My last two virtual appraisal appointments involved estate equitable distribution of Japanese 20th century property, among two siblings with no documentation required, and a spry 84-year old man downsizing his two dozen Asian properties collected over his long life.
The equitable distribution trustee seemed battery operated, running for most of our discussion with heels clicking on wood flooring from an open dining area, around to the living room, and up the stairs and back down again. This was repeated in some variation for two hours. There were over two dozen quality ceramic ikebana containers for Japanese style flower arranging, differing in shape, color, height, width and weight among other factors. All of the art in the home looked made within the last 100 years. In my opinion, the value of the estate was in the collection of ikebana vases and I suggested contacting one the ikebana societies as to possible targeted sales. One of the siblings was interested in liquidating all property.
One of the aspects of my business, since I don’t do insurance appraisals is that I don’t have repeat customers. I do get referrals, but only occasional yearly donations or charitable contributions from the same individual. As a consequence, I get very little feedback and hope to reach out for more. I need to constantly improve my appraisal skills and spend around two hours a day studying the market and the material, both online and by YouTube. Yesterday, I went through the Chinese sculpture collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Usually, the videos are 40-50 minutes long, often led by the curator in charge. I also studied Chinese Song and Yuan Dynasty clothing and culture, focusing on pattern and technical skill. Trading along the Silk Road brought new patterns to the clothing.
My scheduled virtual meeting with the spry man downsizing, began by accident when I dialed his phone number, mistakenly, at 9:00am on the day we were to talk. We exchanged a brief greeting, both in nighttime attire, and said ‘later’. I admit at noon, I made the same mistake (no, it doesn’t happen often) and said ‘my mistake, our appointment is at 3:30’. This time we were both in daytime attire, he in yachting attire, and I, a pale green cotton dress. When we met, I started with my summation first. I gave him names of auction houses in the Bay area, he lived within 200 miles, and considering packing, shipping and all the paperwork needed, told him call this list of three first, trust your instinct, and drive all the property down to Bay area, No packing nor shipping costs, At 84, I didn’t think he wanted to spend his time packing, hauling and shipping his possessions off for auction. But it was a way to bring in some money and achieve his goal of downsizing. Yes, he would likely get pennies for his treasures, but he had enjoyed them for decades. Now it was someone else’s turn.