Were these really Napoleon’s lifts? Is this really Paul Revere’s saddle? Is this really Thomas Crapper’s John in the original packaging with accompanying Freud’s half-smoked cigar?

The human mind is a beautiful thing, and a lot like clay. It needs water to be of any use, is malleable and capable of being finely formed, or a little mushy and lumpy. We all tend toward optimism by nature, particularly when dealing with art, antiques, or objects of potential value, so it’s easy to not even notice donning those rose-colored glasses. Rare objects are such because they are, well, rare. The first step in dealing with any item is accurately identifying what you have. Think logically. If you have a work purporting to be from 1840, but you see contemporary hardware or no age to the paint, there’s an issue. If you’re being sold a ‘hand-signed Dali’, but you see pixels in the “D”, there’s an issue. Counteract impulsive idealism with critical realism. Would George Washington really have slept in this bed in an inn in Sacramento? Why would this modernist work on paper be listed for so little online, with all these gallery and museum stamps all over the back? Why does the seller have a dozen world famous artists for rock-bottom pricing and no “normal” sales? Ignoring condition issues or cognitive dissonances, or, “haste-making”, can lead to a lot of regret. Know for sure what you have and Contact Us for valuation services and an online appraisal today!