Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Reporter:
Todd W. Sigety, ISA CAPP
The following comment was posted in regard to Appraisers Post contributor Jerry Sampson's post on looted property. I found it important enough to move from the comments section on a post page to the main blog posting area.
Click
HERE to read the original post. The comment comes from Robert Edsel, founder of the Monuments Men Foundation.
My name is Robert M. Edsel, founder of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art (
www.monumentsmenfoundation.org), 2007 recipient of the National Humanities Medal. I am also the author of The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.
Mr. Jerry Sampson has written a very thoughtful inquiry about the challenges faced by professional appraisers in dealing with items that may have been stolen during World War II or possibly "liberated" by Western Allied troops. The Monuments Men Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) organization, receives inquiries almost every day from heirs of soldiers and others who have a concern about an item in their possession. A key part of the Mission Statement of the Foundation is to advise people and help illuminate the path home for any items that do not belong to the person possessing it.
Various guidelines exist to assist museums and others about works of art. Simply put, owners should know where their items were during the years 1933-1946, oftentimes referred to as the "gap" period. Items "liberated" by troops are a particular area of concern, especially when they involve any item considered cultural property. Generally speaking, this would exclude knives, guns, swastikas, etc.
Hundreds of thousands of works of art, library books, documents, and other cultural treasures remain missing from World War II. Our organization remains ready to assist all people of good will in determining the correct provenance of items affected by the war and in so doing, helping complete the mission of these great heroes of civilization---the Monuments Men and women.
We would be pleased to assist Mr. Sampson or any members of your organization. I encourage your members to visit our website and learn more about our work.
Robert M. Edsel
President
Monuments Men Foundation
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Reporter:
Dave Maloney
My partner, AQB-Certified National USPAP Course instructor Bill Novotny, and I are pleased to provide you with a free, 22-minute narrated video overview of the changes recently incorporated into the new 2010-2011 edition of USPAP by the Appraisal Standards Board. The new USPAP is effective January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2011. To view the video
go here.
Some changes are minor, but some will have a significant impact on your practice, such as the new requirement to disclose any service you've provided regarding the subject property over the past three years. Did you sell it? Appraise it? Restore it? Own it? If so, you have some new reporting requirements with which to comply.
As authors and appraiser educators, Bill and I focus on USPAP compliance. And our work as expert witnesses has made us acutely aware of the importance of performing and reporting appraisals that are USPAP compliant.
Make sure you have a current copy of USPAP and that you stay abreast of USPAP changes. Don't have a copy of USPAP? Purchase a copy from The Appraisal Foundation by
clicking here.
Questions? Feel free to contact us:
info@appraisalcourseassociates.comhttp://www.appraisalcourseassociates.com/
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Reporter:
Jerry Sampson
I'm in the middle of reading The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel. This is a non-fiction work about a group of men and women enacted by various governments to preserve cultural art works during WWII. This question came to my mind. What role if any, does the professional appraiser play in regards to potentially looted or stolen property? What if in doing a house inspection, for any number of reasons, you find a great work of cultural art in an unsuspecting family's collection? WWII has been over for 60 plus years now. These items could have easily passed onto several other family members hands by now. Families who had no idea that this object could have been pillaged by or just bought on the street by "grandpa" decades ago. Objects that might even be listed in previous appraisals or estate settlements. What right do we have, if any, to report these findings and to whom would we report? I've searched USPAP and inquired with other seasoned appraisers only to get vague answers. Of course, I understand the articles of due diligence, our ethics and our code of conduct but unless information is requested by the government we're strictly confidential. What if our client is aware of it's history and provenance? And they thought that enough time had passed that no one remembered or cared. When should we know to cross a line and involve other authorities and how does this affect our relationship with our clients. I think that there are a lot of interesting questions here. Any answers??
Jerry Sampson
Monday, November 09, 2009
Reporter:
Todd W. Sigety, ISA CAPP
On September 23rd I posted a request for help here on the Appraisers Post and the AW Blog from a fellow appraiser who was seeking advice on an assignment where an uninhabited house full of valuable property, from antiques to books, required valuation and mold remediation (click
HERE to read the original post). The advice and comments sent in return were excellent, and the appraiser was most appreciative of the responses. He send me the following update and asked if I would pass it along. His name and location remain confidential in order to protect the various parties involved.
I did make contact with the executor a few weeks ago just inquire as to the situation of the estate settlement and the mold issues. The mold was a powdery Gray-greenish mold and could be cleaned with some effort though it was thick. I was told that the gentleman, who was the previous owner, through a power of attorney maintained a high standard of insurance. The insurance company's adjuster, the executor, the lawyers and the local health department all met together for some time. It was discovered that the elderly gentleman maintained a very good inventory with all the invoices for what he paid for items and other important papers intact. The latest additions were dated to the years 2003 - 2004 periods (so it was still kind of current). The insurance adjuster then scheduled for a hazardous materials clean up company to clean the house. Three large tents were put up to house the cleaning of the personal property. There was a crew of about 40 people who undertook this task. Which was then inspected by the health department and other officials. Drywall had to be replaced in this case and the studs and flooring were bleached,washed and/or painted. I have no idea how well things cleaned up. It sounds like it was a simple wipe, sweep and wash kind of job.
The executor and the lawyers contacted various benefactors and alerted them to the situation that in lieu of their share of actual property they would receive a monetary compensation instead. They were offered a waiver to sign that if they wanted to attempt to purchase items for sentimental reasons that they could do so and would after wards receive them free of charge up to the value listed in the old inventories. (I think that this is kind of strange.) Those items like rugs, household linens, upholstered furnishings or other porous items that could not be cleaned were "bought" by the insurance adjustor's company (based again on the old inventories) and the executor settled, with increases for inflation and other variables, for an undisclosed amount. The library was on the far end of the house and was not affected to the degree that the rest of the house was. All art work and books were successfully cleaned. There is an auction scheduled for sometime this early December for general household and antique items. The art work and very high end pieces have since been sent out of state to a regional auction house. All in all this was very complicated and I'm glad that I was kept out of the loop.
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