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APPRAISING CELEBRITY MATERIAL FORUM AT APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION MARCH 15-16

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NEW YORK CITY — Johnny Cash, Katharine Hepburn, Cher, Marlene Dietrich, Motown, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Steve McQueen, and Maya Angelou — what do they all have in common?

The Appraisers Association of America will present “Appraising Celebrity & Historical Material,” a major two-day symposium on March 15–16, at the Citigroup Center in Manhattan. The first time event will bring together all of the key players involved in buying and selling in this hot market for timely series of panel discussions and specialist presentations.

Establishing the value of celebrity-related objects is one of the most intriguing and difficult questions in appraisal practices today. Celebrity objects include a wide range of items such as, autographs, stage props, costumes, personal property in the form of clothing, jewelry or household objects, and objects associated with famous events, all of which gained value because of their celebrity associations.

Often such objects have not had an established or published price history (many will be one of a kind) and thus their financial value is undocumented, uncertain, controversial or difficult to pinpoint. The value of these items is dependent largely upon who owned or was associated with the object rather than the inherent value of the object itself. There is need to define guidelines, principles and standard practices in appraising such objects.

Many stakeholders need this information. Almost all celebrities and all whose name is famous for any reason, need to know how to best gauge the financial value of the objects they have and will eventually give away, sell or bequeath to others.

Cultural institutions that hope to be the eventual repositories of celebrity related-objects need to know about their objects and their valuation. Dealers and auctioneers exchange information about valuing celebrity objects.

Estate planners and professionals who represent celebrities or celebrity estates have a major stake in knowing what formerly ignored objects are worth in today’s collectibles-oriented Internet dominated market.

The symposium will be at Citigroup Center, 153 East 53rd Street, New York City, on Thursday, March 15, and Friday, March 16, from 8 am to 5 pm daily. Tickets are $275 general admission; reduced rates available for AAA members. Advance registration only; no tickets can be sold at the door; call for information and tickets, 212-889-5404, extension 11.