Fine Art Services

I am based in Toronto, but I am able to appraise art from anywhere in Canada. I have completed the International Society of Appraisers core course, and I do not need to see the painting or object in person to be able to appraise it.

The first step in the appraisal process is always images. If you would like to have your collection appraised, the most straightforward route is to have images taken of each piece (with your phone is fine). Appraisals through images are a standard practice.

If you cannot have images taken I normally will do a house visit to see your items and take images. House visits are billed at $150 per hour of onsite time. An alternative is a Zoom, FaceTime, or Skype call - I can talk you through the process and take images of your pieces through video-chat.

Once I have the necessary information & images, I will research each piece. You will receive a document outlining the value of your piece, written to industry standards, that you can use in court, for fair distribution, estate, or tax purposes.

My current turnaround time is about one-week for appraisals of less than 10 pieces, 2 weeks for appraisals between 10 and 25 pieces. We can discuss on a case by case basis for collections larger than that.

My rates are $200/hr for insurance appraisals and estate appraisals. When selling your pieces, my fee is 4% of the hammer price, and there are no upfront fees. I invoice only once you have received the proceeds of the sale. I can also provide less detailed fair market value appraisals or consult on purchase or sales decisions, and my rate for these services is $150/hr.

I have worked in the auction industry for several years, including for Sotheby's and Waddington's Auctioneers and Appraisers. I have contacts in each of the major auction houses in the country. I can help people who are looking to sell part or all of their collection to navigate the auction world.

The first step in the sales process to send me images. Without doing a formal appraisal, I can get a quick sense of comparable sales to better understand the value of the piece(s), and the best venues for sale. I will then reach out to those in the industry that I know may have an interest in selling the piece(s).

Once we have a shortlist of auction houses interested in selling the piece(s), I will negotiate whether they are placed in a general or themed auction; whether they are sold at a live auction or online; I will negotiate commissions, reserve prices, and additional fees, for photography for instance. I will discuss the planned publicity of the pieces with the auction house, and arrange for shipping.

The fine art sales process can be long, it typically takes between 3-6 months, largely because of the wait for the most appropriate auction. However, we can discuss timelines on a case by case basis, higher value pieces typically take longer to sell because high value live auctions occur less frequently.

I don't charge unless your piece(s) sell. If they do sell, my rate is 4% of the hammer price, and I will only invoice after you have received the proceeds from the sale.