SYI APPRAISAL SERVICES

We provide remote art appraisals of both two and three dimensional objects, and offer two levels of service via email and correspondence: basic and detailed, as described in the table below:

BASIC AND DETAILED APPRAISAL SERVICES: COMPARE WHAT YOU GET	BASIC APPRAISAL SERVICE	DETAILED APPRAISAL SERVICE
WHO Who made it.		X
WHAT What it is, and what it is called.	X	X
WHEN When it was made, and when it was used.	X	X
WHERE Where it was made, and where it was used.	X	X
WHY Why it was made and what purpose it served.		X
HOW How it was made and the materials used to make it.	X	X
CONDITION How it compares to others of its kind.	X	X
CURRENT VALUE The amount, in dollars, that similar items in similar condition are actually selling for NOW on the CURRENT open market. This tells you how much you can get for it if you sell it right away.	X	X
CURRENT MARKET VALUE The amount, in dollars, that similar items in similar condition are worth over the PAST 3 years. This tells you the REPLACEMENT VALUE and determines the amount of insurance coverage needed to replace it.		X
INVESTMENT POTENTIAL How much you can expect the current market value of the item to change, based on how much its past worth has changed.		X

The information you get from us depends on your choice of appraisal service: Basic or Detailed.
You can upgrade from Basic to Detailed if, within one week of receipt of the Basic Appraisal, you find you want more information. If you upgrade your appraisal, your initial Basic Appraisal payment will be deducted from the Detailed Appraisal bill, and the Detailed Appraisal will be sent upon receipt of payment of the balance. Upon request, any appraisal can be provided as an audio recording on an audio tape cassette rather than via email in the written format. Appraisals are available in either English or French; we will assume English unless you specify French when you order. All prices and valuations are stated in US Dollars. Other European languages are available upon request.

WHAT YOU DO:

1. First, write us a succinct email describing the item you have that you wish appraised, and include your best photo snapshot of the item. We will reply telling you if we can honorably do an appraisal on this object for you.

2. If we can do an appraisal, we will tell you, and we will email you with a list of the additional information we need from you in order to do the appraisal. Upon our acceptance, your payment for the appraisal will be due at this time as will the additional information we need from you to complete the appraisal. Payment is accepted by PayPal or US Postal Money Order only.

3. Tell us if you want a BASIC or a DETAILED appraisal.

4. Pay the bill we send you for the BASIC or DETAILED appraisal, send us the additional information we request from you to complete the appraisal and we will send you a payment receipt and completion date.

5. Your appraisal will be emailed to you electronically, to the email address you provide at the time of payment, WITHIN THREE WEEKS OF RECEIPT OF YOUR PAYMENT AND OF ALL THE ITEMS IN THE LIST BELOW. We must have ALL these items to do your appraisal. We will not begin, or complete, an appraisal without these items.

6. There is an additional charge for us to print out and send by US Postal Mail a copy of the appraisal to you, or to anyone else on your behalf. Ask us for further details.

WE WILL NEED FROM YOU:

1. Crisp clear full figure photos in natural light of the front, back, and sides of your object.
2. Crisp, clear, in focus close up photos of details such as texture and signature.
3. The dimensions of the object. For example, if it's a framed painting, we need both the painting's size and the frame's size.
4. The total weight of the object.
5. Any information you have about the object, such as how you came by it.

CAVEATS: WHAT OUR APPRAISALS DON'T TELL YOU

The Basic Appraisal does NOT tell you how much your item may be worth six months or more from now, nor does it provide the level of detailed information about your item that you might need in order to sell it yourself or consign it to a dealer. The Basic Appraisal gives you an idea of what you have, and should help you to determine whether or not it is in your best interests to pursue selling the item right away.

Likewise, the Detailed Appraisal is NOT intended as a substitute for a hands on evaluation by a dealer selling your item for you. The Detailed Appraisal does NOT predict the future; it evaluates your item based on past facts. The Detailed Appraisal provides you with CURRENT detailed substantiated factual information about your item that you can then use to make more appropriate financial decisions involving your object. While some of these facts are unlikely to change over time,
other facts certainly will change.

APPRAISAL FACTS INEVITABLY CHANGE. For many reasons, any evaluation or appraisal is only factually valid on the date it is done. While some facts won't change over time, others will. Detailed Appraisal information of Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How should not change about your object, but it might: some factual information could emerge later about your object that was unavailable at the time of the appraisal. Condition, by definition, will change over time and an item's condition changes even after 3 months of untouched proper storage. Any appraisal and any statement of value should thus be used as a GUIDELINE ONLY
and you should not make any financial decision involving your object without first checking CURRENT value.

APPRAISALS ARE TIME LIMITED. Because Appraisals include information on the current market price in dollars, that similar items in similar condition are actually selling for NOW on the CURRENT open market, THEY CANNOT TELL YOU FUTURE PRICES OR FUTURE VALUE. The Art Market is highly volatile; prices and value change constantly. Appraisals do not predict the future. Any appraisal and any statement of value should be thus used as a GUIDELINE ONLY and you should not make any financial decision involving your object without first checking CURRENT value.

PEOPLE ARE OFTEN SHOCKED BY APPRAISAL INFORMATION, for better or worse. If you have seen the American PBS television show ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, then you know that most people haven't a clue about the current value of what they own, and that SURPRISE is the only common reaction to learning this information. We cannot guarantee your reaction to the currently accurate information we provide you; you may be disappointed by what you learn, but you will be the wiser for it.

DISCLAIMER - THIS LIMITS OUR LIABILITY - PLEASE READ!

We know a lot about art in general, and in particular, we know about the type of item you are asking us about (if we don't, we will decline your commission). However much we know, we don't and can't know everything. Nobody does. And there are obvious limitations to the level of service possible to offer remotelyover the internet. We are working from your photographs, and not from the actual object itself. Even if we had your object in hand, one cannot always determine with certainty the absolute facts or truth. Sometimes even scientific examination and chemical tests produce ambivalent results (albeit at astronomical cost).

In other words, WE COULD BE WRONG. We could make a tiny mistake or a whopper. Our knowledge and our research is what you are paying us for, and for which we are accepting your money. We have every reason to believe our report is correct, but we don't guarantee it. In addition, no matter how wrong we may be (and it could be very wrong), our LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE COST OF THE REPORT, and WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES, NO MATTER WHAT LEGAL THEORY MAY BE ADVANCED.

Our Over-The-Internet remote appraisals are only our expert opinion and they shouldn't be treated as fact or construed as a guarantee of any kind. Estimates should never be relied upon as predictions of an actual selling price and all measurements should be considered approximate. Our omission of some observation likewise doesn't imply that your item is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. If you require absolute certainty in all areas of authenticity, we recommend you seek counsel elsewhere and pay for a qualified expert to PHYSICALLY examine your item.

WHAT IS A 2 DIMENSIONAL OBJECT AND WHAT IS A 3 DIMENSIONAL OBJECT?

WHAT IS A TWO DIMENSIONAL OBJECT AND WHAT IS A THREE DIMENSIONAL OBJECT?

You would be amazed at how many inquiries we get containing questions about dimension that are replete with confusion surrounding the concept. DIMENSION is a measurement documenting length, width, or depth of an object. 2-dimensional art includes only the length and width of a flat object such as a drawing, print, or painting. 3-dimensional art includes the length, width, and depth of an object such as a structure, building, or sculpture. Dimension is used in several different ways in math and science. When we talk about the dimension of a space we mean the number of coordinates needed to identify a point or location in that space. We may speak of a two dimensional plane, or a three dimensional spatial object. We also use the word to describe the units by which we measure objects. It is the units of dimension that bring reality to a mathematical problem, distinguishing four miles from four feet. The origin of the word is indicative of this measurement theme. Dimension is a weathered and worn version of the union of dis (intense/strong) and meteri (measure, with a combined meaning of "measure carefully".

If you have read this FAQ and still have a question, by all means send an email to us directly at suityou@suityourself.org .

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GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO ART & ANTIQUES	WHAT IS THIS? HOW DO I KNOW IT'S GENUINE?	BASIC ART TERMS & PROVENANCE
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