nugent Appraisal can likely certify the current value from a digital image and brief description, or an onsite examination. If you require a Lladro appraisal contact us today.

Ray Nugent, Expert Witness

If something can break, bend, crack, fold, mutilate, disintegrate, malfunction, infect or explode, there is someone, somewhere who can explain how and why. As a time-tested and experienced Expert Witness, I am often asked to participate in legal actions. In our world of busy life-styles, there are litigation consultants on hundreds of issues ranging from dancing, solid waste management, jogging, human bites, coastal planning, and even sky diving. These experts investigate and explain to the attorney and later they explain or teach the subject to the judge and jury.

Courts and attorneys rely upon expert witnesses because: they are able to capitalize on the expert’s years of education and experience; the expert is able to explain the logic of the issue that is involved; the expert presents an authoritative opinion as to causation; and the presence of an expert enlarges the importance of the case; and, attorneys and courts are relying on expert witnesses more and more to help them understand complex matters or little known procedures.

The senior appraisers at Nugent Appraisal have Expert Witness testimony experience in support of the independent certified appraisal reports. Testimony has been performed in litigation of insurance damage claim, divorce, and equitable distribution.

The answer briefly is, all other elements being equal, a signed piece of art will usually be valued higher than a comparable unsigned piece by the same artist.

First, it helps to know if the artist normally signed his or her work. Of course, there are instances when an artist who normally signed their paintings did not sign a work. The reasons for this are varied: sometimes these works were not for sale while the artist was alive, and instead languished generally forgotten in their art studio or personal collection; or the buyer of a commissioned work requested that a signature not be added; or the artist simply forgot to sign it; or the artist was less than artistically contend with the work and decided it was not worthy of attribution.

The term “by” is sometimes seen in catalogs. The listing of the artist’s name is printed in bold letters and because there are no qualifiers, it generally means that the piece is accepted as the work of the named artist. Then there are unsigned paintings that are sold as ‘Attributed To’ which means that on the basis of style, the piece is believed to be by the hand of the artist, but with a certain degree of uncertainty. In either case, any accompanying documentation should specifically use terminology that defines the level of attribution.

There are unsigned works that become part of an artist’s estate and quite often may have the benefit of an ‘estate stamp’. After an artist’s death a stamp with the artist’s signature may have been created, and the individual’s handling the estate would then stamp all the unsigned works. As long as the estate was handled professionally, there should be no issues with these works and their values should be comparable to those works which have the artist’s signature on them.

On the other hand, there many famous artists who rarely signed their works; the ‘Mona Lisa’ is unsigned! In these cases, authenticity is based on an expert opinion and/or detailed documentation. One of the crucial elements in determining the work’s authenticity, other than its artistic merit, is the chain of ownership or Provenance. The more complete the Provenance, the easier it is to trace the painting’s history. It’s important to know that many Old Master paintings are unsigned and yet sell for millions of dollars.