As a personal property appraiser, I’ve had the unique privilege of appraising some pretty amazing things. Sure, I’ve appraised household furniture and your standard cars and trucks, and even some interesting commercial equipment. But the true joy of being an appraiser comes from those challenging assignments — the ones where you’re looking at something so unique it’s difficult to place a value on it.
One recent assignment was to appraise hunting dogs. Now, I’ve appraised livestock before, but hunting dogs present a unique challenge. Not only do you have to consider their breeding and pedigree, you also have to look at the level of training they’ve achieved to become true hunting dogs. And because there’s no Kelley Blue Book for hunting dogs, it takes a lot of research into breeders and the dog world to identify potential value.
Credit: Rich Schur
I also had the opportunity to appraise a 1948 electric trolley car — the kind with the overhead wires. For certain, there is no database of sales for these kinds of vehicles. Fortunately, and not just for me but for all of us, Colorado Springs has a trolley car museum. I was able to meet with some of the staff, get a personal tour, and learn a great deal about trolley cars and streetcars.
Not long ago, I had the chance to appraise a well-played concert violin. The history of the violin itself, and the life of the violin maker, were absolutely fascinating. But I think the most interesting assignment I’ve ever had was an 1898 music box.
This music box was made by the Regina Company, which was later famous for making vacuum cleaners. At the turn of the 20th century, they made large, upright music boxes that looked like grandfather clocks. The majority were coin operated and were placed in bars and saloons as entertainment for guests. This particular machine was not coin operated, making it even rarer than most. In the course of my research, I was even able to discover the actual shipping documents from when it left the factory in New York in 1898.
Credit: Rich Schur
The client wasn’t particularly happy with the value; however, they were thrilled with the history report of the item.
Being a personal property appraiser is very much like being a detective. You search for information and evidence, you dig through the facts, and you reach a conclusion based on what’s presented to you.
If you’re curious about something in your home, call a professional personal property appraiser and find out what it is you really have.
Rich co-owns the Schur Success Group in Monument with his wife Shannon. He is a Master Personal Property Appraiser, and is a nationally recognized appraisal instructor.
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