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Appraising an object is the first stop on the investigation trail, which is why there are two professional appraisers on the History Detectives team: Wes and Elyse. An appraisal is a formal estimation of the provenance, veracity, significance, and in some cases, value of something. It’s a job that requires skill and experience, but there are a few techniques you can follow to get the most out of examining an object up close.
First you need to identify what the object is and what time period it comes from. Is there a date on it? If it’s a piece of art, is there an identifying mark? Is there a museum, gallery or historical society that can help shed light on the object?
Once you know what the object is, you need to examine the condition, and determine the rarity and provenance of the piece. This stage may require some expert input. Tests may be required to determine the veracity of the object. Specialists may need to be called on to use their expertise in textiles, handwriting analysis, geology and so on.
Once you’ve determined the provenance of an item, you can then move towards making a valuation. This is where researching the market is required. Look at comparable objects and see what they sold for. Scour auction catalogues for price guides, or contact a seasoned appraiser for their expert opinion.
Have you got an object that you’ve appraised? What did you discover? Do you have any appraising tips or leads? We would like to know. Let us know in the form below.
You can also join our Facebook group where you can meet other fans and share information.
Find Out More:
Detective Techniques: Appraising
Colored World's Fair card
Finding Family
Fighting Forebears
An old master, or just a paint by number?
See The Signs
Take a Closer Look
Skeletons in the Closet
Be A House Detective
Know the Rogue's Gallery
Locating an expert
Ballistics: Aiming to Find Out
Searching for the Patently Obvious
Digging Deep: How to find what you're looking for
Get involved with History Detectives!
See all posts »
Web Investigation
Genealogy Research
Military History
Analyzing Art
Document Examination
Appraising
Researching People
Building Background
Photo Analysis
Finding experts
The National Archives
SearchSystems.net
Genealogy.com
Ancestry.com
US Patent Office
Smithsonian
In the past couple of weeks my wife and I were going through some old family papers and found a bond for the Brooklyn Annex Street Rail Road.
The bond was issued in 1887.
We believe that the bond was purchased by my wife's great grandfather.
Evidently it is worthless.
What I have found out so far is that the company was formed in 1885 as the East New York Bayside and Ozone Park Rail Road.
The name of he company was changed to the Brooklyn Annex Street
Rail Road.
I have found two newspaper articles in the Brooklyn Eagle. The first talks about the formation
on the rail road and the second talks about the name change to the Brooklyn Annex Street
Rail Road.
My broker couldn't find anything out about the company.
The NY State Secretary of State only had information that talked about the name change.
They have no further information about the company.
I would like to have the bond framed and I thought that it would be nice to compile the history
behind the bond.
Can you help?
Yours truely,
Paul F. Dombrosky
My great-grandfather was an Irish immigrant (or born of one). He was the ice-man in Hoboken NJ and owned wagons and horses. He, his brother and his sons ran the business. My elderly aunt told me that her father and uncle would go down to the river and cut the ice, load it into the wagons and take it to the excursion boats that went out from the docks in Hoboken. My great-grandfather had a contract to provide ice to the excursion boats.
My father told me an interesting story as to why our last name is Guiner. The story goes that my great-grandfather knew this German man who painted signs. They were at the tavern having a beer and my great-grandfather asked the German man to paint his name on the side of his wagons. And so the German man painted my great-grandfather's wagons. My great-grandfather's name was Guinan. The sign-painter painted Guiner on the wagons. My great-grandfather was so angry, he told my great-grandmother that he was going to kill the German man for making this terrible mistake. There was a big disagreement between the men as to who's fault it was and it caused a lot of grief to all parties. The story goes on to say that my great-grandmother took my great-grandfather to the court to change his name from Guinan to Guiner in order to keep the peace in the family and the neighborhood. And that is how our last name is Guiner which is German rather than Guinan which is Irish.
I want to know if there are any court records that prove that my great-grandfather changed his name from Guinan to Guiner and is there any historical information about the ice business and excursion boat business in Hoboken NJ.
My oldest living relative is my aunt Florence Guiner, who will be 91 years old on September 10th. She was born in 1918. I'm guessing that my great-grandfather would have been working in that area 1898--1900. Can you help?
I have two pictures here of what appear to be the front/back of a Greek coin. Pegasus the winged horse makes me think it's Greek. Also, is this the Scorpion King? The coin was found by two of my after-school children that I tutored while living in Burgaw, N.C.
They found the coin in Wilmington, N.C., at one of the beaches. How did it get there? Stolen from a coin collection, pirates from the 16th century, or did the Greeks arrive in America first? Love to know.
Rick Roberts
rlroberts7@yahoo.com
606.789.3747 Ext. 41
Cell: 606.367.0384
More info on me at imdb.com, actor # 13
My great grandfather Austin Stonebraker fought with Grant at the Battle of Ft. Donelson and was wounded seriously such that he left the army and became a spy. The story handed down to me by my father is that he uncovered a ring of counterfeiters who wanted to undermine the Union economy by flooding it with counterfeit currency and coin. A trial took place in Nashville, I believe, in which they were convicted. He showed the jury one-half of a counterfeit coin which at the time was silver plated lead. I have the coin. The silver is gone but the imprint of a Barber-designed coin is still visible on the lead.
I would like to know if the story is true and if this coin can be determined to be as described by my father. Incidentally my great grandfather was said to be rewarded by Abraham Lincoln with a saddle and two dueling pistols which have been lost.
On your program on August 10, you mentioned there was a place that had military records from 1775 to today showing when and where a military man was buried. I have an uncle in the Civil War and a great great grandfather who was in the Revolutionary War. I can't find this on your website.
I saw this broadcast on Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Robert Ramsdell, Albany Oregon