The Appraiser's Archive: The First Edition of The Appraiser's Archive Is Here!
- Danny Triplett
- Feb 7
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 21
Welcome to the first edition of The Appraiser's Archive — a newsletter by Valuables Appraisal Service! Every other Friday, you'll discover exclusive spotlights on unique items we've appraised, receive a roundup of insights and news about the personal property industry, access expert personal property advice for professionals, and be the first to know about exciting VAS news.
In this edition of The Appraiser's Archive, we showcase a unique artifact signed by the infamous French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte; highlight recent notable auctions of The Wizard of Oz memorabilia and early American historical documents; discuss personal property reporting requirements during tax season; and announce exciting VAS news — including a giveaway of free antique items totaling $300 in fair market value!
PERSONAL PROPERTY SPOTLIGHT
When conducting an estate tax appraisal for a client last month, we came across what we found to be the most interesting item in the estate — an 1811 Ministry of War document signed by Napoleon Bonaparte himself, and also signed by the French Minister of War (le Ministere de la Guerre) Henri Jacques Guillame Clarke, Duke of Feltre (signed "Duc de Feltre") Comte d'Hunebourg. Clarke was a French military officer, diplomat, and politician of Irish origin who served as Minister of War under Napoleon Bonaparte during the First French Empire from 1807 to 1814.
UNLOCKING VALUE: INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Last month, Heritage Auction announced that 2024 marked their most successful year ever (for the fourth year in a row!) — totaling sales over $1.4 billion. Perhaps most notable among the many record-breaking sales last year was the auction of Dorothy's Ruby Slippers and the Wicked Witch's Hat from The Wizard of Oz. The Ruby Slippers reached a soaring final hammer priced of $32.5 million to become the most expensive piece of film memorabilia ever sold at auction. The Wicked Witch's hat also set records as the highest price a hat has ever sold for at auction: $2.93 million. The record-shattering prices are indicative of the mounting success Heritage Auctions saw in the Entertainment category last year.
Far removed from the realms of Oz and Hollywood, early American historical documents had an impressive January. University Archives saw the sale of four lots of presidential signatures totaling over $100,000, including signed letters and checks from Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and James A. Garfield. Even more impressive was a rare July 1776 Exeter Broadside Declaration of Independence that sold for $2.4 million at Sotheby's. The broadside was printed by publisher Robert Fowle in New Hampshire's then-capital, Exeter. This Exeter Broadside is one of the few copies of the Declaration of Independence privately owned and the third most expensive copy ever auctioned. This January's sale also marks the third time Sotheby's has auctioned this particular copy, which is known as the Goodspeed-Sang-Streeter copy after its previous owners.
PROFESSIONAL'S CORNER
Accountants, attorneys, and guardians — tax season is here! Are your clients prepared?
If your clients plan to claim deductions for non-cash charitable contributions or report non-cash gifts on this year's tax return, they may be in need of a personal property appraisal. Certain non-cash charitable donations claimed on IRS Form 8283 must be accompanied by a USPAP-compliant appraisal completed by a qualified appraiser, including deductions at or above $20,000 for art and $500 for clothing and household items. For gift tax, gifts to an individual totaling more than $18,000 in 2024 and reported on IRS Form 709 must be adequately disclosed by including a qualified appraisal or detailed methodology for determining the gift's fair market value.
VAS can simplify IRS reporting for your clients with our certified written appraisal reports for personal property. Contact us to learn more about this service or get an estimate.
VAS NEWS
This week, VAS announced that Melanie Triplett, daughter of CEO & Founder Danny Triplett, joined the family business as Vice President. Melanie joins the firm from JUST Capital, an NYC-based nonprofit where she served as Senior Manager of Corporate Engagement and fostered relationships with major US corporations.
As Vice President of VAS, Melanie combines her expertise in systems and relationships management with her passion for history and antiques. She holds a Bachelor of Science from New York University, is a CAGA-certified personal property appraiser, and resides in Seattle, Washington.
To celebrate the news, we announced an exciting giveaway — three unique, antique items totaling $300 in fair market value! Anyone can enter the giveaway, which ends on February 18th, by subscribing to this newsletter. Participants can obtain extra entries by liking our Facebook page following us on LinkedIn, and sharing Danny's Facebook post about the giveaway. Winners will be announced in our February 21st edition of The Appraiser's Archive.
The items featured in the giveaway are antiques spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. Check out the giveaway announcement on Facebook for more details about each item.
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