What is a Certified Appraiser of Art and Antiques?
This article was created to clear up the widespread confusion about the phrase “certified appraiser” specifically as it relates to art and antique appraisers. The information below only applies to art and antique appraising, and I will not be discussing real estate appraisers or business appraisers, which are different sections of the appraisal field with their own terminology.
I am often asked if I am a “certified appraiser” or can I provide a “certification” about an artwork and these terms are incomplete and not valid in this segment of the professional appraisal world. There is no such thing as a certified appraiser of art and antiques. The phrase “certified appraiser” implies that there is a central certifying body granting that designation, but this is not the case for art and antique appraisers.
However, there is such a thing as “certified membership” for appraisers in this field which is linked to particular professional associations for appraisers. Appraisers can hold certified membership within a professional appraisal organization that they have achieved by meeting specific benchmarks, but the word “certified” is limited to and describes the level of membership in that organization. For example, I am a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America and I am also a Certified Member of the International Society of Appraisers. But I am not simply a “certified appraiser” without the qualifying language stating who certified me. When I originally joined both of those organizations, I had not yet achieved certified membership and only obtained them after years of hard work and fulfilling certain specific benchmarks set by these organizations.
Similarly, there is no such thing as a “certified appraisal.” What consumers really should be looking for is a “USPAP-compliant appraisal,” which is a phrase that means the appraiser prepared the appraisal report in compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, commonly known as USPAP. All this confusion is a pity because USPAP is really important (you can read more about why here) and there should be greater public awareness about the need to work with USPAP-compliant appraisers.
Sometimes I am asked if I am “USPAP-certified.” No, that phrase also doesn’t exist in the field because USPAP doesn’t certify anything. I am USPAP-compliant.
Appraisers do not provide certifications. They provide appraisal reports (which should be USPAP-compliant).
Appraisers also do not provide authentications in most circumstances, unless they are the rare appraiser who also happens to be a recognized authenticating expert for a particular artist or maker. Appraising is not the same thing as authenticating, and they are two distinct services. Generally appraisers collaborate with recognized authenticators when authentication services are needed in an appraisal assignment, but they do not provide authentication services themselves.
To review:
there is no such thing as a certified appraiser of art and antiques without mention of the specific linked professional organization
appraisers can hold certified membership within professional appraisal associations
appraisers provide appraisal reports, not certifications
appraisers are not authenticators
appraisal reports should be prepared in compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP-compliant)
For additional information about this topic, check out the great article “Certified: Its Real Meaning for Appraisers of Personal Property” written by Worthwhile Magazine Co-Editor Courtney Ahlstrom Christy at https://ahlstromappraisals.com/art-market-blog/certified-meaning-for-appraisers-of-personal-property
About Sarah Reeder
Sarah Reeder, AAA, ISA CAPP is Co-Editor of Worthwhile Magazine and owner of Artifactual History® Appraisal. Sarah is a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America and the International Society of Appraisers with the Private Client Services Designation for working with high-net-worth individuals. She is author of the book Ray Eames in 1930s New York and the creator of the online course SILVER 101: Quickly Learn How to Identify Your Sterling Silver and Silverplate to Find the Valuable Pieces and Sort with Empowered Confidence, available on-demand at https://artifactualhistory.teachable.com/p/silver-101. Sarah can be reached at https://www.artifactualhistory.com/ and @artifactualhistory