What's your family heirloom really worth? -- Page 2

In general, unless the piece is obscure or requires some unusual research or master authentication, an appraisal should only take a few hours at most, she says.

Because you want your appraiser to be totally neutral, don't "have an appraisal done by anyone who offers to buy the item," says Bensoussan. "It's a conflict of interest."

You might have mixed luck if you contact a local museum.

While museums are good sources of information on preservation, they don't like to give referrals to specific appraisers, says Ed Able Jr., president and CEO of the American Association of Museums.

Not only do they not want to appear to favor one appraiser over another, but "museums are not interested in the value of an object unless they are going to buy it," he says.

But C. Hugh Hildesley, executive vice president of Sotheby's, believes that museums can be good sources of information when deciding which appraisers are experts in certain fields.

An informal estimate
If you just want to get an idea of what the item is worth, perhaps to decide if you need a formal appraisal, you can do that relatively inexpensively in several ways.

You can contact an auction house, local or otherwise, that specializes in the item, Hildesley says.

"In the days of digital photography, there is nothing to prevent anyone, anywhere in the world from taking a photo, sending it to Sotheby's," he says. In return, the auction house would identify the item along with a range of its possible value.

Witherell agrees that auction houses are a great resource. For general information, "it's far more economical," he says. "If you have something of value, at the very end of it, I would get an independent appraisal by an expert in the field."

On the fence about getting an appraisal because you don't know if the item is worth it? You have another option: Contact the appropriate appraiser and tell them the situation. Find out what they might charge, if anything, to give you an informal estimate.

"I would suggest asking an appraiser to help you determine if it's worth getting appraised prior to launching into full-blown appraisal," says Bensoussan. "Most appraisers won't encourage you to spend money that is not cost effective."

Start by calling the appraiser. When they have some information, they will be able to tell you whether it might be worth your time to proceed. Next step: Send photos to give them a visual of the object.

Bensoussan says she will often chat with someone on the phone about an object, then look at pictures they send to determine if the item might have some worth.

A formal appraisal
If it still looks like you might have something of value, the appraiser will visit and inspect the object.

Later, he or she will do some research, looking at similar objects and their value, and present you with a written report. Actual written appraisals are usually done for only a handful of reasons, among them determining value prior to a sale or donation or for insurance or estate purposes.

Most importantly, the valuation will be the appraiser's opinion backed by research. "It's hard information," says Goldman. "It's not just my deciding what it's worth."

Since most appraisers charge by the hour, it's usually more cost-effective if you take a group of related items in at the same time, says Bensoussan.

Some appraisers are also dealers, which can be ticklish. "You can say 'I'm bringing this in for an appraisal, I'm not offering it for sale,'" says Hildesley. "You can always change your mind later."

And "a second opinion is always a good idea," he says. If the object is especially rare or the appraiser isn't an expert in that particular niche, the danger is that "you could get a bad opinion and be leaving some money on the table," he says.

But if the two opinions dovetail, "then you're getting close to at least an approximation of truth," says Hildesley.

So select your experts carefully, and be realistic. "I think the caution is to get a really good appraiser, someone who really knows what they are doing," says Goldman. "And not to prejudge what is going to happen."

Dana Dratch is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.