O’Neill Art Consulting specializes in the appraisal of fine art, which includes paintings, prints and other works on paper.  Collaboration with qualified consultants can be arranged for the appraisal of decorative arts, antiquities, furniture, rare books, carpets and other classified specialties.

Do I need an appraisal?

An appraisal helps protect your asset in these situations:

  • Insurance coverage
  • Pre- and post-nuptial agreements
  • Equitable distribution
  • Sale (disposition)
  • Charitable donations
  • Estate planning or liquidation
  • Damage / loss claims

How can I avoid risk?

Simple—use a qualified appraiser.  An appraisal gives you the clarity to make the right decisions and to protect your asset.  Knowledge really is power.  But using a qualified appraiser ensures that knowledge is reliable.  Here’s why:

Neutrality.  A qualified appraiser has no stake in the value of your asset.  This is a key tenet of our professional standards; fees have no relationship to any transaction or outcome.  You can be confident that the value is clear and independent from the interest of any involved party.
When? Always important, but especially for disposition and pre- and post-nuptial agreements.

Compliance.  Qualified appraisers comply with a set of industry-wide standards known as USPAP (the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice).  USPAP includes ethical and quality control directives that uphold accuracy, fairness and diligence. Also, the IRS monitors, with increasing vigilance, the accuracy of art valuations.  The IRS requires appraisal reports to be attached to certain tax forms, and it only accepts reports from accredited appraisers—not dealers, auction houses or beneficiary organizations.
When?  Always important, but especially for charitable contributions, equitable distribution and estate planning.

Comprehensive reports.  You choose the level of detail in your appraisal report, but all appraisal reports are thorough, annotated and illustrated.  An accredited appraiser makes sure you have all the relevant market and historical data you need, rendered in a professional report.
When? Always important, but especially for insurance scheduling and loss/damage claims.