I was watching the show tonight and one of the appraisers mentioned that when online searches fail, that’s when they can come to appraisers to get more information. How do the appraisers know or obtain this information? How are they able to estimate prices and give such detailed descriptions of the history of an object? This has always mystified me.
In: 27
Appraisers spend a lot of time not only reading up on a subject, but they also are tuned into the market, be it auctions, online sales, etc, which help them get a sense for the value of items in a particular niche market. Often appraisers don’t give an instant appraisal, but will examine the object closely and consult with their records and books to determine the legitimacy and value of an object.
TV appraisers are not real. Real appraisers have particular areas of expertise. When a TV show has one guy appraising antique cars, china, clothing, stamps, and rare books, he isn’t actually knowledgeable in all these areas. What is actually happening is they have a team of real appraisers each with their own expertise, who they consult. They then take the information from the real appraisers, and give it to the TV presenter, who acts out giving many different types of appraisal. Sometimes the show is staged to make it look like the appraiser is seeing the object for the first time, but in reality the objects were provided for appraisal days or weeks before filming.
Latest Answers