> Four years ago, when she began clearing out her home ahead of a move, she intended to throw out the painting, unaware of its true value, per the Guardian’s Kim Willsher. Luckily, her family called in an expert to appraise items on the property. The unusual depiction of Christ caught the eye of the expert, who assumed it could be worth hundreds of thousands.
Thanks to the family wise choice to call an appraiser and the appraiser's good eye for art.
btw is it normal for families to call appraisers? Or was it likely grandma had lots of nice antique things. Or maybe was wealthy (mentioning a "hot plate" indicates probably not).
> btw is it normal for families to call appraisers? Or was it likely grandma had lots of nice antique things.
It read to me like they were (rightly!) concerned she was disposing of things she didn't want any more inappropriately, without recognising what she had - she couldn't remember where it came from. If they didn't know either, then fair enough and good call I think. Local auctioneer would be a pretty reasonable/cheap starting point (but decent chance of recognising when to consult a specialist) if there's no particular reason to think there's anything very valuable I would think.
> btw is it normal for families to call appraisers?
When my mother passed away, my sister contacted a firm to handle the estate sale. They had several people who appraised things. How qualified were they? It varied. The guys who appraised the jewelry and antique furniture were spot on; but, the one who looked at all the Asian stuff seemed clueless. (Since they were getting a percentage, you'd think they'd try to be accurate.)
> btw is it normal for families to call appraisers?
Well, sorry to say but no, it is not "normal" in the sense every family does this - something only seen for rich people or those who have problems dividing wealth
You have to do it any time there are more than one child, because then the estate needs to be divided up accurately. You also have to do it any time there is anything significant in the inherited properties, because this needs to be taxed.
It’s something a notary require to execute the deceased’s will, you cannot not do it in general. You need it also for houses and buildings, in which case an assessment from an estate agent is usually enough.
Thanks to the family wise choice to call an appraiser and the appraiser's good eye for art.
btw is it normal for families to call appraisers? Or was it likely grandma had lots of nice antique things. Or maybe was wealthy (mentioning a "hot plate" indicates probably not).