Sunday, September 12, 2010

Appraisals

At guild last week a certified quilt appraiser from the area presented the program.  She discussed why you should have your quilts, both old and new, appraised, and what she does when she makes an appraisal,  what determines the value. One reason to have quilts appraised, of course, is that in case of loss an uninsured quilt is valued by the insurance company as bedding.  I'd always heard cost of materials, but apparently that's not true.

Her presentation was interesting.  For a new quilt, she considers fabric, the quality and quantity of the workmanship, and design, especially the good old "Wow factor."  The more specific information you have about any of these things, like the exact fabric line, the better.

For an old quilt, condition seems to be most important, but also rarity (old Grandmother's Flower Gardens are a dime a dozen apparently), and again the more specific the known history or provenance of the quilt, the better.

Besides putting a detailed label on a new quilt, she suggests labeling any antique or vintage quilt you have, even if your information is incomplete.  That way the next owner will have a place to start.

The most intriguing bit of information was this:  If you give a quilt for a special occasion like a wedding, it's good to have an appraisal to give with it.  Why?  Because young people may not care about the sentiment at this point, but they will care about the value.  So they will take care of the quilt, and later perhaps appreciate the sentiment too.  Rather cynical and commercial, but worth thinking about.

Does anyone have their quilts appraised?  At $40 an appraisal, it's pretty pricey, I think, and so I've never done it.

7 comments:

Joyce said...

I've never had anything appraised but it would be interesting. I don't know if I'd pay $40 though.

floribunda said...

When I had my Nearly Insane quilt at Road to California a few years ago I asked for an appraisal ($25) but they insisted they didn't receive my check in time so it never happened. I just found out that a quilt was accepted for PIQF next month, and they're offering appraisals for $45 -- I'm undecided!

The Calico Cat said...

I am not willing to pay $40 - this seems to be a "jobs program" & that is not a job that I want to support...

Meanwhile, I would not mind getting an appraisal of the quilt that my great-grandmother made...

Barbara C said...

I've never had a quilt appraised either, but appraising a special occasion gift like a wedding quilt might add to the appreciation of the gift. Maybe the recipients would value the gift more. Conversely, maybe people who don't value quilts shouldn't receive them. We should keep them all for ourselves. ;-)

Libby Fife said...

I would pay the $40 if the quilt was important enough to me or if I was a collector. Seems like that would be part of the collecting process. Otherwise I am more interested in the insurance aspect of it; how do you tack that on to your home goods?

Kathleen said...

None of my quilts are appraisal worthy. But that's a good idea about a wedding gift quilt. I would consider doing that.

Debra Dixon said...

I really don't consider many of my quilts to be appraisal worthy either.

But I do claim them on taxes when I donate them.