I'm Josh Levine, a personal property and fine art appraiser in Phoenix, formerly J. Levine Auction & Appraisal. The saddest calls I get come after a loss: a fire, a flood, a burglary, a mover who dropped the crate. The owner knows what the piece was and roughly what it was worth, and the adjuster asks for proof that doesn't exist. An insurance appraisal is that proof, written before you need it.
I prepare scheduled-item reports with retail replacement values, each item photographed and documented, in a format agents and underwriters accept.
When you need an insurance appraisal
A standard homeowners or renters policy caps what it pays for art, jewelry, silver, collectibles and antiques, and it usually pays actual cash value rather than what replacing the item would cost. If you own something that would hurt to lose, you schedule it: the insurer lists it individually, at an agreed value, backed by an appraisal. People call me when they:
- Buy or inherit a significant painting, sculpture, rug, instrument or piece of jewelry.
- Move into a new home or change insurers and the new carrier wants current documentation.
- Have an appraisal that's more than a few years old. Markets move. Some categories have doubled; some have fallen by half.
- Are about to ship or store a collection and want the values on paper first.
- Have just had a claim denied or lowballed because nothing was documented.
Replacement value is not the same as market value
This trips people up. If you sold your painting at auction tomorrow, the hammer price is its market value. If that painting burned tonight and you had to walk into a gallery and buy a comparable one, the price on the gallery wall is its retail replacement value. The replacement number is almost always higher, and that's the number an insurance schedule needs, because that's the check it would take to make you whole.
An estate or donation appraisal uses fair market value instead. Using the wrong one costs you either way: too low and you're underinsured, too high and you're paying premiums on money you'd never collect. My reports state which value definition they use and why, so there's no argument at claim time.
What you get
A schedule-style report covering every item: a clear description, artist or maker, medium, dimensions, condition notes, photographs, provenance where known, and a retail replacement value supported by comparable sales and current dealer and gallery pricing. The report names the value definition, the effective date, my credentials and a signed certification. You get a digital copy to send straight to your agent and a copy to keep with your records.
For a Phoenix client in 2024 that meant about 20 pieces: works by a noted American Impressionist, early 20th century marine paintings, a 16th century Flemish icon and 18th century American furniture, with comparables pulled from the major auction houses and a total replacement value of $225,900. Their agent had everything needed to schedule the collection the same week.
How the process works
Call or send photos through the form and tell me what you're insuring and who the carrier is. We'll agree on scope and I'll quote the job. Then I come to the house (or, for a small number of pieces, work from your photographs and measurements), document everything, and go research the market for each item. You review a draft for accuracy, then receive the signed final.
If your insurer has a form or a format they prefer, send it over and I'll match it.
Timeline and keeping it current
I reply within one business day. One or two pieces turn around fast; a house full of scheduled items takes longer. You'll have a delivery date when I quote the job. If you have a policy renewal or a closing coming up, say so and I'll plan around it.
Insurance appraisals age. Most carriers like to see an update every few years, and you should ask for one sooner if a category has moved sharply or you've added to the collection. Updating an existing report of mine is quicker than starting over, because the documentation is already done.
How quotes work
I don't post prices because a single bracelet and a 40-piece collection are different jobs. Call or send photos and I'll quote the whole thing up front, based on item count and the research involved. My fee is never a percentage of value. I don't sell insurance and I don't sell art, so the number in the report is simply the number.