~ ESTATES & COLLECTIONS ~

BUILDING, VETTING, CONSIGNMENT & SALES

Thank you for your interest in our services for estates and collections: building, vetting, consignment and sales.

The building, vetting, consignment, and sales of estates and collections is one of our primary specialties and we are happy to assist you. We hope this FAQ is helpful to you.

Dealers play an important role in the art world today, because the most experienced dealers understand how to build and vet a collection, and can advise clients as to whether a collector has the best example of a particular genre, or whether it's time to upgrade. Our clients rely on our encyclopedic knowledge, expertise and experience to authenticate, analyze, point out restoration, judge pieces on their merits, give quality judgments on a 1-to-10 basis, compare an item to similar other pieces on the market, and to give appraisals. Many of our clients prefer to rely on us to do their research for them and to remain anonymous when involved in transactions.

In the past, a periodic market assessment was all that was necessary to know when, where and how to make acquisitions. Now, for the serious collector, constant and continuous contact with the art world and a daily knowledge of the market, along with its vagaries and shifts, is imperative. While this is the business of the experienced international dealer, it is a rare serious collector who has this kind of time to dedicate to one market; the necessary expertise takes a lifetime to acquire.

In all markets, there are cycles to what is currently "hot", items that are currently selling well for high prices, and "cold", items whose market has collapsed with the exception of extraordinary pieces. In the past decade, there have been enormous changes in the marketplace and in market cycles.

Condition is a far more important factor today than it was years ago. In the past, collectors prized rarity over condition, but today everything has to be crisp and colorful. This change has caused huge shifts in the areas, genres and works being considered for collections, and there have been substantial changes in the criteria used to determine current market value. This emphasis on quality also creates a challenge to locate genuine, untouched goods in prime condition.

Buying patterns have changed considerably from the past. Buying has shifted from browsing in small specialized galleries and antiques shops from amongst numerous small independent dealers; these have all but disappeared. Collectors today are buying at auctions and big antique shows; there are new collectors entering the field daily, at very high levels.

Today's Collectors have refined their esthetic to a new level and are chasing only the very best, most outstanding works; this is helping to create a new generation of superb American art collections. Every piece they want has to have something extra and special going for it, such as an usual or beautiful form, a unique color or decoration, something that makes it outstanding and extraordinary.

The building, vetting, consignment, and sales of estates and collections is one of our primary specialties and we are happy to assist you. For an idea of the way we work, please see the detailed analysis we apply to individual pieces by viewing our Appraisal Services FAQ, by clicking here: http:///www.suityourself.org/SYIAppraisals.html

For more information, please contact us at suityou@suityourself.org