Looking to hire a professional- reccomendations?

[dstras95]

Hello all,
This is my first time to this forum, so I apologize if I do anything wrong. I'm not even sure if this is the rigjt website to be on, but I'm starting here in the hope that someone can point me in the right direction.

The reason I'm here is because my parents are avid collectors of antiques from around the world. The two of them have traveled for years and all across the globe. This means that many of the antiques they have bought haven't necessarily been from certified stores and have come with little information. Our house is filled with a vast and varied assortment of items, ranging from many regions of Africa to south pacific islands to Asian countries, and a few others. My parents are in particular fascinated with older tribal pieces. My mother's passion is collecting masks from various cultures. Not all the items are old, but we are under the impression that many are. We also have other pieces like carvings and furniture.

My parents are interested in hiring a professional to come to our house and appraise our pieces. We are not looking to sell, but rather trying to get a better understanding of what quality of work we have and more information on time period. Some of the pieces might even be replicated and we have no idea. However, there are a few that my parents have been led to believe are "museum quality specimen" and it would be great to have this confirmed or denied. 

I know this is a wide range of pieces that include various fields of expertise so it will be hard to find one person who knows it all. My parents also aren't sure how much money they are willing to spend on this endeavor, seeing as we live in Austin, Texas so flying someone in will get expensive. However, they want to look into it. Any reccomendations on people who would be qualified to appraise all, or at least part of, my parents' collection will be greatly appreciated. There are simply too many items to do it online. I haven't attached any photos since I am currently abroad and also I think it would be difficult to capture the entirety of my parents' pieces in a few photos.

Sorry for how long winded this is! But thanks again for any feedback. I can possibly upload some photos when I get home if that is thought to be helpful.
Thanks!
Danielle

[dstras95]

I realize that the above post is super long and a little daunting, and I don't want to scare any potential helpers away.

To sum up: My parents have a lot of tribal antiques from around the world, and our looking to hire someone to appraise them. Perferably someone who would be able to fly to Texas relatively cheaply.

Any reccomendations are greatly appreciated!

Sorry for my earlier rambling post, hope this simplifies it.

[mart]

Hi there and welcome to the forum !!  Sound like your parents have quite a collection !!  What I would recommend is to work with a major museum !! I am also in Texas and I think most of our major cities Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin and Houston all have quality fine art museums !! You possibly could work with the curator in whatever his field may be, and he would know qualified persons for those items out of his area of expertise !!  As far as his fee,, check with more than one and their references,, Dallas Museum of Fine Art,,, I think Ft Worth has Amon Carter Museum !!  Also some universities have qualified people !!  UT Houston, Texas A&M  !!  Just takes a little looking online and some phone calls !!
Hopes this helps a bit !!

[dstras95]

Thanks!! I had considered looking into museums but was worried curators would be too busy. But your reccomendation to check out Dallas and Houston museums is excellent, I'll look into it.
Thank you again!

[KC]

Look at museums in our area (Museum of Art) and UTA.  It doesn't hurt to ask.  Usually a face to face and friendliness and enthusiasm goes a long way.  Also, the prospect of a donation of one of the items goes a long way!!!!

[jondar]

I wouldn't be nervous about asking a museum for help;  I think they enjoy helping someone. Several years ago I bought a U. S. Cavalry saber from a newspaper ad.  I assumed (yes, I know) it was genuine but after a while had questions.  I called the Kansas State Historical Society Museum and explained my problem.  The curator set up an appointment for the next day and I took the saber in.  He took me to a meeting room and on the table he had set up seven or eight genuine sabers and let me compare mine.  Yep, I had a fake.  Close, but no cigar.

[mart]

 Thats certainly the way I would go !!  Even if the curator could not do it himself,, he would know qualified people in our area !!  Just be sure to ask for and check references !! Do a google search on them and see what pops up !!  Don`t hire them if their attitude is not what you would expect of a professional in the field !!  If its affordable and in your budget,, get two opinions !!

[regularjoe2]

In addition to the thoughts/suggestions that others have posted , perhaps you'd do well to contact the International Society of Appraisers (who do have 'chapters' in Texas) ... if they don't personally have knowledge of the type of items you're curious about , chances are more than fair that they'll know someone who does .

A real decent & simple start for you &/or your parents would be to document where & when the items under consideration were purchased . Such info will sometimes assist a pro appraiser (& you won't have to do this 'on-their-clock') & sometimes saves a few bucks in the research process .... this is a step in making a somewhat 'home-made' provenance , but any true info tends to help .

There are many spurious 'works-of-art' available all around the world & this has been true for quite some time .
Along with these sometimes difficult-to-figure-out types of items , there are those that have been stolen , exported illegally &/or constructed from 'banned' mat'ls (such as ivory & etc.) , and lastly there are cultural artifacts that can get a person in some hot water with official entities .

I'd suggest doing some in-depth research , or possibly hiring a university graduate student to get the ball rolling .... don't worry if you can't find 'on-line' info ... there are scads of literature about such items & the cultures that produced them .

I also think that it is wise to brace yourself a bit , when it comes to understanding the price structure of the charges that certified appraisers can (& do) charge , per unit/item .... sometimes as low as $200 , but often 5x that price !

Happy hunting , dstras95 !!!

[KC]

regualrjoe....thank s for putting in the so-needed information about recording history that I so miserably failed to note above.  Love that about this site.

How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb?  LOLOL

[kidden6968]

But teamwork is always the best!!!   

[dstras95]

Thank you everyone!

It's encouraging to hear that museums could be such a great resource, going from the feedback I'll probably start by contacting more local museums then moving further afield if needed.

Regularjoe2, thanks for the great advice. My parents have been meaning to document everything for a while, it's just one of those projects that always gets pushed back. You're right though, it would be a great help to have that info organized. Also, the organization you suggested sounds like a good back up option if I can't find a museum that can help. Obviously I'd like to avoid huge charges, but it sounds like a great place to start if I need to find some more options.

Thanks again! You have a wonderful and helpful forum here, congratulations.

[mart]

We are always happy to help !!  Thats what this group does best !!  Would love to see a few of your parents items !!  Way out of my area,, but I like to look !! I am sure the rest of the members would enjoy it too !!

[ghopper1924]

A photo or two would be interesting!

[KC]

I 3rd that motion!

[dstras95]

Here are a few photos! I am currently in Southeast Asia on a trip with my family, so these are just photos of purchases on this trip since I am not home to take any pictures in my house. Due to regulations, I don't think any of these items are more than around 80 years old, but just to give you an idea of the type of items my parents like to buy.

1) A silver statue of Shiva standing on Garuda from Cambodia
2) A Taoist wall hanging from Vietnam
3) A wooden coconut grinder in the shape of a tiger from Cambodia