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Antique Questions Forum / What Should I Expect From An Appraisal?

« on: December 14, 2013, 12:14:12 pm »

Greetings from a new member of this forum.

I would like to know what to expect from an appraisal of some china sets. Here are the details of my question:

We inherited some china sets from a family member. I am a complete rookie when it comes to antiques and this is was my first attempt to find out what they were worth.  I called a local appraiser to ask about the value of some Rosenthal and Krautheim dinner sets. He offered 2 options: He could come to the the house for an hourly charge or I could send him pictures and a list of the items. I chose the "pictures and list" option. At this point I am less interested in the dollar value he provided than I am in the "quality/quantity" of the information he provided. Before I respond to his appraisal, I'd like to know if what he provided is all that I should have expected.

I sent him pictures showing all the pieces in each set, a closeup of the pattern and a closeup of the marks on the bottom of a piece from each set.

As an example, this is the type of information I sent for each of the 4 sets of china I have:




Krautheim Dinner Set   
Quantity   Description
    6           10" Plates
    6            8" Plates
    9            6" Plates
  10           10" Soup Bowls
    8           Cups
    8           Saucers
    1           Coffee Pot
    1           Tea Pot
    1           Sugar Bowl
    1           Creamer
    2           Gravy Boats
    1           9" Oval Serving Bowl with Lid
    1           Lid for 9" Oval Serving Bowl
    1           Lid For 10" Oval Tureen
    1           13" Round Bowl, 1.5" Deep
    1           9.5" x 5" Oval Serving Bowl
    2           12" x 7.5" Rectangular Platter
    1           16" x 10" Rectangular Platter
    1           18" x 11.5" Rectangular Platter


What I got back was:

Krautheim Dinner Set  62 items   $450

A similiar "single line appraisal" was given for each of the 4 sets that I inquired about.

I obviously have to ask him what that number means. Is that what I could expect to get on the open market for the whole set? Would that be the total I might expect if I sold each piece individually? Is that what he would give me if I sold them to him?

I guess my main question is this: Based on the detailed information I provided, should I have received just a single line appraisal or should I have received some more detail?

Any guidance you could provide would be appreciated. Thanks!