Guide
When you need a professional appraiser instead
You need a qualified appraiser whenever the figure will be relied on by someone else: insurance schedules, probate and estate division, tax, divorce settlements, charitable donation, and any sale of a genuinely valuable piece. Photograph-based estimates — from an app, a forum or a dealer’s glance — are for deciding whether a piece is worth that appraiser’s time.
The test is who relies on the number
Almost every argument about whether an estimate is “good enough” is really a question about consequences. If the only person acting on the figure is you, deciding whether to carry a box home from a house clearance, an informed estimate is plenty. The moment a third party relies on it — an insurer, a court, a tax authority, a buyer — you need someone who inspected the object and will put their name to the valuation.
Where a formal appraisal is not optional
- Insurance. Scheduling an item, or claiming on one, needs replacement value from a qualified appraiser. Insurers reject claims supported by app screenshots.
- Probate and estate division. Executors have a duty to value accurately; beneficiaries have a right to challenge. An informal figure is where family disputes start.
- Tax. Capital gains, inheritance tax and charitable-donation deductions all have documentation standards, and they do not accept estimates.
- Divorce and litigation. Anything that may be tested by the other side needs to have been done properly the first time.
- Consignment of a valuable piece. Above a certain figure the auction house will value it themselves — but going in with an independent opinion changes what you accept.
What the appraiser does that a photograph cannot
They handle it. They weigh it, hold it to raking light, look at it under magnification and ultraviolet, check the underside and the inside, test metal where testing is warranted, and compare it against pieces they have physically examined before. Then they write it up in a form that states the basis of value, the methodology and the effective date — which is the part that makes it defensible.
How to find one, and what it costs
Look for membership of a recognised body with an examination and an ethics code behind it — in the United States the American Society of Appraisers, the Appraisers Association of America or the International Society of Appraisers; in the United Kingdom, RICS or BADA for the trade side. Ask what their basis of value is, whether they have handled your category, and whether they have any interest in buying the piece.
Expect an hourly or flat fee. Be wary of anyone charging a percentage of the appraised value — it gives them a direct interest in the number being high, and the recognised bodies prohibit it for exactly that reason.
What to do first
Appraisers are not free, and most inherited boxes contain nothing that warrants one. Sort first: photograph what you have, get an informed opinion on each piece, and separate the three or four things that might be significant from the forty that are not. Then take those three or four to someone who can hold them.
That is the job Trove is for, and it is where its usefulness stops.
Common questions
How much does an antique appraisal cost?
Usually an hourly rate or a flat fee per item, agreed before the work. Avoid anyone who charges a percentage of the value they arrive at — the recognised professional bodies prohibit it because it gives the appraiser an interest in a higher number.
Can a dealer value my antique for free?
Often, but read the incentive. A dealer offering to value a piece they might buy is quoting you a buying price, which is not the same as a valuation. It is useful information; it is not an independent opinion.
Trove identifies antiques from photographs and gives an estimated value range, with the reasoning behind it. Every figure is an AI estimate, not a professional appraisal.
Last updated: 4 August 2026